James Millar
President & CEO
James Millar
President & CEO
As President and CEO, James Millar provides strategic leadership at the International CCS Knowledge Centre (Knowledge Centre). He directs planning and management in advancing the development of carbon capture technology as a key mitigation strategy for climate action. Under his management, Knowledge Centre engineers and analysts are building partnerships across industries to plan and develop large-scale CCS projects in Canada and around the world, enhancing and de-risking the investment opportunities around this growing technology.
Prior to joining the Knowledge Centre, James gained deep experience in energy, industrial infrastructure, and public policy. He began his career in Saskatchewan, where he was a senior advisor in government, before being appointed Director of Public Affairs for the 25,000-employee Calgary Health Region. He transitioned to the energy industry, providing public affairs direction to TransCanada Corporation (now TC Energy) during planning and development of major infrastructure projects including the Keystone XL and Energy East pipelines. Most recently, he managed public affairs for Pieridae Energy, working on a $10-billion LNG project off Canada’s east coast, and Pieridae’s planned carbon capture initiative.
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Beth (Hardy) Valiaho
BA, LLB, LLM
Vice-President, Policy, Regulatory & Stakeholder Relations
Beth (Hardy) Valiaho
BA, LLB, LLM
Vice-President, Policy, Regulatory & Stakeholder Relations
As the Vice-President of Strategy and Stakeholder Relations, Beth represents the International CCS Knowledge (Knowledge Centre) amongst global decision makers and financiers to accelerate engagement on and understanding of the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS). With a focus on linking CCS knowledge globally to reduce locked-in investments and collaboratively support the goals of the Paris Agreement. Her understanding of complex climate change matters, policies and regulations, and international financing concerns act as a solid basis for assisting both national and international implementation strategies for technologies that support environmental targets.
Prior to joining the Knowledge Centre, Beth worked briefly as legal counsel for the provincial Crown utility. She pairs this industrial perspective with regulatory knowledge as Acting Director of Climate Change with the Government of Saskatchewan. These positions are reflective of Beth’s time with the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy where she focused on analysing provincial/territorial climate action plans and making recommendations for low cost and sustainable pathways. Beth’s legal education, teaching and practice have explored balancing energy, the environment, and social implications.
Debbie Kajati
CFO and Vice-President; Corporate Services
Debbie Kajati
CFO and Vice-President; Corporate Services
At the International CCS Knowledge Centre (Knowledge Centre), Debbie contributes to the integrity of the Corporation overseeing a strong governance structure and the provision of its corporate services. She provides the leadership, management and vision necessary to aid in the effective growth of the organization, its financial integrity, and the foundation for operating with efficiency and oversight. Debbie also oversees the communications, marketing, media relations functions to ensure the vibrancy of the Knowledge Centre brand and alignment with principles and mandate.
Prior to this appointment, Debbie had spent two decades at SaskPower where she had been the Manager of the Coal Combustion Products and Contracts Management Department, where her role was to develop, implement, lead and oversee a Contracts Management Department. Her career at the corporation started in 1994, helping set up and manage SaskPower International Inc. - a wholly-owned subsidiary of the SaskPower Corporation.
Conway Nelson
P.Eng, B.Sc, PMP
Vice-President, Project Development and Technical Services
Conway Nelson
P.Eng, B.Sc, PMP
Vice-President, Project Development and Technical Services
At the International CCS Knowledge Centre (Knowledge Centre), Conway oversees the team of engineers and project specialists that work on advancing carbon capture technology for second-generation and industrial application. A key focus for Conway is an emphasis on continuous improvement and optimization.
Prior to joining the Knowledge Centre, Conway worked at SaskPower where his career spanned over two decades, most recently in the role of Manager, at the Power Production Project Delivery Office. One of Conway’s primary focus was leading the team tasked with the portfolio of improvement projects on the carbon capture systems at Boundary Dam 3 CCS aiming to reduce amine cost and increase reliability/throughput. His experience at SaskPower also includes leading and managing large teams of project managers and project control specialists to deliver sustained power production as well as new generation projects ensuring effective project delivery.
Along with his depth of engineering expertise, Conway brings a formidable strength in project management, people management, leadership, and corporate improvement initiatives. He is comfortable working with multiple and complex projects ensuring effective project delivery whilst also fostering strong relationships with across engineering, operations, and support services team members.
Conway has his B. Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, from the University of Saskatchewan and his Project Management Professional designation from the Project Management Institute.
James Fann
P.Eng, MBA
Vice-President, Business Development and Corporate Affairs
James Fann
P.Eng, MBA
Vice-President, Business Development and Corporate Affairs
As the Vice-President of Business Development and Corporate Affairs, James is responsible for enhancing business growth by developing partnerships and seeking new business opportunities for the Knowledge Centre to support the development of CCS projects globally.
Prior to joining the Knowledge Centre, James spent nearly two decades working in Canada’s oil and gas sector, and was most recently a business officer with the Government of Canada, working with Indigenous communities, municipal governments and not-for-profit organizations to make investments to enhance community infrastructure. His career to date has spanned technical and leadership roles in oil sands, conventional oil and gas, midstream, refining and technology development, as well as strategic and corporate functions that include acquisition and divestitures, investor relations, corporate planning and human resources. He has extensive experience working on strategic initiatives at the executive and board level.
James holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a Global Energy Executive MBA from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary
Niall Mac Dowell
PhD. FIChemE FRSC
Special Advisor
Niall Mac Dowell
PhD. FIChemE FRSC
Special Advisor
As Special Advisor, Niall represents the International CCS Knowledge Centre (Knowledge Centre) amongst global decision makers and financiers to accelerate engagement on and understanding of the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS).
Niall’s focus includes linking CCS knowledge globally to reduce locked-in investments and collaboratively support the goals of the Paris Agreement. His understanding of complex climate change matters, policies and regulations, and international financing concerns act as a solid basis for assisting both national and international implementation strategies for technologies that support environmental targets.
Niall is a Professor in Energy Systems Engineering at Imperial College London and has more than a decade’s experience as a consultant to the public and private sectors. He is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of both the IChemE and the Royal Society of Chemistry. His research is focused on understanding the transition to a low carbon economy. Since receiving his PhD 2010, he has published more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers at the molecular, unit operation, integrated process, and system scales in this context.