CEO of NextStar Energy Inc. (Stellantis and LG Energy Solution in Windsor)
Keynote Speaker

Mr. Danies Lee is the proud new CEO of NextStar Energy Inc., Canada’s first large-scale lithium-ion battery production plant, which is a joint venture between Stellantis and LG Energy Solution in Windsor, Ontario. The battery plant will be one of the largest in the world. Mr. Lee has held a series of global and regional sales and marketing roles for the promotion of lithium-ion batteries at LG Chem since 2001. Most recently, he oversaw the sales and program management of key EV battery programs for the North American market. He is now responsible for getting this monumental investment off the ground in Windsor with EV battery module production scheduled to start the first half of 2024.

Founder & President, Electric Autonomy Canada
Fireside Chat

Nino is passionate believer in electrification and the benefits that technology will bring to our future mobility and is regularly sought after for comment by media including Global News, CBC, Fast Company, Globe & Mail and others. He is a past president of the National Media Awards Foundation and the recipient of the EV Society’s 2020 Howard Hutt Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Electric Transportation.

Senior Project Engineer

Paul Godsmark is a Senior Project Engineer with Parsons, and formerly Co-Founder of CAVCOE, the first consulting company in North America dedicated to AVs. He has more than three decades of experience as a road designer, project manager, road safety and ITS specialist in 9 countries on four different continents. Since 2011 Paul has become a self-taught specialist in emerging technologies in transportation and particularly AVs and their socio-economic impacts.  He founded the ITS Canada AV Task Force in 2012. He has written numerous papers, articles and blogs on automated vehicles and has been interviewed for Canadian TV, radio and various syndicated articles. When he retires he muses that he is going to buy a pimped-out fully self-driving RV and tour North America along with a large community of like-minded itinerant snowbirds. He has had malaria at least six times.

Senior Director, Transport & Mobility Planning

Yannis Stogios is a highly respected Senior Director in Parsons’ Infrastructure market segment and currently holds the position of Transportation Practice Lead for Southwestern Ontario. His illustrious career spans over 35 years, during which he has garnered extensive consulting experience in the realms of transportation planning, traffic engineering, and operations in Canada, the USA, and overseas. Yannis has carved a niche for himself through his innovative work in the development of transportation and mobility systems planning and operations, with a particular focus on data analytics, modelling, and performance evaluation. Renowned for his pioneering contributions to the field of integrated and sustainable mobility, Yannis’ work encompasses innovative technologies and new business models, including shared mobility, connected and automated vehicles, micromobility, and big data. His project management prowess, underscored by an award from the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada (ACEC) in 2019, combined with his ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, sets him apart in the industry. Yannis’ work on the Transportation Research Board’s Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2) Travel Time Reliability Performance Measurement Program further exemplifies his innovative approach to transportation and mobility. With a Master’s degree in Engineering and professional engineering credentials, Yannis Stogios is an invaluable voice in the discourse on innovative technology, smart mobility, new mobility, and emerging technology.

Program Director, Transit & Rail

Mark with over 30 years of experience is responsible for managing the planning, design, delivery, and finance and funding strategies for air, land, and water mobility investments. Serves as a subject matter expert for all modes of mass transit, transit-oriented development, electrification of mobility, and smart city strategies and investment.

Investment Manager – Technology & Venture, Magna International
Panelist – Investment

With an engineering background and a decade’s worth of experience in the automotive industry, Erik has honed his skills by leading engineering teams at suppliers and OEM. .Presently, in his role at Magna, Erik is engaged in scouting startups that could provide a strategic fit across the organization.

Director of Innovation, North America Linamar Corporation
Panelist – CITM Debate

Brett is the Director of Innovation at Linamar’s Innovation Hub (iHub) where he is leading
Linamar’s Vision 2100 pursuits.

The iHub is discovering solutions to global problems by partnering with aspiring entrepreneurial start-ups to create a new future with products that are world leaders in technology, innovation & manufacturing. As part of the Innovation Team, he is identifying new products and technologies to position Linamar to serve key markets such as mobility, infrastructure, agriculture, MedTech, power & water.

Brett has held various roles at Linamar in Program Management & Engineering. He received his Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University.

Business Development Manager, Lion Electric
Panelist – CITM Debate

Transformation & Innovation IT Specialists, Parsons Corporation
Panel Moderator – Durham Panel

Daniel is a transformation and innovation specialist with 10 years of experience leading engineering and strategic technology projects, managing and communicating with stakeholders, and driving innovation initiatives. As an MBA graduate with a background in systems engineering, Daniel is an advocate for using design thinking to develop needs-driven business and technology solutions. He is part of Parsons’ Technology Transformation team where he leads internal digital transformation and AI initiatives, supports clients with technology innovation, and builds partnership with technology innovators.

Co-Founder & CTO, ETTRACTIVE Inc
Moderator – CITM Debate

Pat Troy is the co-founder and CTO of Ettractive Inc. in Windsor, Ontario. Pat’s career begun with roles in gasoline engine development for both Chrysler and Ford before transitioning to electric vehicle development. Pat lead the developed and construction of dozens of commercial electric vehicles during his tenure at Roush Industries in Detroit, which lead to his being brought on as the Engineering Manager for North America at commercial truck EV powertrain company SEA Electric LLC. Starting Troy EV Consulting in early 2020, Pat supported customers in the United States, Canada and Asia in micromobility, fuel cell and off-highway EV development. In March of 2021, Pat founded Ettractive Inc. and established the Canadian headquarters for hardware and software development of electrified vehicles in Windsor Ontario.

Chief Investment Officer, Venture Ontario
Moderator – Investment

Brenda M. Hogan is the Chief Investment Officer at Venture Ontario and has over 15 years’ experience in strategy and execution in venture capital at the co-investment, fund of funds, and fund level investing. She oversees the private equity portfolio, with a
focus on origination, execution and portfolio management. Brenda has managed assets across a variety of sectors including IT software and services, life sciences, and cleantech. Brenda has held senior roles in corporate development, finance, and strategic investingwith Bell Canada, EY, the Business Development Bank of Canada, and a software start- up.

She sits on the Board of the Canadian Venture Capital Association, and Chairs the Membership Committee; and serves with the Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA) as a member of the Content Committee. Brenda served three terms on the Board of Women in Capital Markets, serving as Chair of the Governance Committee; was Co-Chair of Canadian Women in Private Equity (CWPE); is a past Chair of the Board and President of the Junior League of Toronto; and served on the Board of Governors at Dalhousie University and Chaired the Finance, Audit, Investment, and Risk Committee. Brenda holds an MBA in finance; is a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors SME Board Effectiveness Program; has completed the Private Capital Governance Program (Venture Capital Cohort); and has received leadership training from the Ivey School of Business.