EXECUTIVE TEAM

JANE BIRD
President and CEO

Jane Bird is the former Chief Executive Officer of Canada Line Rapid Transit Inc, where she was the executive responsible for the management and implementation of the Canada Line. Prior to that, she was responsible for negotiations on behalf of the City of Vancouver with the Province of BC for the Millennium Line rapid transit extension. Educated as a lawyer, she has worked in private practice in corporate, commercial and real estate law. Ms. Bird currently sits as a Director on the boards of Global Container Terminals Inc. and Simon Fraser University Community Corporation. She is also a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and in 2009 she was awarded the Vancouver Board of Trade Spirit of Vancouver Outstanding Leadership Award.

Frank Wszelaki
Chief Operating Officer

Frank Wszelaki joined Columbia Power in September 2011. Frank has close to 30 years experience in all aspects of the Electric Utility industry, from Engineering to Executive Leadership, and has worked in both coal and nuclear power plants. He spent five years as the Director of one of the largest coal power plants in the US, located in Monroe, MI. Frank holds a degree in electrical engineering as well as a MBA and is certified from the Project Management Institute. He has also earned his Lean Six Sigma Black Belt in business management strategy.

Giulio Ambrosone
VICE PRESIDENT, CAPITAL PROJECTS

Giulio Ambrosone joined Columbia Power in 2003 after four years as the Resident Engineer with Klohn Crippen/SNC Lavalin, Columbia Power's Owner's Consultant during construction of the Arrow Lakes Generating Station. Giulio has a Masters of Science degree in Construction Management, and is also a professional engineer with a degree in civil engineering, and over 30 years experience in power plant construction.

Karim Hirji
VICE PRESIDENT, PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

Karim Hirji has over 25 years experience in operations, project management, engineering and construction of power, transmission and distribution infrastructure and maintenance projects. He has held leadership positions in engineering and project management with BC Hydro and with leading consultancy providers SNC Lavalin and Amec. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science, Electrical Engineering from the University of British Columbia and has a Project Management Professional Designation. He is also is a registered member of the Association of Professional Engineers of BC (APEGBC).

 

Debbie Martin
Vice President, Human Resources & Corporate Services

Debbie Martin joined Columbia Power in June 2008. She brings over 20 years of extensive experience in Human Resources in a number of areas including recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation and benefits, and employee relations. She has successfully implemented comprehensive human resource strategies for performance management, leadership and executive development, talent attraction and retention and succession planning. Debbie is a graduate of the BCIT Human Resources Management program and the Human Resource Management Program at Royal Roads University.

MANAGEMENT TEAM

David de Git
Director, Finance

David de Git has been with Columbia Power since 1999. In his current position, he is responsible for accounting, risk management and controllership for the corporation. David is a member of the Certified Management Accountants of British Columbia and served as a CMABC Board Director from 2006 to 2008.

Gene Anderson
Director, Operations

Gene Anderson joined Columbia Power in April 2008. He brings with him over 15 years of operations and technical experience in hydro power generation including design, planning, project management and maintenance. Prior to joining Columbia Power, Gene worked with FortisBC Generation at South Slocan as Superintendent, Operations responsible for CPC, FortisBC and TECK power plant operation. Gene is a graduate of the University of Alberta where he received the Degree of BSc in Electrical Engineering Co-operative Program.

Llewellyn Matthews
Director, Environment

Llewellyn Matthews joined Columbia Power in 2002 after 10 years with SaskPower. Llewellyn has developed the environmental capacity within Columbia Power including the successful development and implementation of an ISO 14001 consistent Environmental Management System. He serves on several working groups of the Canadian Hydropower Association and the Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative Technical Working Group.

Audrey Repin
Director, Stakeholder Relations and Communications

Audrey Repin joined Columbia Power Corporation in 1996 after working in both the public and private sectors in the West Kootenay region. Beginning her career at Columbia Power as an Information Officer, Audrey became Manager of Community Relations in 1999, and in January 2007 she assumed her current position. Audrey serves as the co-chair of the Canadian Hydropower Association Public Affairs working group, is a committee member of the Canadian Electrical Sector Council's Bright Futures educational initiative in British Columbia and is a member of the Canadian Public Relations Society. Audrey also chairs the Community Impact Management Committees associated with Columbia Power's projects and is the spokesperson for the Waneta Expansion Project.

Janice Hardy
Manager, Compensation and Benefits

Janice Hardy joined Columbia Power in April 2008 after being employed for 19 years in the payroll and benefits department at Selkirk College. In her current role, she is responsible for payroll, pension and benefits and many of the Human Resource functions at Columbia Power. Janice is an active member of the Canadian Payroll Association (CPA) and the Human Resources Management Association (HRMA).
 
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