Board of Directors

J. Dean Tucker

Chair

Lauren Savoie

Vice Chair
Brad Trumble

Brad Trumble

Secretary Treasurer
James D. McFarland

James D. McFarland

CPC Chair, WPC Energy

Heidi-Lynne Balasche

Director
Elizabeth Boright

Elizabeth Boright

Director

David Crawford

Director
Joanna Desjardins

Joanna DesJardins

Director

Dr. Randy Gossen

Director

Almas Kassam

Director
Chelsie Klassen

Chelsie Klassen

Director

Gillian McCormick

Director

Cody Parrish

Director

David HG Smethurst

Director

Cheryl Trudel

Director
Lukas Albrecht

Lukas Albrecht

Future Leaders Chair

Lauren Savoie, President & CEO PTAC

Lauren is a dynamic and results-driven leader with over 20 years of extensive experience in the oil and gas industry, spanning upstream, midstream, oil sands mining, in situ operations, renewable energy, and technology development. She specializes in project management, strategic planning, and budgeting.

As the President and Chief Executive Officer of PTAC Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada, Lauren leads a premier organization focused on fostering innovation, collaborative research, and the advancement of technology within Canada’s hydrocarbon energy sector. Her ambition is to position Canada as a global leader in hydrocarbon energy technology.

Before joining PTAC, Lauren held several pivotal roles at Suncor, including Senior Specialist Governance Advisor, where she led enterprise processes for project development and governance strategies that enhanced corporate integration. As the Director of Strategic Development & Integration, she played a key role in shaping Suncor’s bitumen supply strategy for the Wood Buffalo Region. Her career at Suncor also included significant contributions as Director of Technology and Development Manager.

Prior to her work at Suncor, Lauren served as the Director at Petro Chad Transport, a pipeline company under Glencore E&P Inc., and as the Director of Asset Management at Caracal Energy Inc., where she managed assets in Chad, Africa.

Lauren earned her Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Victoria and is a registered Professional Engineer in Alberta. She also serves as the Vice Chair of the WPC Energy Canada board, where she fosters discussions around Canada’s energy future. When she’s not advancing her professional goals, Lauren loves skiing with her family in the stunning landscape of Fernie, BC.

Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn.

Jason Balasch, Vice President, Business Development & Commercial Services, Trans Mountain

As Vice President, Business Development and Commercial Services, Jason Balasch is responsible for commercial and business development activity along with and shipper services and logistics.

Jason has over 35 years of experience in the midstream energy sector in both Canada and the U.S., including serving as the President of Plains Midstream Canada and holding several executive roles at Enterprise Products in Houston. Jason served as a Director of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association and been a contributor to several other volunteer and industry associations including the Calgary Stampede Parade Committee.

Jason holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Calgary and an MBA from the Edinburgh Business School.

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn. 

Chris Prokop, Senior Vice President, Business Development, AltaGas

Chris Prokop is SVP of Business Development at AltaGas, a North American energy infrastructure company. In this role, Chris oversees a team dedicated to advancing growth opportunities for AltaGas’s midstream business.

Prior to this role, Chris was VP of Export Development and VP and General Counsel, Midstream and Corporate at AltaGas.

Chris has extensive experience in the midstream space and legal private practice, and he holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Juris Doctor, both from the University of Saskatchewan.

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn.

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, 22nd Prime Minister of Canada

For nearly a decade The Right Honourable Stephen J. Harper led Canada through the world’s most complex geopolitical, economic and security challenges as the country’s 22nd Prime Minister.

He created the modern Conservative Party of Canada, won three successive national elections, and was the longest serving Conservative Prime Minister since Canada’s founding Prime Minister in 1891.

Since leaving office in 2016, Mr. Harper founded and is Chairman and CEO of Harper & Associates, a global consulting and investment advisory business, and is Chairman of Vision One.

He serves as a Director of Colliers International Group Inc. and Recover Inc. He is also the recent author of “Right Here, Right Now: Politics and Leadership in the Age of Disruption”, and a frequent speaker on geopolitical trends, populism, and business.

Mr. Harper serves as Chairman of the International Democrat Union, the Friends of Israel Initiative, and India’s Observer Research Foundation. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Calgary, an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University and an honorary degree from the Jerusalem College of Technology.

He is a Companion of the Order of Canada and the recipient of numerous international recognitions, including the Order of Liberty, Ukraine’s highest civilian honour.

Mr. Harper resides in Alberta, Canada with his wife Laureen; they have two adult children, Benjamin and Rachel.

Chelsie Klassen, WPC Energy Canada Board Member,
Global Director Community Engagement and Social Performance, Hatch Ltd.

Chelsie is a WPC Energy Canada Board Member and a global social performance leader. Currently serving as the Global Director of Community Engagement and Social Performance at Hatch Ltd., Chelsie oversees consulting professionals spread across six countries. In this role, she spearheads initiatives to support the social performance in infrastructure, metals, and energy projects for clients worldwide.

Recognized for her leadership and contributions to the industry, Chelsie has received accolades such as being named a Rising Star in the oil and natural gas industry by Oilweek magazine in 2016 and being honored as a United Nations (UN) Innovator by the UN Global Compact in 2021. She was also nominated for the prestigious 2023 Sustainability Leader of the Year award by Environment Analyst.

She holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Manitoba, a graduate degree in conflict management from Royal Roads University, and a graduate degree in law from University of Toronto. She lives in Calgary with her husband Mike, and one-year-old, Clark.

Kevin Birn, Global Head, Center of Emissions Excellence and Chief Analyst, Canadian Oil Markets

Kevin Birn is based in Calgary and is responsible for the Centre of Emission Excellence within S&P Global Commodity Insights.

The Centre is responsible for accelerating Commodity Insights emissions quantification capabilities by helping to identify and inform strategic priorities, ensuring consistency in emission estimation across business lines, and providing technical support and guidance to development of new models, methods and tools in the estimation of GHG emissions across energy value chains. 

Kevin has over a decade of experience engaging in and advising governments, companies and industry on emission accounting estimation as well as decarbonization strategies. 

He is also an established thought leader on the Canadian oil market and serves as the Chief Analyst for the Canadian Oil Market. 

Kevin is currently a fellow at the Canadian Global Affair Institute, a member of the Outreach & Engagement Committee at Emissions Reduction Alberta, and a member of the executive committee with the Global Energy Show. 

He holds an undergraduate degree in business and a graduate degree in economics from the University of Alberta.

Dr. Heather Exner-Pirot

Dr. Exner-Pirot is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Natural Resources, Energy and Environment program at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and a Special Adviser to the Business Council of Canada.

She is a Global Fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington DC, an Advisor to the Indigenous Resource Network and the Managing Editor of the Arctic Yearbook. 

Justin Riemer, CEO
Emissions Reduction Alberta

An Albertan through and through, Justin Riemer has dedicated his career to strengthening the province he loves.

Now the Chief Executive Officer of Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), Justin leads the team dedicated to advancing innovations that are reducing Alberta’s greenhouse gas emissions and diversifying its economy.

He has earned a reputation for skillfully navigating Canada’s innovation system, building relationships inside and outside of Alberta, and developing a strong network in support of innovation and economic development.

For more than 25 years, he has achieved results in regional economic development, industry expansion, investment attraction, and innovation.

Before joining ERA, he led the Alberta Region of Prairies Economic Development Canada in the federal government to support economic development across the province.

Prior to that, he held several senior positions focused on innovation and investment attraction at the Government of Alberta and briefly at Alberta Health Services.

Justin graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science and went on to earn a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from Carleton University.

Justin is happily married and has two grown boys and a daughter-in-law.