Headquarters:
Calgary, Alberta
Year founded:
1911
Number of employees:
1,229
Phone:
(403) 267 7110
Email:
Communications@TransAlta.com
Website:
transalta.com
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/transalta
“Our people are our greatest asset, and we are constantly looking for new ways to support their professional advancement”
Jane Fedoretz, TransAlta
TRANSALTA CORPORATION
John Kousinioris
President and Chief Executive Officer
Jane N. Fedoretz
Executive Vice President
People, Talent, and Transformation
Kerry O’Reilly Wilks
Executive Vice President of Legal, Commercial, and External Affairs
Leadership
John Kousinioris is responsible for the overall stewardship of TransAlta, including providing strategic leadership, as the company navigates the transition to net zero and achieves its clean energy goals. His prior leadership roles as chief legal and compliance officer, chief growth officer and, most recently, chief operating officer, have provided him with responsibility for almost every aspect of TransAlta’s business. Kousinioris has overseen operations, shared services, commercial, trading, customer solutions, hedging and optimization, and business development.
Kousinioris also served as president and as a director of TransAlta Renewables from 2017 to 2021. Prior to joining TransAlta, he was a partner and co-head of the corporate commercial department at Bennett Jones. He has extensive experience in securities law, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.
President and Chief Executive Officer
John Kousinioris
Jane N. Fedoretz is responsible for oversight and governance of all HR matters including people, talent development, executive compensation, total rewards, benefits and pensions, recruitment, organizational culture, DE&I, wellbeing and disability, and corporate communications.
She has over 20 years of legal experience in the energy industry and as a private practitioner. Prior to joining TransAlta, Fedoretz held the role of counsel in the energy group at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes), a Canadian corporate law firm. While at Blakes, she was part of the oil and gas practice group, where she acted for Canadian start-up companies, for major and super major energy and mining companies providing legal support for the exploration, development, and construction of energy projects.
Additionally, she held the role of vice president, general counsel, chief compliance officer and privacy officer at CEDA International Corporation, a privately held oil field and maintenance services company.
Executive Vice President
People, Talent, and Transformation
Jane N. Fedoretz
Kerry O’Reilly Wilks’ portfolio spans legal, commercial, sustainability (ESG), government relations, stakeholder engagement, Indigenous affairs, regulatory and market policy, corporate secretarial, governance and trading compliance. Wilks also sits on the Board of Directors of the public company TransAlta Renewables. Prior to this position, she was head of legal, North Atlantic & UK, for Vale.
Wilks also sat as the head of legal, corporate and marketing, as well as the global chief IT counsel for Vale globally across all business lines. Additionally, Kerry occupied a senior strategic advisory role with Vale’s Asia-Pacific affiliates, as head of legal, Asia Pacific. Prior to joining Vale, she was a partner with Davies, Ward, Phillips & Vineberg LLP, a leading business law firm focusing on large securities offerings and M&A transactions.
Executive Vice President of Legal, Commercial, and External Affairs
Kerry O’Reilly Wilks
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Chris Fralick
Executive Vice President of Generation
Chris Fralick oversees TransAlta’s global operations across all fuel types. He has over 20 years of experience in power generation operations leadership and business strategy. Prior to joining TransAlta, he was president and CEO of Atura Power, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation (OPG), which he was responsible for creating through acquisition. Prior to joining Atura Power, he held various progressive leadership positions with OPG, including chief operating officer of its renewable generation business.
Executive Vice President of Generation
Chris Fralick
Todd Stack
Chief Financial Officer and EVP of Finance, TransAlta
President, TransAlta Renewables
In is current roles, Todd Stack is responsible for providing leadership and direction over TransAlta’s financial affairs. In addition to his role as CFO, his portfolio also includes, accounting and audit, treasury, corporate finance, tax, investor relations, internal audit, enterprise risk, financial planning, controller, trading, strategy, and mergers and acquisitions. He has significant experience in finance, valuation, economics, and the power industry.
