ACCELEWARE - Key Persons
Mr. Romaniuk is an independent businessman who has assembled a combination of unique talents throughout his a career, which included serving as a senior executive for TELUS Corp. Currently, his attention remains focused on entrepreneurial endeavours as Mr. Romaniuk plays an active role in a number of business ventures and is on the Boards and Audit Committees of both publicly-listed and privately-held companies. He has served on the Investment Committee of a national charitable foundation for the past 11 years and remains involved with the International Telecommunications Society, where he has held the position of Secretariat since 2005, after serving ten years on its Board of Directors. In June of 2018, Mr. Romaniuk was appointed to a second five-year term as a part-time Commissioner of the Alberta Utilities Commission pursuant to an Order-in-Council of the Alberta government. Mr. Romaniuk holds a Bachelor of Arts (honours) in Economics from the University of Alberta, a Master of Arts in Economics from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and an L.L.B. from the University of Toronto and is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada.
Mr. Coulter has over 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, and has held positions in production, facilities, gas processing, joint operations, drilling and completions, exploration and operations in sweet, sour conventional and thermal operations. Supplementing his extensive history in energy operations, he most recently led research and development for a major carbon capture and storage project. Previously, Mr. Coulter was the Director of Subsurface Technology for Suncor Energy where he developed SAGD enhancement and in-situ bitumen recovery technologies. He has piloted work on surfactants, solvents, radio frequency powered recovery projects, and led the development of varied newly discovered deposits. Mr. Coulter holds a Bachelor of Sciences in Petroleum Engineering from Montana Tech.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of GLJ
Ms. Bennett is Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of GLJ, where she specializes in reserves and resource governance, emerging technology, energy diversification, business collaboration and strategy. Ms. Bennett serves as a committee member of the Petroleum Advisory Committee to the Alberta Securities Commission, the Industrial Curricular Advisory Board, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for the University of Waterloo and the Membership and Recognition Committee of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Calgary Chapter. She is the President of the Canadian Heavy Oil Association, sits on the Board of the Canadian Society of Unconventional Resources and has a Professional Engineer designation with an Honours B.A.Sc. in Geological Engineering from the University of Waterloo.
Mr. Robinson has over 18 years of accounting, finance and private equity experience, specialized in the oilfield sector. Since 2006, in his role as CFO, he was instrumental in the rapid growth and development of Canada's largest premier private directional drilling company, Pacesetter Directional Drilling, which financed its growth solely with cash flow and conservative leverage. In 2015, the firm was acquired by the world's largest oilfield services company, positioning it for future growth. Prior to Pacesetter, Mr. Robinson was in corporate finance and research with a prominent Calgary-based Merchant Bank, which armed him with unique talents for value creation initiatives, corporate and sales strategies, financial structuring and modeling, team building, and industry analysis. Chad is currently the Managing Director of SCF Partners Inc. in Canada, he serves on several private company boards and is Vice-Chairman of the Board of CUPS, a non-profit serving impoverished families in the Calgary region. Chad has an ICD.D designation, an MBA in corporate finance, a master's degree focused on resource economics, and a bachelor of science in chemistry.
Job Titles:
- Chief Scientific Officer
- Co - Founder
Michal co-founded Acceleware in 2004 and is a renowned expert in applied computational electrodynamics and RF/antenna engineering, with a proven history of developing leading-edge scientific solutions for the electronics, medical and energy industries. With over 25 years of experience, Michal has pioneered hardware acceleration of computational electromagnetics, authoring over 350 technical publications and obtaining several patents. His innovations have revolutionized the engineering of modern computational devices, and he is now having the same impact on the science underlying heavy oil production from unconventional reservoirs. Prior to Acceleware, Michal provided consulting services for the electronic and biomedical industries in North America and Europe. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Technical University, Gdansk and is a Fellow of IEEE. He is a Professor for the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department with the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary, Canada.
Dr Neweduk's breadth of dynamic leadership and business development experience positions him well to navigate a growth-oriented business environment. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Neweduk has held executive-level roles in private business practice as well as in the healthcare industry, including as past President of a real estate management and redevelopment firm and serving as a director and audit committee member of a publicly-listed company on the TSX Venture Exchange. Dr. Neweduk has also held a position as an executive of the Calgary Regional Medical Staff Association and is a past executive member of the Calgary Medical Society and of Medical Mercy Canada.
Geoff Clark is Chief Executive Officer at Acceleware Ltd., leading a broad research and development portfolio of electromagnetic applications that focus on an urgent climate change challenge: the electrification of industrial heating. Geoff's vision is that Intelligent Electric Heating could replace large-scale industrial combustion heating, making a material difference in global GHG emissions in the near term. He is a strategic leader who is resolute regarding the criticality of clean technology in addressing global decarbonization, and in developing a profitable, sustainable and low emissions economy for all.
Geoff brings decades of operational leadership experience with many technology companies, and has been instrumental to the timely completion of multiple large-scale commercial projects. His experience ranges across a diverse set of industries, including electromagnetic systems, magnetic levitation, environmental services, internet services and energy. In 2021, Geoff received Canada's Clean50 Award™, which recognizes teams who have done the most to advance the cause of sustainability and the clean economy in Canada. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Western University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Calgary.
