Board of Directors

Martin Ferron

Chairman of the Board

Director Since: June 7, 2012

Martin R. Ferron is presently the Chair of the Board, was, until December 31, 2021, the Executive Chair of the Board, and was, until December 31, 2020, the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation. He originally joined the Corporation as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board on June 7, 2012. He was appointed Chairman of the Board on October 31, 2017. Previously, Mr. Ferron was Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of Helix Energy Solutions Inc., a NYSE-listed international energy services company. Prior to joining Helix, Mr. Ferron held a variety of senior executive positions for several oil service and construction companies in Europe and Africa. He holds a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from City University, London, a M.Sc. in Marine Technology from Strathclyde University, Glasgow and an MBA from Aberdeen University.

Bryan Pinney

Lead Director & Chairman of Audit Committee

Director Since: May 13, 2015

Bryan D. Pinney was appointed as the Corporation’s lead independent director on October 31, 2017. He is the principal of Bryan D. Pinney Professional Corporation, which provides financial advisory and consulting services. Mr. Pinney has over 30 years of experience serving many of Canada’s largest corporations, primarily in energy and resources and construction. He served as Calgary Managing Partner of Deloitte LLP from 2002 through 2007, as National Managing Partner of Audit & Assurance from 2007 to 2011, and as Vice Chair until June 2015. Mr. Pinney was a past member of Deloitte’s Board of Directors and chair of its Finance and Audit Committee. Prior to joining Deloitte, Mr. Pinney was a partner with Andersen LLP and served as Calgary Managing Partner from 1991 through May of 2002. Mr. Pinney is the past Chair of the Board of Governors of Mount Royal University and has previously served on a number of non-profit boards. He currently serves on the board of TransAlta Corporation, where he is chair of the Audit, Finance & Risk Committee and a member of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee, and on the board of SNDL, Inc., where he is Chair of the audit committee and a member of the governance and compensation committees. He is also a director of a private residential construction company. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, a Chartered Business Valuator and is a graduate of the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario with an honours degree in Business Administration. He is also a graduate of the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors.

John Pollesel

Chair of Operations Committee

Director Since: November 23, 2017

John J. Pollesel is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Boreal Agrominerals Inc., a private company that explores for, tests, develops and produces organic approved agromineral fertilizers and soil amendment products. Mr. Pollesel has more than 30 years of experience in the mining industry. Until November of 2017, Mr. Pollesel was Senior Vice President, Mining for Finning (Canada). Prior to Finning was Chief Executive officer for the Morris Group of Companies. In his previous role as Chief Operating Officer for Vale’s North Atlantic Operations, Mr. Pollesel was responsible for one of the largest mining and metallurgical operations in Canada. Prior to Vale, he was the Chief Financial Officer for Compania Minera Antamina in Peru, one of the largest copper/zinc mining and milling operations in the world. He has chaired Finance, Audit, HSE, Compensation and Advisory Committees in addition to holding director positions at Northern Superior Resources, Calico Resources Corporation and numerous not-for-profit organizations. He presently chairs the board of Electra Battery Materials Corporation, which is listed on the TSX-V, OTC exchanges, and formerly served on the board of Noront Resources Ltd., a TSX-V listed company, until its sale in 2022. He also serves on the audit, governance and EHS committees of Electra and formerly served on the same committees for Noront. He holds an Honours BA in Accounting and an MBA from the University of Waterloo and Laurentian University respectively. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Fellow of CPA Ontario.

Kristina Williams

Director Since: August 8, 2019

Kristina E. Williams was named the President and CEO of Alberta Enterprise Corporation in 2014 and oversees the management of the Alberta Enterprise Fund with its 34 active venture capital fund investments and the underlying portfolio of more than 800 technology companies. Kristina also oversees AEC’s industry development activities, creating access to external markets and mentors for Canadian entrepreneurs. Prior to joining AEC, Kristina worked for several technology companies where her responsibilities spanned the spectrum of legal, regulatory, international and new business development, corporate strategic planning, intellectual property management, as well as marketing and sales. She is Vice Chair of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Board of Governors and also serves on the Alberta Securities Commission New Economy Advisory Committee and on the Board of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association. She was the Honorary Consul for Sweden in Northern Alberta for 17 years. Kristina holds an MBA from the University of Alberta, a Master of Laws from Uppsala University in Sweden, an accreditation for the Venture Capital Executive Program from the University of California, Berkeley – Walter A. Haas School of Business, as well as an ICD.D from the ICD-Rotman Director Education Program.