Prior to this role, Stack has acted as the company’s corporate controller, corporate treasurer, as well as a member of the corporate development team reviewing greenfield and acquisition opportunities. Before joining the finance team at TransAlta, he held a number of roles in the engineering team, including design, operations, and project management.
Chief Financial Officer and EVP of Finance, TransAlta
President, TransAlta Renewables
Todd Stack
TransAlta Corporation owns, operates, and develops a diverse fleet of electrical power generation assets in Canada, the United States, and Australia, with a focus on long-term shareholder value. It provides municipalities, medium and large industries, businesses, and utility customers with clean, affordable, energy-efficient, and reliable power.
Today, TransAlta is one of Canada’s largest producers of wind power and Alberta’s largest producer of hydroelectric power. For 112 years, TransAlta has been a responsible operator and a proud member of the communities in which it operates and where its employees work and live.
TransAlta aligns its corporate goals with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and its climate change strategy with the CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures recommendations. The organization has been recognized by CDP with an ‘A’ rating and has achieved a 68% reduction in GHG emissions since 2015.
TransAlta incorporates sustainability into its governance, decision-making, risk management, and day-to-day business processes. A culture transformation is underway at the organization, which focuses on embedding psychological safety into the workplace and encouraging all employees to be their authentic selves and show allyship and advocacy.
“TransAlta’s focus on psychological safety and inclusion ensures that our employees feel valued, heard, and empowered to innovate, which ultimately benefits our business strategy”
Jane Fedoretz, TransAlta
Aron Willis
Executive Vice President of Growth
Blain van Melle
Executive Vice President,
Alberta Business
Rhonda English
Chief Marketing Officer
Evelyn Peng
Chief Risk Officer
Aron Willis leads TransAlta’s customer origination, contracting greenfield and brownfield projects in TransAlta’s core markets. He oversees TransAlta’s project development, construction and investment analysis activities, and is accountable for new technologies, including conversion to gas and repowering strategies.
Since joining the company in 1999, Willis has worked throughout the business in increasing levels of responsibility, with roles in finance, commercial, operations, and maintenance. Based in Perth, he oversaw a significant expansion of the business comprising an investment of just under $1 billion in new contracted assets. This includes the development, contracting, and construction of the $570-million South Hedland Power Station.
Prior to his current role, Willis led TransAlta’s fleet of gas and renewables assets and the company’s commercial team. He oversaw the safe, reliable, and low-cost operations of the company’s various joint-venture partnerships and commercial activities. He is part of the management team of TransAlta Renewables.
Executive Vice President of Growth
Aron Willis
Blain van Melle oversees TransAlta’s asset optimization, customer origination, contracting, growth and new projects, as well as brownfield in Alberta, forecasting, fuel supply strategy, and ESG sustainability goals as it relates to TransAlta’s Alberta business.
Van Melle has over 17 years of experience in deregulated power markets, having worked in roles ranging from asset optimization, marketing, and proprietary trading at TransAlta since his start in 2004.
Executive Vice President, Alberta Business
Blain van Melle
Rhonda English is a CPA, CMA and obtained her Honors Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and her MBA from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario. Rhonda joined CM Club Group as vice president of insurance, then took the role of vice president corporate marketing, overseeing business insights & analytics and the acquisition and retention of the CM lines of business. In 2016, she was named chief marketing officer, taking on additional responsibility for travel and membership product, digital, and the government & community relations advocacy team.
Chief Marketing Officer
Rhonda English
Evelyn Peng started at CCG in 2017 as director of risk management and now serves as the chief risk officer for the organization. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology and a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Waterloo. She has extensive experience with enterprise risk management, specializing in operational risk management, and financial risk management. Evelyn is a Chartered Accountant and a Financial Risk Manager.
Chief Risk Officer
Evelyn Peng
Evelyn Peng started at CCG in 2017 as director of risk management and now serves as the chief risk officer for the organization. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology and a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Waterloo. She has extensive experience with enterprise risk management, specializing in operational risk management, and financial risk management. Evelyn is a Chartered Accountant and a Financial Risk Manager.