Geoff has widespread experience in financial, technical, and general management roles with several different TSX / TSX Venture-listed and privately-held technology companies. His experience ranges across a diverse set of industries, including magnetic levitation systems, environmental services, internet services and oil and gas. With strong leadership and management capabilities, Geoff has been instrumental to the completion of various large-scale commercial projects, including directing new operational initiatives, mergers and acquisitions, and he brings hands-on experience with corporate finance activities such as capital raising, share buybacks and corporate restructurings. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Western Ontario, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Calgary.
Mr. Reading's career has spanned numerous commercial, non-profit and academic institutions, giving him a comprehensive understanding of business and society. He has initiated and led a number of social enterprises that address energy innovation, energy efficiency, climate change mitigation and adaption, sustainability, and environmental literacy. In addition, he has a history of successfully commercializing clean tech solutions and engaging in commercial clean power advancement with ATCO's Electricity Global Business Unit Innovation Team. Jeff teaches at the University of Calgary, is Chair for the Green Learning Canada Foundation (GLCF), past Chair of the Alberta Council for Environmental Education (ACEE), Board member with the Alberta Clean Tech Industry Alliance (ACTia), advisor with Carbon Talks Canada and sits on the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation Grant Review Committee. His extensive background and network will help support market entry for Acceleware's unique and novel RF heating technology.
Job Titles:
- Chairman, President, and Co - Founder, Saa Dene Group of Companies
A highly respected Indigenous leader, entrepreneur, philanthropist and executive, Jim Boucher is Co-founder and President of Saa Dene Group of Companies, a collective group of companies with one clear vision: to increase diversity and inclusion through economic and social participation in the global economy. First elected in 1986, Mr. Boucher was Chief of the Fort McKay First Nation for over 30 years - until 2019. While Chief, Mr. Boucher led his community through the growth of the Canadian oilsands by facilitating meaningful, results-focused consultation while advancing the rights of his people. This led to sustainable social and economic prosperity for the First Nation, which through his tenure, had next to zero unemployment and reached a per capita average annual income higher than both the Provincial (Alberta) and National (Canada) average.
Mr. Boucher has extensive experience as Director of numerous private companies and expansive knowledge of the energy sector. He is a Member of the Alberta Order of Excellence and the recipient of multiple awards including Canadian Energy Person of the Year, Indspire (formerly known as the National Aboriginal Achievement) Award and Canada's Most Influential Business Leaders.
Mr. Howard is a proven industry executive with 38 years of experience in the energy sector focused on conventional and thermal heavy oil production. He has held several executive leadership and operational roles across numerous companies including Shell Canada Ltd. and Numac Energy Ltd., most recently serving as a Vice President with Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. until his retirement in 2017. Mr. Howard has held board positions for energy companies, and also co-founded Verdant Energy Ltd., a renewable energy company providing waste-to-energy solutions. He provides volunteer advisory services to WaterNEXT, a water technology accelerator, and has served on the board of Autism Calgary, New Heights School for Children with PDD/Autism, and the William G. (Bill) Howard Foundation. He also served on the Capital Fundraising Committee for the Society for the Treatment of Autism. Mr. Howard holds a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alberta and an MBA from the University of Calgary and is a member of the Canadian Heavy Oil Association, the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, the Institute of Corporate Directors and The Chancellor's Club of the University of Calgary.
Mike is an accomplished executive with over 30 years of international experience building high-growth, disruptive and innovative businesses in the energy, utilities, telecommunications and technology sectors. Mike started his career in the oil and gas industry before pivoting to technology, where he worked to commercialize several diverse and ground-breaking innovations. He joined Acceleware in 2013 after being attracted by the enormous decarbonization potential for several heavy emitting industries via radio frequency (RF) heating. Mike's unique aptitude for navigating the barriers associated with business growth across a wide range of industries makes him well-suited to spearhead the process of commercializing Acceleware's RF heating applications. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Calgary and a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from the University of British Columbia.
Mr. Verdonck brings substantial knowledge of, and experience in, the oil and gas sector, with the majority of his 40-year career focused on energy development and operations in Western Canada. Prior to his retirement in 2018 he served as an executive with Athabasca Oil Corporation, an oil sands development and operations company. Mr. Verdonck's professional track record includes executive level management, operations, technical engineering, and facilities management. Currently, he serves on two private oil and gas boards, and is Chair of the Board of Governors of St. Mary's University in Calgary. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Manitoba and completed the Institute of Corporate Directors program in 2014. He is an active member in his Church community, as well as other volunteer organizations.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Professional Chartered Accountant
Tracy is a Professional Chartered Accountant (CA) with over 20 years of experience across a wide variety of accounting and managerial arenas, including establishing and implementing automated finance processes and managing large-scale corporate reporting. Her professional track record includes leadership roles working with public, private and non-profit organizations across a breadth of industries that include oil and gas, environmental, mining, agriculture, healthcare, education and hospitality. As an established and versatile leader in finance with expertise across accounting, financial reporting and corporate finance disciplines, Tracy has combined her talents to lead several business transformations. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with majors in both accounting and human resources from the University of Manitoba.