Strategic Advisory Committee

In this role, James is responsible for operational services at Bruce Power – the World’s largest operating nuclear facility and Canada’s largest private-sector clean energy infrastructure project. This includes site operational services, emergency protective services, external relations, nuclear regulatory affairs, environment and sustainability, asset dispatch and information technology.

As Chief Development Officer, James leads the company’s medical isotope business, net zero initiatives, power trading, business development and indigenous/community economic partnerships.

He is committed to Canada’s leading global role in the fight against cancer serving as Chair of the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council and the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) and as a Board Member on the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada. He also serves on the Board of LifeLabs, Canada’s largest provider of medical laboratory services.

James has an Executive MBA from London’s Ivey Business School and a Chartered Director through McMaster’s DeGroote Business School. James also holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Guelph College of Management and Economics in Leadership and a BA (Hons) and has completed Master’s-level Project Management certification through York University’s Schulich Business School. He is a graduate of the US-based Institute of Nuclear Power Operations Senior Plant Manager Program and the Bruce Power Nuclear Operations Executive Fundamentals Program.

He has been awarded the Provincial Diamond Leadership Award by Easter Seals for his work supporting the organization and kids with physical disabilities and is a recipient of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40.

Amanda Klein is EVP, External Affairs and Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer at Toronto Hydro. Her work takes her to the heart of the corporation’s strategy and operations, and she brings over a decade of experience to her leadership of Toronto Hydro’s advocacy, communications, stakeholder relations, business development, climate action, energy and regulatory policy, law, enterprise risk and governance, as well as streetlighting, emergency management, and business continuity activities.

Amanda is a strong believer in the importance of electricity and innovation in sustainable city building, and is passionate about building high-performing teams. She is a regular speaker and contributor in a wide variety of conferences, forums, and initiatives in the sector and community. Prior to her time at Toronto Hydro, Amanda practiced commercial litigation and government relations in Toronto. She holds a law degree from the University of British Columbia.

As President and CEO of Essex Power, John Avdoulos leads a team that is committed to innovation, technology and strong performance management. Through innovative technologies the Essex Power Group of Companies has successfully built the foundation to establish a diverse set of energy products and services that provide value to its customers.

John joined the energy industry in 2006 and has been able to transfer valuable lessons learned from his previous experience in the manufacturing sector. John provides a unique view as he has already experienced many of the changes that the energy world is currently undergoing.

John previously served as the President of Utilismart Corporation. Utilismart’s focus, under John’s direction, was assisting their customers in implementing a Digital Utility Platform and transforming 'data into decisions'.

John holds a Board of Directors position at the Electricity Distributors Association.

John holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Windsor, a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Lawrence Technological University, a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Windsor and a McLaughlin Masters Certificate in Project Management. John obtained the Chartered Director designation from The Directors College. He is also a member of the Association of Energy Engineers and is a Certified Energy Manager.

Mr. Butters has been APPrO's President and Chief Executive Officer since April 2004.

He has an extensive background in government, government relations, and corporate and advertising communications.

Prior to joining APPrO he was Vice President, Public Affairs for Hill & Knowlton Canada, with responsibility for their national energy practice. He was also Chief of Staff to a senior cabinet minister in the government of the Honourable Brian Mulroney, PC.

Mr. Butters is a graduate of York University in Toronto.

Pat Chilton is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Five Nations Energy Inc., an independent not-for-profit Indigenous owned, governed and managed electrical transmission company that provides electrical service and fibre optics to three remote communities along the western shore of James Bay.

With his combination of experience, skills and knowledge, Pat successfully led many organizations through start-up, survival, turnaround and growth modes, leaving behind a path to sustainability. Pat’s management career started at the age of 18 at the Moose Factory Board of Education, after which he moved to work for the Federal Government in senior positions, including Regional Director of Indian Affairs in the Northwest Territories. As the founding Executive Director of the Mushkegowuk Tribal Council, he was responsible for the startup of the Council which included the eventual transfer of programs to the member First Nations.

