Winona Lafreniere

Maxwell's Bio

Maxwell Shedd | Team Captain, University of Calgary Solar Car Team
Innovation Gallery (Saturday morning)

The University of Calgary Solar Car Team has the vision of leading the community in the pursuit of sustainable technology. To do so, our team members design, build and race practical solar cars that engage the community and encourage the growth of student leaders.

Throughout our 18 years of impact in the community, our team has aimed to educate younger generations, innovate within our Calgarian community, and inspire the automotive industry to push for the implementation of renewable energies within our daily lives.

University of Calgary Solar Car Team

Catherine's Bio

Catherine Magnan | Manager, Thermal Technology, Canadian Natural
Round Tables (Friday afternoon)

Catherine Magnan is a hands-on leader and team builder with 25 years of experience working in the oil and natural gas sector. She currently leads Canadian Natural Resourcehttps://www.facebook.com/CanadianNaturals Limited’s Water Technology portfolio. Her team is responsible for developing new water treatment and steam generation technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water use.

Throughout her career, Catherine has led diverse teams in the search for solutions in the areas of capital deployment, regulatory strategy, and technology and innovation. She holds a degree from the University of Manitoba in Civil Engineering and is known for her passion for bringing people together to deliver business results.

Canadian Natural

Sam's Bio

Sam Effah | Canada Games Gold Medalist, Right to Play Ambassador, Amazing Race Canada Finalist
Keynote Speaker

As a native Albertan, Sam has speed. He represented Canada at 3 World Championships, 3 World University Games, 2 Commonwealth Games and was inducted into the 2021 Canada West Hall of Fame. Most recently, Sam was named co-Chef de Mission for the 2022.

As a volunteer, he’s an athlete ambassador with Right To Play and a past Classroom Champions mentor, where he focuses on using his platform to inspire the next generation of youth around the world.

In 2019 he was cast on The Amazing Race Canada Season 7 and placed second overall. 

Outside of athletics and in-office work, Sam loves to speak. He leads a strong stage presence, developed over the course of a ten-year career as a seminar speaker, workshop facilitator, and motivational presenter.

Learn More About Sam Effah

Dinara's Bio

Dinara Millington | Western Network Lead, The Transition Accelerator
Round Tables (Friday afternoon)

As the Western Network Lead at The Transition Accelerator, Dinara Millington is responsible for catalyzing the development and linkage of a network of strategically located hydrogen hubs across Western Canada. This work includes building and managing strategic relationships, identifying promising locations for new hubs in Western Canada, and developing systems of communication and knowledge sharing to link new hubs.

Dinara’s advanced knowledge of the energy industry and regulatory landscape, along with her technical and leadership skills have contributed to her almost 20-year energy career. In her previous role, Dinara was responsible for leading research programs, liaising with board and senior management, assisting in fundraising, and managing various committees.

Her effective communication skills and ability to work with a range of internal and external stakeholders are evidenced through publication of numerous research reports and appearances in articles and television interviews with local, national, and international media. Dinara holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Economics from the University of Calgary.

The Transition Accelerator