Chair of WPC Energy Canada, Dean has over 30 years of experience in the petroleum industry, both domestically and internationally, working with junior, intermediate, senior and integrated multinational companies, as well as time spent in the service sector. He has worked on exploration, production and development projects as well as A&D and corporate restructuring in North America, South America, Africa and the North Sea. Between 2003 and 2014 Dean held senior management roles at a number of oil and gas companies, most recently Chief Operating Officer of Caracal Energy Inc.

Sandrine Berezowski is the Co-Founder and CEO of Philosoph-AI, a Canadian–Genevan consultancy specializing in AI governance, ethical deployment, and strategic GenAI integration across sectors. With over 20 years of executive leadership experience and ongoing doctoral research in AI Governance, Ethics, and the Future of Work at the University of Alberta, she bridges technical innovation with real-world governance, change management, and impact strategy.

Kate McKenzie empowers people to share their story so it’s remembered and shared.

What makes Kate uniquely equipped to help others build their brand is her blend of lived experience and professional expertise. As an ICF-certified leadership coach, former Director of Marketing and Communications, and brand spokesperson, she understands both the personal and public sides of storytelling — from shaping reputation and managing narratives to evolving brands over time. With a Master’s in Digital Media, Kate combines creative strategy with deep insight into how people connect and communicate. And as someone who simply loves a good story, she ensures your story never sounds like marketing fluff — it resonates with real people in a real way.

Aref Najafi, PhD, PEng, EP, CEM, PMP, is a prominent thought leader in carbon capture, utilization, and decarbonization. With over twenty years of experience in the oil and gas sector, he has been instrumental in developing and implementing various technologies. His extensive background includes roles in operations and major project development during the concept selection, design, and construction phases.

Matti Lemmens is a partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group at Stikeman Elliot. Her practice focuses on all aspects of dispute resolution, including domestic and international litigation, arbitration, and mediation. She has a diverse background across all areas of commercial litigation, with a particular emphasis on oil and gas, securities, intellectual property, banking and insolvency, construction, real property, utilities, insurance, mining, and environmental matters.

Sag is an Enterprise Data Architect by trade, but prefers the title Data Shepherd , which on most days, seems far more appropriate. Just as a shepherd guides and protects their flock, Sag helps organizations understand the data they possess, identify what truly matters, and herd it toward quality, security, governance, and ultimately, meaningful business value. He has extensive experience with every breed of information management, data classification, and regulatory compliance program, and is actively learning everything he can about the implications of AI on both enterprise and personal data.

Lars De Pauw has guided Alberta’s Orphan Well Association (OWA) through a transformative era since joining the organization in 2017. Under his leadership, OWA has emerged as one of Canada’s largest and most active energy-site closure agencies, accelerating the decommissioning and reclamation of legacy oil and gas infrastructure across the province.

A seasoned environmental engineer, Lars brings a technical background in environmental reclamation and organizational leadership to the OWA. His early experience working with energy producers and service companies laid the foundation for his current role, where he leads cross-sector collaboration to ensure Alberta’s lands are safely and sustainably restored.