Management
Gary Hart
President & Chief Executive Officer
For more than 30 years, Mr. Hart has held a variety of senior positions in the energy industry across Canada, currently as President and Chief Executive Officer for AltaLink.
Prior to joining AltaLink in 2017 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, he was Berkshire Hathaway Energy Canada’s first Managing Director.
Mr. Hart started his career with TransAlta and moved through a number of roles of increasing responsibility. As Director of Business Development for Western Canada, Mr. Hart developed two Alberta cogeneration projects before moving to Ontario, when he was VP of Operations, Eastern Canada for TransAlta Limited Partnership.
Following his tenure at TransAlta, Mr. Hart joined Westcoast Power as VP Operations with accountabilities for their generating portfolio. He then went on to join Suncor Energy in utility operations and supply chain, which included the role of Senior Vice President of Supply Chain and Field Logistics.
Mr. Hart is a registered Professional Engineer and has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan.
David Koch
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Dave brings 30 years of financial experience to AltaLink, most notably with 22 years from the utility sector in Canada. His recent positions include vice president and controller of TransAlta and designated CFO of TransAlta Renewables.
During his career with TransAlta, Dave was responsible for providing leadership and direction over TransAlta’s financial activities and control, principally in the areas of external reporting, corporate accounting and reporting, accounts payable, systems and process improvements.
Dave is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta, and obtained his Certified Management Accountants designation in 1998.
Johanne Picard-Thompson
Executive Vice President, Corporate Services
Johanne is a graduate from the University of Toronto’s Engineering Science Program and Queen’s University Master of Business Administration program. Prior to joining AltaLink, Johanne held senior executive roles in the oil and gas and manufacturing sectors. At Shell Canada she was the General Manager, Oil Sands Growth Operations, and oversaw operations, commissioning and startup planning for expansion projects. At Celestica she was the Senior Vice President of Canadian Operations, responsible for multiple production facilities and more than 40 production lines.
Other notable career highlights include serving on the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology’s (NAIT) Advisory Board for the Shell Manufacturing Centre and receiving the Globe and Mail’s recognition as one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 for her leadership in growing Celestica’s Canadian Operations. Johanne also received the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Engineering 2T5 Mid-Career Achievement Award recognizing alumni who have earned respect within the profession and within the broader Canadian community.
Sheri Allen
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Since 2012, Sheri has worked closely with other leaders at AltaLink to plan and execute leadership, employee and culture programs that support achievement of business results.
Sheri has over 20 years’ experience in oil and gas, chemicals and electricity industries. Sheri has an extensive background in human resource management, leadership development, organizational change and learning.
Prior to AltaLink, Sheri worked for eight years with Emerge Learning as a senior management consultant and spent 11 years with NOVA Chemicals in their corporate, chemicals and international businesses in a variety of human resources and leadership roles, including vice president of human resources.
Sheri holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary.
Martha Peden
Senior Vice President, Law Regulatory & General Counsel
Martha brings over 15 years of experience as legal and regulatory counsel in the energy and electricity sectors, as well as broad experience in Indigenous, landowner and stakeholder relations. Prior to joining AltaLink, Martha was the Vice President, Regulatory and Public Affairs for a natural gas processing and pipeline company. Under Martha’s leadership, the company was successful in obtaining a federal approval for an interprovincial pipeline project – only the second to be approved under new federal legislation. Martha also has extensive experience in Alberta’s electric regulated industry, having held legal roles at an electric distribution company and the Alberta Utilities Commission. Martha began her career practicing commercial litigation at a major international law firm.
Martha has a Bachelor of Arts and Science from McMaster University, a Law degree from the University of Alberta, and a Master of Laws degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is called to the bar in both British Columbia and Alberta.
Paul Lee
Senior Vice President, Customer & Projects
Paul started his career at AltaLink in 2004, and has held a variety of positions in operations, internal audit and customer service.
As the HVDC Operations Manager, Paul led the operational integration of AltaLink’s Western Alberta Transmission Line (WATL), Alberta’s first high voltage direct current line. In 2019, Paul led the development and implementation of AltaLink’s Wildfire Mitigation program, which was the first program of its kind to be approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission in Alberta. Paul has also worked at TransAlta, providing leadership in developing TransAlta’s enterprise risk management framework.
Paul’s recent positions at AltaLink include Vice President, Projects, Vice President, System Operations and Director, Customer Services. Mr. Lee is a registered Professional Engineer with APEGA and has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Alberta, as well as an MBA from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary.
Mike Bartel
Vice President, Operations
With over 34 years of experience in the energy industry, Mike has held leadership roles in many aspects of both power transmission and generation in Alberta, most recently as Vice President, Asset Management at AltaLink.
Mike started his career with TransAlta and progressed through a variety of roles with increasing accountabilities over 18 years. As Vice President & Chief Engineer, Mike was responsible for engineering activities and technical decision making for TransAlta’s power generation fleet of thermal, gas, wind and hydro assets.
