Speakers

Raed Kadri is Head of the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network, at the Ontario Centre of Innovation.

The Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), is an initiative by the Government of Ontario to ensure Ontario’s leadership in the future of the automotive and mobility sector.

At the helm of OVIN, Raed drives Ontario’s presence on the global stage, leading programming that supports research and development (R&D) funding, talent development, technology acceleration, business and technical supports through testing and demonstration sites.

In addition to that, Raed leads province-wide coordination of activities and resources, public education, research, analysis, and thought leadership.

Bringing together stakeholder groups and raising awareness around the opportunities for Ontario and for its partners, Raed is cementing Ontario’s leadership in the future of the automotive and mobility sector globally.

Luc Sirois is Quebec’s Chief Innovation Officer, general director of the Quebec Innovation Council of and founding Chairman of the Board of Axelys, Quebec's society valorizing public research .

With an engineering background and holder of an MBA from Harvard University, he has been a technological and social entrepreneur in the health sector, has held senior positions in various organizations around the world, and has always been committed to many social causes.

He is recognized for his creative approach to innovation and his desire to contribute to Quebec's future prosperity. On a daily basis, he pursues his mission of mobilizing existing ecosystems, while paying special attention to youth, whom he wishes to be dynamic and visionary. His objective is to bring each of the actors of innovation to surpass themselves and to become an agent of change, so that Quebec can innovate more and better.

Chief Operating Officer North America & Co-Founder

Serge Abergel took office as Chief Operating Officer of Hydro-Québec Energy Services in 2021. This U.S. subsidiary is responsible for hydropower export initiatives to the New York and New England markets. Serge is based in New York State.

Since joining Hydro-Québec in 2014, he has held various positions in media and stakeholder relations and government affairs. He has led information campaigns on the company’s export initiatives and is a frequent public speaker on Hydro-Québec’s clean energy generating fleet and transmission system. Prior to his most recent appointment, Serge was Director – Communications at the corporate headquarters in Montréal.

Serge also served in the Royal Canadian Air Force and acquired considerable experience as a public affairs officer in both the Canadian Armed Forces and the federal correctional system. He holds a bachelor’s degree in operations management from HEC Montréal [Université de Montréal’s business school]. He was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of WaterPower Canada, a trade organization representing the hydropower industry, in 2022.

Karin leads a pioneering deep-tech e-mobility company. With a background in law and investing, her journey from the prominent law firm Vinge to Elonroad unveiled her passion for technology's potential in combating the climate crisis. Elonroad's groundbreaking charging infrastructure is at the forefront of the electrification revolution, driven by Karin's resolute belief in innovative solutions.

Jérôme is highly involved in many aspects of electromobility, as he is specialised in R&D funding and environmental regulations. He is also leading for Prevost, with his colleagues from the Volvo Group North America, governmental relations pertaining electric vehicle purchase incentive and heavy duty vehicle charging infrastructure. Prior working for the Volvo Group, Jérôme worked for an international law firm for more than 10 years, in addition to gain experience as a general counsel in the maritime industry. 

Président of the Selection Committee, Quebec Strategic Supply Platform for the Electrical Industry (PASQÉ), and Independent Energy Advisor.  Ben has sold, led, or supported over a hundred energy or telecom projects on six continents, including the management of the largest smart metre installation program in Canada. He recently completed many studies on the transportation electrification infrastructure.

Edward Murray

Christopher Ralph

Chief Executive Officer

Edward has a BSc degree in economics from the University of Surrey, England, and an MBA from Stockholm School of Business. Edward has held positions as Global Head of Derivative Support for SEB and COO for financial trading of Energy and Commodities at Vattenfall AB. Edward has worked as a Senior Management Consultant in the Banking sector and as a Business Transformation Manager at Swedbank. Edward has also worked with a previous Swedish Startup Navetti, now part of Vendavo.

Vice President of Electrical Engineering and Expertise

VP, Commercial

Entrepreneurial academic developing cutting-edge movement data analytics to plan and operate sustainable electric transport systems.

Ms. Toussaint has over 25 years of management experience in the private and public sectors and holds a law degree and a certificate in administration from Université Laval.  She is passionate about the transportation electrification sector and has been vice-president of legal, regulatory and public affairs for Nova Bus and Prevost, divisions of the Volvo Group, for 9 years before joining Cleo innovations, a subsidiary of Hydro-Quebec.