Pat’s varied career also included a number of senior positions in the Health Services sector, including the positions of founding CEO for the Weeneebayko Health Ahtuskaywin and the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority. He has been recognized for his dedication to improving Indigenous health services with the Deputy Minister’s Award for Excellence from Health Canada in 2008 and the Assistant Deputy Minister’s Recognition Award in 2007 from the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch for Health Canada.

Over the years Pat has also participated on a wide variety of Boards and Committees, where he has gained a significant amount knowledge and understanding in the issues facing First Nations. Recently, Pat served on the Boards of Coral Rapids Power, which constructed a 28-Megawatt hydro generation project and the Western James Bay Telecommunications Network.

Pat now resides in Timmins, Ontario and is member of the Cree Nation of Kashechewan.

Gurvinder Chopra is currently working as the Vice-President, Standards and Regulations at Electro-Federation Canada, a not-for-profit association of Canadian electrical manufacturers, distributors and manufacturing agents. He leads the advocacy efforts with municipal, provincial and federal governments on codes and regulations topics and actively pursues initiatives around clean energy, sustainability, the modernization of the grid, electric vehicle systems, smart buildings and electricity system infrastructure.

Gurvinder has a degree in Marine Engineering and sailed for 10 years in the early part of his career, spending more than a year as a Chief Engineer. Subsequently, he worked with the Canadian Standards Association, Lloyd’s Register and the British Standards Institution across India, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. He also worked in Iraq as part of the United Nations 'Food for Oil' program.

Gurvinder holds an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from McMaster University, Operations Management certification from Loyola University and he recently completed the Sustainable Business Strategy program at Harvard Business School.

Michael Di Lullo is the Chief Administrative Officer for the Municipality of Middlesex Centre. Prior to this role, he was the City Clerk at the City of Cambridge and worked in a local government capacity in Huron County, City of Brampton and for the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.

Michael is originally from London, Ontario and completed his studies at Western University with undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Public Administration followed by a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.

He has also taught on a part-time basis at Conestoga College and is a board member of the Ontario Municipal Administrators’ Association (OMAA).

Ed Gilbert is a member of Walpole Island First Nation and has worked in the renewable energy field for more than 10 years. He has taken the Alternative Energy Engineering program and the Industrial Management program at Lambton College. He has worked for and with groups like OPA, Hydro One and many First Nations in every aspect of renewable energy development. His focus has been to educate and help first nations understand and work at using their energy efficiently. Ed is the Corporate Manager for Aamjiwnaang First Nations, managing their Partnerships with Energy Developers.

Malini Giridhar is Vice President, Business Development and Regulatory Affairs at Enbridge Gas Inc. based in Toronto, Ontario. Malini is accountable for business development and energy conservation, regulatory strategy and execution, public affairs and stakeholder relations. In previous roles, Malini led teams responsible for regulatory approval of a major pipeline project in the GTA, gas supply and merchant storage and the development of natural gas rates and services for gas fired generators.

Malini is a Chartered Financial Analyst and has a graduate degree in Economics.  In addition to her day to day work at Enbridge, she is very passionate about the promotion of diversity, inclusion and personal development. Malini is an active supporter of Pathways to Education and YouthLink, which help at- risk youth graduate from high school.

Bala Gnanam is the Vice President of Sustainability, Advocacy and Stakeholder Relations with the Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada (BOMA Canada). Bala brings close to 20 years of experience in the energy, commercial real-estate and manufacturing sectors. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) in industrial engineering and a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in mathematics. He is also a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) and Certified Demand Side Manager (CDSM) with the Association of Energy Engineers. Passionate about sustainability and climate action through better building performance.

At BOMA Canada he is responsible for managing and facilitating the development and delivery of educational contents, programs, and initiatives that promote energy efficiency, sustainability, and regulatory compliance to the membership. Bala is also actively involved in the association’s advocacy initiatives, working closely with all three levels of governments and industry stakeholders contributing to policies and programs impacting the Commercial Real Estate industry. He also assumes the overall responsibility for managing the contract and the delivery of race2reduce program. Prior to his current role Bala was with an energy consulting firm as their Senior Program Manager responsible for the design and delivery of CDM services to multiple local electricity distribution companies in Ontario, and prior to that he managed the BOMA Canada’s multiple-award winning BOMA CDM Program as its Director of Projects and Operations.