Following TransAlta, Mike joined AltaLink as Vice President, Asset Management, and has applied his experience to lead the asset management, engineering, operations and maintenance areas. Mike was elected and held the role of President of CIGRE Canada, a non-profit industry association, from 2014-2022 and remains an active executive member. Additionally, Mike served on the board of the North American Transmission Forum from 2018-2024, including being Chair from 2021-2022.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Calgary. He has also completed an Executive MBA and is a registered Professional Engineer in both Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Cayla Saby
Vice President, Government Relations & Commercial
Cayla brings over 18 years of experience in the utilities industry. She began her career at AltaLink in 2005, and has held a number of increasingly senior customer service-based positions, including leadership roles spanning project execution, operational delivery, and regulatory engagement.
As Vice President, Government Relations and Commercial, she is responsible for policy advocacy and engagement with all levels of government, and leading AltaLink’s commercial business including service contracts and execution of the Market Participant Choice process.
Cayla holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Culture from the University of Calgary.
Board of Directors
David Tuer
Chair
Since November of 2013, Mr. Tuer has been the Chairman of Optiom Inc.; in 2015 he became Executive Chairman. From May 2008 until June 2015, he was the Vice Chairman and CEO of Teine Energy Ltd. He is an independent businessman and was Chairman of the Calgary Health Region from 2001 to 2008. He has held senior executive positions in various energy companies throughout his career.
He is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of PanCanadian Petroleum Limited, prior to its merger in 2002 with the Alberta Energy Company to form EnCana Corporation. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Canadian Natural Resources Limited.
David Collyer
Director
Dave Collyer has over 40 years of experience in the Canadian energy sector. Mr. Collyer was President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) from September 2008 until December 2014. In this capacity, he was responsible for leading CAPP’s activities in public and regulatory advocacy, and in education, communication and engagement.
Since 2015, Mr. Collyer has served on a number of corporate and public sector boards and provided consulting and advisory services to the private sector and governments. Prior to joining CAPP in 2008, he was President and Country Chair for Shell in Canada. During his thirty-year career with Shell, Mr. Collyer held a broad range of technical, business, marketing, and senior leadership roles. He also participated in a two-year Executive Exchange assignment with the federal government in Ottawa (1989 to 1991) as Director, Supply Branch at the National Energy Board.
Mr. Collyer holds a Bachelor of Science in Mineral Engineering (1977), specializing in Petroleum Engineering, and a Masters of Business Administration (1978), both from the University of Alberta.
Calvin D. Haack
Director
Calvin D. Haack, 55, is senior vice president and chief financial officer at Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Haack is responsible for managing all aspects of the company’s financial operations.
Haack supports the evaluation, negotiation and closing of the company’s domestic and international financings, acquisitions, and project developments. Additionally, he manages all accounting, financial reporting, tax, budgeting, long-range financial planning and internal audit functions for the company. Haack was previously Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s vice president and treasurer since 2010 and has held numerous finance and accounting roles at subsidiaries of Berkshire Hathaway Energy since 1997.
Haack has more than 20 years of energy industry experience covering accounting and finance functions. Before entering the energy sector, he was a certified public accountant working for public accounting firms across the Midwest and focusing on audit and tax engagements.
Gary Hart
Director
For more than 30 years, Mr. Hart has held a variety of senior positions in the energy industry across Canada, currently as President and Chief Executive Officer for AltaLink.
Prior to joining AltaLink in 2017 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, he was Berkshire Hathaway Energy Canada’s first Managing Director.
Mr. Hart started his career with TransAlta and moved through a number of roles of increasing responsibility. As Director of Business Development for Western Canada, Mr. Hart developed two Alberta cogeneration projects before moving to Ontario, when he was VP of Operations, Eastern Canada for TransAlta Limited Partnership.
Following his tenure at TransAlta, Mr. Hart joined Westcoast Power as VP Operations with accountabilities for their generating portfolio. He then went on to join Suncor Energy in utility operations and supply chain, which included the role of Senior Vice President of Supply Chain and Field Logistics.
Mr. Hart is a registered Professional Engineer with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan.
Natalie Hocken
Director
Natalie L. Hocken, 54, is senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Hocken is responsible for managing all of the legal, corporate communications, diversity, equity and inclusion, human resources and insurance functions for the company. Prior to taking this position, Hocken served as senior vice president in various legal and operational roles at PacifiCorp, including strategic initiatives and transmission and system operations where she was responsible for opportunities focusing on federal regulatory priorities and overseeing transmission development, open access transmission services and transmission planning for one of the largest privately held transmission systems in the western U.S. Hocken serves as a director of PacifiCorp, AltaLink Management Ltd., Kern River Gas Transmission Company and Northern Natural Gas Company and president of NVE Insurance Company, Inc.