 Director, Public & Government Affairs

John is the President of ABB E-mobility Inc. in Canada, where he oversees all business development, sales, operations, and service activities. He started his career as an engineer with an electrical distribution utility before moving to ABB. Throughout his extensive career, John has developed an expertise in industrial technology, strategic business development, and a keen understanding of Canadian customer and market challenges in the electrical industry.

Isabel has 14 years of experience in government relations: government incentives strategic advice, implementation of public policy strategies and as a location advisor for investment projects. Prior to joining Lithion, she was Director of Policy and Government Relations at Taiga Motors a manufacturer of electric off road and marine vehicles She was also the Director of Consulting Services at CAI Global (Hickey Canada) where she specialized in capital in vestment project strategies. She has worked on product compliance to support growth efforts in new markets, represented the interests of manufacturers to governments, advised C suite executives of manufacturing companies on location strategies in the deployment of their large scale investment projects and developed strategic plans for government organizations to attract foreign direct investments.

Chief Executive Officer 

Lars Hansson is the founder and CEO of Nrlyze. With an extensive experience in how building indoor climate is managed, he is currently focusing on optimizing how energy is used for heating and cooling. Nrlyze have developed a unique analytics platform based on AI analysis of building sensor data. The output of the analysis is used to continuously calibrate building control systems, enabling huge reductions in energy usage for HVAC systems. Before Nrlyze Lars held various roles in both big tech corporations e.g. Director Signalling System Development at Bomabardier Transportation, Head of Electronics Quality at Scania as well as smaller startups like Director Business Development Engineering at Northvolt. Lars holds a M.Sc. Mechanical Engineering from the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology.

Chief of Technology 

Ted guides clients through matters involving government relations, regulatory, stakeholder engagement and indigenous relations. 

Prior to Global, Ted was Vice President, Corporate Relations and Communications from Ontario Power Generation (OPG), one of the largest electricity producers in Canada. At OPG, he led a team that was responsible for Indigenous, Provincial, Federal and international relations. Ted also worked for the Ontario Ministry of Energy, the Independent Electricity System Operator and implemented a successful stakeholder and community engagement plan for the construction and operation of the Portlands Energy Centre.

A frequent presenter on stakeholder engagement, Ted is also Chair of the Council of The Great Lakes Region (CGLR). CGLR’s goal is to inform state, provincial and federal decision-makers in Canada and the United States about the region’s long-term economic, social, and environmental goals.

Director, Innovation & Experimentation

Archit is Director, FDI at Investissement Québec International (IQI). In his role he focuses on foreign investment originating from the Nordic countries. He also serves as director on the board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Quebec. Before joining IQI, he worked at Finance Montréal, the financial services’ cluster for the province of Quebec in a similar role where he was responsible for attracting foreign-based financial institutions to build and/or grow their presence in Montreal. Prior to establishing himself in Canada, Arch worked at OneColumbus, the economic development agency for central Ohio as Project Manager, Global Trade and Investment. He was responsible for launching and managing the comprehensive export promotion initiative for the central Ohio region as well as executing the FDI mandate by assisting international clients in their site selection, incentive negotiation and establishment efforts in Ohio and the United States.

Senior Advisor, Future Connectivity (5G, 6G, Quantum Communications & beyond)

Bernard Duval is a seasoned technology transformation management senior advisor specializing in disruptive technologies such as 5G, 6G, quantum communications, future networks, next generation internet & edge cloud computing. With a robust background spanning 20+ years in information technology, e-commerce and communication sectors, Bernard excels in negotiations and partnership building, driving business agreements and innovations projects to fruition.

Bernard has facilitated numerous collaborative research initiatives between the industry leaders and universities, demonstrating his commitment to advancing technological frontiers. His close collaborations with connectivity giants like VMware, Ciena, Ericsson, and Microsoft underscore his dedication in shaping the digital landscape.

Enthusiastic about inclusivity and social impact, Bernard is a pioneer in advocating for the incorporation of Indigenous leadership and social innovation within the technology innovation sector. He believes in the power of diverse perspectives to shape innovative solutions and drive meaningful change. This commitment has led him to actively seek collaborations that bridge the gap between traditional knowledge and technological advancements.