As the climate changes Calgarians and Albertans will see impacts in their daily lives, which will present challenges but may also offer opportunities.  This speaker session will address the current state of climate change impacts on Calgary and Alberta, and explore how cities, technology, and risk assessment can help address the impacts of a changing climate. 

Speakers:

Brit Samborsky - Leader, Climate - City of Calgary

Brit Samborsky is an energy engineer in Climate Change and Environment at the City of Calgary and has over a decade of engineering experience ranging from consulting to municipal government. Brit specialises in energy management, renewables and energy policy. Having recently been involved in a panel discussion on Integrated Infrastructure for Sustainable Cities (IISC) at the University of Calgary, we are pleased to have Brit at our panel discussion on the threats and opportunities of climate change. With his wide range of experience, coupled with Calgary-specific knowledge, Brit will be an asset to the panel. 

Wes Robinson - Risk Consultant - Iridium Risk Services

Wes graduated from the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business with a Bachelor of Commerce in Risk Management and Insurance in December 2017. Prior to joining Iridium Risk Services, he worked in various sides of the risk management and insurance, including in claims as part of Crawford & Company’s Global Technical Services department, as well as in risk management and claims handling at a public school division. Wes has devoted a great deal of time to understanding Cyber, Crime, and Environmental risk as well as the various risk management options available to clients to address these continually evolving exposures.  

With a keen interest in understanding the emerging risks impacting the energy industry and building relationships, Wes is excited about the opportunities that Iridium has to offer its clients and is working towards multiple designations including the Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) and Canadian Risk Management (CRM) designations. Wes volunteers as a member of the Advisory Board for Calgary based student group Fuse Collective, whose purpose is to foster the next generation of energy leaders through industry connection and experiential learning opportunities. 

UPDATE: Ryan Bourns - Special Projects Manager - Carbon Upcycling Technologies couldn't make it due to work commitments, but we have someone even better (sorry, Ryan!)

Apoorv Sinha - CEO of Carbon Upcycling 

Apoorv is the founder and CEO of a CarbonTech start-up, Carbon Upcycling Technologies (CUT) that is commercializing a process to convert CO2 emissions into performance-enhancing nanoparticles, such as graphene and nanoplatelets for use in the concrete, plastics, pharmaceuticals, and battery industries. Apoorv serves as the technical lead for the company's engagements with over 12 Universities and research groups across North America and, as CEO, also manages the scale-up and customer engagement strategies for the 5-year-old startup. CUT is one of the 10 global Finalists in the Carbon X-Prize, was an ERA Grand Challenge Semi-finalist, and has been supported by multiple research councils in Canada. In April 2017, CUT also became the youngest CarbonTech company to generate commercial revenue, providing a protective coating product to clients in Oregon and Florida.