Paul Grod is President and CEO of Rodan Energy, a leading North American energy services company focused on making sustainable attainable through power grid optimization, demand side management, and integration of clean energy resources. Prior to founding Rodan Energy in 2003, Paul was a corporate and investment banker with CIBC World Markets and later practiced corporate finance and Mergers and Acquisitions law with Gowlings WLG. He actively works with many North American energy industry associations, agencies, ISOs and their boards. Paul actively supports many local, national and international not-for-profit organizations and is the President of the Ukrainian World Congress. He is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and holds Bachelor of Political Science, Juris Doctor (law), and Master of Business Administration degrees.

Frank Kallonen has been President and CEO of the Greater Sudbury Utilities Group of Companies, which includes Greater Sudbury Hydro Inc, Agilis Networks, @Home Energy and Convergen, since 2009.

Mr. Kallonen is well-known for his broad-based understanding of issues currently faced by the Energy and Telecommunications sectors. He began his career as a Powerline Electrician and has held positions in virtually every role in the Electricity Distribution Industry since then. In 2000, Mr. Kallonen served on the IMO Market Commissioning Technical Advisory Team, as well, he led the Greater Sudbury Hydro project to prepare for the Electricity Market Opening.

Appointed VP of Competitive Services in 2004, Mr. Kallonen managed the decoupling process to comply with the Affiliate Relationship Code, and grew GSU's Telecom business from a municipal network to a northeastern Ontario Regional Carrier.

Mr. Kallonen is a founder of "CustomerFirst", a collective of 6 progressive utilities in Ontario collaborating to achieve efficiencies and advocate in their customer's interests. He recently became Chair of the Electricity Distributors Association Northeast District.

Kim Lauritsen is the Senior Vice-President of Enterprise Strategy and Energy Markets at Ontario Power Generation (OPG), where she leads the development of OPG’s corporate strategy and oversees OPG’s participation in energy markets. Kim has more than 20 years of experience in the energy industry with a focus on strategy, commercial transactions, energy markets, project development, joint venture management and financial modeling. Prior to joining OPG, Kim worked at Origin Energy in Australia and Shell in Europe.

Kim holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University, a Master of Science in Renewable Energy Development degree from Heriot-Watt University and a Master of Business Administration degree from INSEAD. Kim is also a certified Chartered Management Accountant.

Tonja Leach became Executive Director of QUEST in October of 2018. Working with all three levels of government, utilities and energy providers, the development community, and solution providers to help Canada become a nation of Smart Energy Communities. Prior to her role as Executive Director, Tonja held a number of roles at QUEST, including as the founding Coordinator of the organization starting in 2007.

Through collaboration, Tonja supports and advises Canada’s energy sector, governments and community builders in the transition to a sustainable energy future. Tonja is currently an active advisor on a number of committees including the Energy Futures Lab Partners Council and Steering Committee, National Coherence Working Group, Clean Resource Innovation Network Steering Committee, Positive Energy Advisory Council, and the Low Carbon Community Energy System project steering committee.

He is responsible for legal services, support for the IESO’s Board of Directors, contract management and the creation and maintenance of market rules.

Mr. Lyle has extensive experience in the regulation of the electricity sector in Ontario. Previously, he was Vice-President, Planning, Legal, Indigenous Relations and Regulatory Affairs at the IESO; and General Counsel and Vice-President, Legal, Aboriginal and Regulatory Affairs at the Ontario Power Authority. Mr. Lyle has also served as counsel for the Ontario Energy Board and, before that, counsel at the Ministry of Energy.

Mr. Lyle obtained his law degree from the University of Toronto and also holds a BA in economics from the University of Western Ontario.

Scott McFadden was the Mayor of Cavan Monaghan from 2014 to November 2022. Previous to his time as Mayor, he served as Deputy Mayor of Cavan Monaghan Township for four years.

