Carbon Management

Mike Kelland is the co-founder and CEO of Planetary. Planetary’s vision is to retore and protect the ocean and climate for generations to come and is dedicated to leading the charge in marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), an area of immense potential in the fight against climate change. With a history of creating nurturing and innovative corporate cultures, Mike’s passion for environmental solutions is propelling his work beyond entrepreneurship into a lifelong mission. Beyond Planetary, Mike also holds executive roles on various company boards and always makes time for the great outdoors, drawing inspiration and resilience from canoeing in Algonquin Park with family and friends.

As Business Strategy Development Manager, Ryan Bourns is accountable for the commercialization of Carbon Upcycling’s proprietary technology. He plays a key role in the execution of the Company’s strategy and further development in the North American region.

Throughout his five years with the Company, Ryan has taken part in several global initiatives, such as the Carbon XPRIZE challenge, as well as industry leadership through Minister Champagne’s working group on decarbonizing cement.

Ryan is a University of Calgary alumni, holding a master in sustainable energy development. He also holds a bachelor of commerce from the University of Guelph.

Luke Connell is a leader in the field of social innovation, climate technology and an experienced nonprofit executive. He is Co-Founder and CEO of CarbonRun, a Climate technology company that restores rivers and their ability to safely and permanently remove carbon dioxide and provide social and environmental benefits. Prior to CarbonRun, he held the role of Executive Director at the Omega Foundation, developing and supporting initiatives that promote financial self-sufficiency through microfinance and enhancing the savings capacity and financial literacy of modest-income families. Luke lives in Toronto with his partner and two children.

Genny has a multi-disciplinary background in both business and science industries. She holds an MBA, an MHA and a BSc – Science and Business degree. She is a serial entrepreneur who has run several businesses before joining Gaia Refinery. Genny specializes in business strategy and operational optimization.

Dr. Vida A. Gabriel, co-founder and COO of TerraFixing, is an entrepreneur tackling climate change recognized in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. With a PhD in sustainable chemical reaction engineering and almost a decade of engineering research experience, she is leading innovation to develop the first ever cold-climate direct air carbon capture (DACC) technology – a direct means for Canada to reach net-zero targets.

Heather brings an extensive background in business, entrepreneurship and corporate leadership, with a proven track record of building award-winning ventures from the ground up. More than 15+ years experience in sustainability and commercialization bringing innovative technologies to market for a range of companies and high profile brands, working closely with key stakeholders, partners and investors.. Over the past 5 years, Heather has led the company and 500% scale up of its world’s first ‘Tandem Carbon Recycling’ system – from initial Carbon XPRIZE prototype to a first-of-its-kind industrial pilot with current capacity to remove and permanently store up to 1000T CO2/year in its high-performance mineral products.

“Christopher is a climate change professional adept in the voluntary carbon markets, strategic partnerships, and communication. He is the Vice President, Corporate Climate Solutions with BMO and has over ten years of experience in the Voluntary Carbon Markets.

Christopher leads on developing and executing the company’s voluntary carbon markets strategy for corporate buyers. He manages the origination of specialized credit streams, as well as the sales and relationships with corporate end buyers.

He is the former Director of Programs and Strategic Partnerships with the GLOBE Series, North America’s largest conference series on business and the environment. Prior to that he was Director of Client Services and Business Development at NatureBank and Offsetters Clean Technology. One of the highlights of his time here was being part of the small team that enabled a carbon neutral Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Christopher is a consultant with the Blockchain for Climate Foundation, member of Earth Rangers’ Advisory Council, a former member of the CSA Technical Committee on Climate Change. He holds an MSc in international development and climate change.”

Dr. Sean M.W. Wilson, Founder and CEO of TerraFixing, is leading global expert in adsorption-based gas separations with a speciality in carbon capture. With over a decade of experience in atmospheric carbon removal, he pioneered the development of the first ever direct air carbon capture (DACC) technology that is geared towards cold climates, enabling DACC for Canada.