Chief Risk Officer
Evelyn Peng
Evelyn Peng started at CCG in 2017 as director of risk management and now serves as the chief risk officer for the organization. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology and a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Waterloo. She has extensive experience with enterprise risk management, specializing in operational risk management, and financial risk management. Evelyn is a Chartered Accountant and a Financial Risk Manager.
Chief Risk Officer
Evelyn Peng
Sarah M Stewart
Associate Vice President,
Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Karen Bannister, CM
Vice President, Marketing
Dave Longbottom
Chief Technology Officer
Alex Ventura
Head of Marketing
Damian Palovick
Senior Vice President of Underwriting
AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America
Dr. Mary Lavoie
Head of Risk Management and Senior Vice President
AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America
Mark Bernacki
Chief Underwriting Officer
Ryan Armijo
Chief Operating Officer, Underwriting Division
Bob Petrilli
President, Underwriting Division
“Despite the challenging claims environment, QBE’s coverage and risk appetite have remained consistent. Brokers and customers know and understand our risk appetite and the cover we offer, providing them with certainty for the future,” says Erica Kofie, head of cyber proposition. “We put our customers at the centre of our business, responding to brokers in a proactive and timely manner and working with the customer to understand their unique risk profile and tailor appropriate solutions.”
Kofie adds, “Through 2022, QBE successfully delivered significant growth in the cyber sector, reflecting the depth and strength of our team. We continue to see cyber as a key opportunity and will be further developing customer-centric solutions across various geographies and segments in line with our growth aspirations.”
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Earlene Huntley
Group Chief Financial Officer
Melissa Abramowitz
General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer
Melissa Abramowitz has been practicing corporate and commercial law for over 20 years, with an emphasis on the financial services industry. She joined CAA Club Group in 2014, and currently serves as the General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer of CCG and its affiliated companies. At CCG, Melissa provides strategic legal advice on a broad range of matters including corporate governance, licensing, distribution, marketing and advertising, commercial contracts and regulatory compliance. She holds a Bachelor of Civil Law (B.CL) and Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from McGill University and a Certificate in Regulatory Compliance for Financial Institutions from Osgoode.
General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer
Melissa Abramowitz
Earlene Huntley joined CAA in 2014 as director, tax and was promoted to AVP, tax in 2016, and to her current role as group chief financial officer of CAA Club Group in February 2017. In her role, she is responsible for all aspects of finance. She is a graduate of the University of the West Indies where she earned her BSc. Accounting (Hons) and is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in the United Kingdom.
Group Chief Financial Officer
Earlene Huntley
Simon Williams
Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International
and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955
Simon Williams
Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International
and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955
Earlene Huntley joined CAA in 2014 as director, tax and was promoted to AVP, tax in 2016, and to her current role as group chief financial officer of CAA Club Group in February 2017. In her role, she is responsible for all aspects of finance. She is a graduate of the University of the West Indies where she earned her BSc. Accounting (Hons) and is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in the United Kingdom.
Group Chief Financial Officer
Earlene Huntley
Melissa Abramowitz has been practicing corporate and commercial law for over 20 years, with an emphasis on the financial services industry. She joined CAA Club Group in 2014, and currently serves as the General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer of CCG and its affiliated companies. At CCG, Melissa provides strategic legal advice on a broad range of matters including corporate governance, licensing, distribution, marketing and advertising, commercial contracts and regulatory compliance. She holds a Bachelor of Civil Law (B.CL) and Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from McGill University and a Certificate in Regulatory Compliance for Financial Institutions from Osgoode.
General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer
Melissa Abramowitz
Melissa Abramowitz
General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer
Earlene Huntley
Group Chief Financial Officer
Earlene Huntley joined CAA in 2014 as director, tax and was promoted to AVP, tax in 2016, and to her current role as group chief financial officer of CAA Club Group in February 2017. In her role, she is responsible for all aspects of finance. She is a graduate of the University of the West Indies where she earned her BSc. Accounting (Hons) and is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in the United Kingdom.
