The Empire Club of Canada
Thursday, October 27, 2022
The Empire Club of Canada Presents:
More Than A Plug: Canada’s EV Opportunity
We are in the midst of a global energy transition. A major trend of the energy transition is improving the transportation sector and the electrification of vehicles. For Canadians, this transition will mean a change in how they experience refueling their cars – something that is done by millions of Canadians daily.
In addition to the physical charging, there are many ancillary opportunities for companies to innovate and enhance the customer experience when it comes to refueling these EVs and getting around. Join us on October 27, 2022, as we discuss the key opportunities to think about when it comes to EVs, what some of the top industry participants are doing now to help support the future electrification of the transportation sector and what this new way of getting around means for society.
The content presented is free of charge but please note that the Empire Club of Canada retains copyright. Neither the speeches themselves nor any part of their content may be used for any purpose other than personal interest or research without the explicit permission of the Empire Club of Canada.
Views and Opinions Expressed Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the speakers or panelists are those of the speakers or panelists and do not necessarily reflect or represent the official views and opinions, policy or position held by The Empire Club of Canada.
Following Bob’s appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer in 2011, Parkland’s enterprise value has grown from $750 million to over $10 billion. Over 60 strategic acquisitions have positioned Parkland as a leading international consolidator of convenience and fuel marketing businesses with operations in 25 countries.
With a network of over 4,000 retail, commercial and food locations, Parkland has developed powerful supply, distribution, and trading capabilities to accelerate growth and business performance. Parkland’s portfolio of consumer and commercial brands, including JOURNIE™ Rewards, ON the RUN, Ridgeline, Pioneer, Sol, Ultramar, and M&M Food Market, coupled with its culture of customer service has created a solid platform for organic growth. Parkland is rapidly developing expertise to seize opportunities through the energy transition with carbon and renewables trading, solar power, renewables manufacturing and ultrafast Electric Vehicle charging.
Prior to Parkland, Bob worked internationally and domestically as a consultant and in senior leadership roles in start-up and mature businesses across the technology, manufacturing, marketing, and consumer goods sectors. Bob graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) from the Royal Military College of Canada and served as a Commissioned Officer in the Canadian Navy. After leaving the Navy, Bob continued his education with a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario. Bob is a senior advisor to EnZinc, an advanced developer of metal air battery technology, a board member of Boyd Services Group (TSX:BYD) and past Chair of the Canadian Fuels Association.
John is the Executive Vice President of Energy Solutions and Growth at Alectra Inc. and is a member of the Executive Committee. Reporting to the President and CEO, John is responsible for establishing and enabling the strategic growth imperative for the non-regulated or competitive businesses within the Company. As part of the Executive Committee, John supports the broader strategic and operational objectives of the Company.
Immediately prior to joining Alectra, John worked at Deloitte LLP where he was a Senior Advisor for the Power, Utilities and Infrastructure practice and was actively involved in providing strategic consulting and financial advice to a wide variety of utility, government and industrial clients on matters relating to both the North American electricity and broader infrastructure sectors. In particular, John served as a key advisor to the four legacy utilities during the merger process to form Alectra, the second largest municipally owned utility in North America. He also advised Alectra on a number of financial and strategic elements in the period immediately following the merger.
John has over 25 years of experience in senior advisory and management roles for the North American electricity and infrastructure sectors. Previously, as the Industry Head of Scotiabank’s Power and Infrastructure Group, he was actively involved in a number of financial and strategic transactions for several of Canada’s leading utilities. John has also had prior operating experience as the Senior Vice President, Commercial for a $2.0 billion publicly-listed North American independent power producer which had over 2,000 MW of operating electrical generating facilities located across North America.
John holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Western Ontario. John currently serves as a Mobility Board Member for EnerTech Capital. He has previously served on the Boards of several entities including the Association of Power Producers of Ontario.
Arcady Sosinov is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at FreeWire Technologies. Arcady has raised over $200M in private equity and grown FreeWire into a global electric vehicle (EV) charging and energy solutions provider. Arcady started FreeWire with one simple goal in mind: to make EV charging easier, faster, and more accessible. Before founding FreeWire, he spent nearly a decade in finance and investment management, working for GMO and later BNY Mellon. Arcady holds an MBA from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Boston University.
Adrienne Batra was born and raised in Saskatchewan. She has an undergraduate degree in political science and a Masters in Public Administration. Ms. Batra worked at the Saskatchewan Legislature as a researcher with the opposition caucus office. She then moved on to be the Manitoba Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Canada’s largest taxpayer advocacy group. In 2010, Ms. Batra was the Director of Communications for the Rob Ford for Mayor campaign, and moved on to serve in the Office of the Mayor as Ford’s Press Secretary. Upon leaving City Hall, she became the Comment Editor and columnist for the Toronto Sun and political commentator on Newstalk 1010.Â
In June of 2015, Ms. Batra was appointed as the Editor in Chief of the Toronto Sun and 24Hours Toronto. She has appeared on Fox Business News, CNN and BBC and is a frequent contributor on Global News and CTV News Channel, CP24 and AM640.
Ms. Batra also served in the Canadian Armed Forces, obtaining the rank of Lieutenant, and was nominated for a YWCA Woman of Distinction award. In 2013 she was awarded with a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and serves on the Board of Governors for the National Newspaper Awards, Canadian Journalism Foundation and is a board member of George Brown College and the Randolph School of the Arts.