He has been an active member of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Energy Task Force since 2017, which he served as chairperson. He was also a task force member of the Provincial Conservation Authorities Working Group, where he provided feedback on proposed changes from a municipal perspective.

Scott is an Electrical Engineer, who graduated with Honours from the Queen's Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science in 1996.

She is responsible for providing strategic leadership in the areas of communications, stakeholder engagement, government relations, and innovation, and managing and enhancing all relationships on behalf of the IESO.

Ms. Nell has extensive senior leadership and operational experience within the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Her expertise includes development of comprehensive stakeholder relations and advocacy strategies, overseeing business initiatives to ensure a robust and responsive customer experience; and fostering transparency and mutual accountability for internal and external stakeholder audiences to transform relationships into true partnerships.

Prior to joining the IESO, most recently Ms. Nell served as the President and CEO of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce and Vice President, Municipal and Stakeholder Relations at the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC).

Ms. Nell holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Ottawa, completed her Masters degree at Western University, and is a paralegal licensed by the Law Society of Ontario. She is also currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Empire Club of Canada.

Paul Norris is the President of the Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA) – a non-government organization established in May 2001 to represent the collective interests of the province’s waterpower industry.

Under Paul’s leadership the OWA has grown to include over one hundred and fifty (150) members with a shared commitment to the advancement of environmentally sustainable economic development and resource management. Waterpower – Ontario’s First Choice – is expanding and remains the province primary source of renewable energy.

Paul has a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Toronto and is a graduate of Ryerson’s Public Administration Program. He holds an MBA from Queen’s University and the Certified Association Executive designation.

Mr. Passi is Energy Manager for Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations, a Glencore company. Mark has accountability and responsibility for all Ontario operations with respect to electricity and natural gas. Mark is a director with the Industrial Gas Users Association (IGUA), former chair and current member of the Ontario Mining Association Energy Committee and former chairman of the Association of Major Power Consumers in Ontario (AMPCO).

Mark has been a member of several IESO committees, Hydro One Customer Advisory board and a member on the Trans Canada Tolls Task Force. Mark has and MBA and BSc. from Laurentian University.

Annette Verschuren is Chair and Chief Executive Officer of NRStor Inc. The company develops and manages energy storage projects.

Prior to this, Ms. Verschuren was president of The Home Depot Canada. She oversaw the growth of the company’s Canadian operations from 19 to 179 stores from 1996-2011, increased revenue from $600 million to $6 billion.

Ms. Verschuren sits on the corporate boards of Liberty Mutual, CNRL, Air Canada and Saputo and also serves on the board of the CAMH Foundation, and chairs the MaRS Discovery District Board. Ms Verschuren is the Chancellor of Cape Breton University.

Annette Verschuren was recently appointed to Chair Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), a foundation created by the government of Canada to support Canadian companies with the potential to become world leaders in their efforts to develop and demonstrate new environmental technologies that address climate change, clean air, clean water and clean soil.

Ms. Verschuren wrote the book Bet On Me, about succeeding in business and in life. She champions volunteerism and was named to the Order of Canada for her contributions to the retail industry and corporate social responsibility. Annette Verschuren was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame on June 19, 2019.

Agnieszka Wloch is a Real Estate Development professional with focus on leading and successfully executing complex development initiatives that contribute to Minto's objective of expanding strategically in select North American markets to create future growth. An Ivey EMBA graduate and a licensed architect, Agnieszka has a strong foundation in engineering, architectural and urban design paired with 20+ years of global experience in Canada, the US, Europe and the Caribbean.

In her role as a VP Development at Minto, Agnieszka is accountable for management of business strategy, process and project management within complex mixed-use real estate development realm via engagement of stakeholders and large, multidisciplinary teams. Agnieszka is an insightful, inquisitive and versatile leader, who quickly establishes relationships with stakeholders at all levels, introduces possibilities that challenge convention and focuses on action. She values sharing of ideas and experiences and supporting personal growth of the individuals she works with. Agnieszka is passionate about the impact we have on society and she focuses her efforts on building a better way of life.