Group Chief Financial Officer
Earlene Huntley
Melissa Abramowitz has been practicing corporate and commercial law for over 20 years, with an emphasis on the financial services industry. She joined CAA Club Group in 2014, and currently serves as the General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer of CCG and its affiliated companies. At CCG, Melissa provides strategic legal advice on a broad range of matters including corporate governance, licensing, distribution, marketing and advertising, commercial contracts and regulatory compliance. She holds a Bachelor of Civil Law (B.CL) and Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from McGill University and a Certificate in Regulatory Compliance for Financial Institutions from Osgoode.
General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer
Melissa Abramowitz
Management liability
Arch Insurance’s management liability team is dedicated to addressing the needs of our partners. Our underwriting approach is to recognize and address exposures particular to each insured and offer creative solutions for our customers including complex risk and hard-to-place industries.
Know more here: insurance.archgroup.com/north-america/canada/offering/management-liability
Cyber
Arch Insurance’s experienced underwriting team takes a forward-looking approach to writing network security, privacy and media liability for mid-to-large accounts.
Professional liability
Arch Insurance’s professional liability team is positioned to offer professional liability programs for financial service firms.
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Turnaround time – claims
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Overall service level
Broker communication, training and development
BDM support
Turnaround time – claims
Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance
Marine
Brokers’ Pick – Homeowners
Medals
Overall service level
Broker communication, training and development
BDM support
Turnaround time – claims
Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance
Marine
Brokers’ Pick – Homeowners
TransAlta has earned industry recognition for its approach to employee culture. The company has been celebrated for its achievements in innovation, safety, community service, creating a positive working environment, and brand reputation.
Now in its second year of a five-year diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) strategy focused on building a sense of belonging, TransAlta is fostering a culture of DE&I throughout the organization.
TransAlta’s leaders are committed to building a diverse and inclusive company culture, believing that this will enhance company performance. They advocate for underrepresented groups, such as women in the workforce.
The executive leadership team models authenticity, vulnerability, courage, and openness to employees who reach out for support. They empower employees and encourage autonomy, allowing for more problem-solving and innovation. This empowerment motivates and inspires their teams while showing genuine care and interest in their growth.
TransAlta’s mission is to provide safe, low-cost, and reliable clean electricity to its customers. As a customer-centred clean energy leader, it is well positioned to support its customers’ ESG and sustainability goals. To achieve this goal in today’s evolving economy and increasingly electrified world, TransAlta’s strategy focuses on renewable electricity growth and a deep commitment to sustainability. The team at TransAlta is uniquely positioned as the world continues to electrify and adopt sustainable practices.
TransAlta’s business strategy aligns with its vision and guides organizational decisions. It aims for a 75% reduction in annual carbon emissions by 2026. The company’s transition from coal to natural gas has reduced emissions by more than 60% since 2015.
TransAlta also values and respects its Indigenous neighbours. Its Indigenous relations policy focuses on five key areas: community engagement and consultation, business development, community investment, employment and training, and awareness.
Because TransAlta’s employees anticipate customer needs and streamline efficiencies to ensure seamless transactions, customers can expect a personalized experience with transparency, open communication, respect and integrity, safe working practices, reliability, and an understanding of their business needs.
“We are thrilled to receive this recognition for our innovative approach to HR at TransAlta. Our people are our greatest asset, and we are constantly looking for new ways to support their professional advancement,” says Jane Fedoretz, executive vice president for people, talent, and transformation.
“TransAlta’s focus on psychological safety and inclusion ensures that our employees feel valued, heard, and empowered to innovate, which ultimately benefits our business strategy. This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our HR team, who are committed to creating an engaging work environment that helps our employees thrive. We are proud to be recognized for our efforts, and we will continue to look for innovative ways to support our employees.”