Hocken also serves as a director of The Freshwater Trust, an organization committed to the protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems.
Prior to joining PacifiCorp in 2002, Natalie was an energy attorney with the law firms of Heller Ehrman LLP and LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae LLP. Hocken is a graduate of the University of Washington and the University of Oregon School of Law.
Steve MacDonald
Director
Mr. MacDonald is currently Principal at +SM Advisory Services. Previous to that, he was Chief Executive Officer for Emissions Reduction Alberta and served as Deputy Minister for the Government of Alberta in a number of portfolios, including innovation and climate change.
As an experienced public sector leader, Mr. MacDonald has led major initiatives that improved the design and delivery of services and achieved better outcomes for clients, stakeholders and staff. He is currently focused on innovation, change management and the energy transition.
Mr. MacDonald graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Commerce. He is also a graduate of the Canadian Securities Program and has received his ICD.D designation. Mr. MacDonald is on the board of directors for the Canada West Foundation, The Natural Step Canada, Werklund School of Agricultural Technology, Olds College, and the BC Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy Advisory Council.
Patricia Nelson
Director
Ms. Nelson is currently the Vice-Chair of the In Situ Oil Sands Alliance, and is the Managing Director of the Board of Directors. She is also currently a Member of the Board of Directors of WHY Resources Ltd., and OPTIOM Inc. Ms. Nelson is a former Chief Executive Officer of the Calgary Health Trust and a former elected Member of the Legislative Assembly for Calgary Foothills. In her four terms with the Alberta Legislature, Ms. Nelson served as Minister of Finance and Chair of the Treasury Board, preceded by her roles as Minister of Energy, Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Minister of Government Services, and Deputy Government House Leader.
Ms. Nelson graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and gained years of finance related experience in the oil and gas industry prior to entering Alberta politics. She previously was the Controller of Sabre Energy Ltd, and Petroterra Natural Resources Ltd., and the Manager of Financial Control with Suncor Inc.
Susan Riddell Rose
Director
Ms. Riddell Rose is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Perpetual Energy Inc. and predecessor Paramount Energy Trust since inception in 2002. Prior thereto she was Chief Operating Officer for Paramount Resources Ltd. and prior thereto a geological engineer with Shell Canada Limited.
Ms. Riddell Rose graduated from Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario in 1986 with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Geological Engineering. She is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta, the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and serves as a governor for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
Scott Thon
Director
Scott W. Thon, 60, is president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, where he leads a group of diverse energy businesses located in the U.S., Canada and Great Britain.
The Berkshire Hathaway Energy businesses include AltaLink, L.P., BHE Pipeline Group, BHE Renewables, BHE U.S. Transmission, HomeServices of America, Inc., MidAmerican Energy Company, Northern Powergrid Holdings Company, NV Energy, Inc. and PacifiCorp. Thon serves as chair and director of Northern Natural Gas Company, and as director of Northern Powergrid Holdings Company, NV Energy, Inc. and AltaLink Management Ltd.
Thon served as president of operations for Berkshire Hathaway Energy from 2022-2023, president and CEO of BHE Canada from 2014-2022, and the CEO of its largest Canadian subsidiary, AltaLink, from 2002-2022. For over 30 years, Thon has held a variety of senior positions in the energy industry, from operations and engineering to market design and financial management. He has led the investment and construction of significant energy infrastructure developments in Alberta, Canada and globally.
Thon is a former chair of the Canadian Electricity Association’s Board of Directors. Thon was presented with Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal (Alberta) in 2022 by the government of Alberta. In 2017, Thon was recognized by Business in Calgary magazine with their Leaders award. In 2013, Bow Valley College awarded Thon their Distinguished Citizen Award honoring his commitment to the college. In 2011, Thon was recognized by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce for his business and community leadership with the Sherrold Moore Award. In 2005, The Government of Alberta presented Thon with the Alberta Centennial Medal in recognition of outstanding service to the people and province of Alberta.
Thon is a registered professional engineer with a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from the University of Saskatchewan. He is also a graduate of the Executive Program from the University of Western Ontario’s Richard Ivey School of Business. In 2015, Thon completed the Institute of Corporate Director’s Directors Education Program receiving his ICD.D designation.
Brad Wall
Director
Since 2018, Mr. Wall has acted as a Special Advisor for the Calgary law firm Osler, Hoskin, and Harcourt LLP and is also Principal at Flying W Consulting Inc and partner in CW Cattle Co. Ltd. Prior thereto, he served as the 14th Premier of Saskatchewan from 2007 to 2018.
Mr. Wall graduated with honours from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration. He is on the board of directors for NexGen Energy, Maxim Power, Whitecap Resources. He is an advisory board member for the Canadian Global Affairs Institute as well as the Canadian American Business Council. He volunteers as a member of the Canada Beef advocacy committee of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Assoc. He also serves as chair for both the STARS Fleet Replacement Committee.