Economic Reconciliation: Getting to Net Zero

Featured participants

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  JP Gladu

  Principal, Mokwateh

  Biography

  JP Gladu

  JP Gladu is currently Principal of Mokwateh and previously served as the President and CEO of the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business for approximately eight years. Mr. Gladu has over 30 years of experience in the natural resource sector including working with Indigenous communities and organizations, environmental non-government organizations, industry and governments from across Canada and the globe. Mr. Gladu serves on the boards of Suncor, the Institute of Corporate Directors and BHP’s Forum for Corporate Responsibility. He has completed a forestry technician diploma from Sault College, obtained an undergraduate degree in forestry from Northern Arizona University, holds an Executive MBA from Queens University, an ICD.D from Rotman School of Management University of Toronto and an honorary doctorate in law from Carleton University in 2024. He is a senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and served as the Chancellor of St. Paul’s University College Waterloo from 2017 to 2020. JP’s achievements have been recognized by the Public Policy Forum as a prestigious 2024 Honouree.
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  Mark Podlasly

  Chief Sustainability Officer, First Nations Major Project Coalition

  Biography

  Mark Podlasly

  Mark Podlasly, a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation, is the Chief Sustainability Officer at the First Nations Major Project Coalition, a 140 Nation organization dedicated to ensuring Indigenous environmental and economic values are incorporated into projects in traditional territories. Mark is also a director at Hydro One and a managing trustee of his First Nation’s mining revenue trust fund. Mark’s international experience includes the planning, permitting and construction of large capital projects related to energy, resource development and community infrastructure around the world. He has designed and delivered corporate strategy, leadership and globalization programs for a client list that includes GE, Unilever, General Mills, Clorox, Goldman Sachs, and Praxair. He is a frequent commentator about industry-Indigenous economic reconciliation, with writings covering ESG, climate change, economic wellbeing and governance. Mark holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University.
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  Mark Sevestre

  Founding Member and Senior Advisor, National Aboriginal Trust Officers Association

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  Chief Sharleen Gale

  Chief, Fort Nelson First Nation and Chair, First Nations Major Projects Coalition

  Biography

  Chief Sharleen Gale

  Chief Sharleen Gale has dedicated six years of service as a board member with FNMPC, assuming the role of Board Chair in 2017. Her unwavering commitment to her community, Fort Nelson First Nation, spans over 14 years serving in the esteemed positions of both Chief and Councillor since 2009. In her capacity as Chief, she champions a future where every member of her Nation collaborates towards achieving strength, pride, health, and self-reliance. She is the grand-daughter of Fred Burke and Madeline Needlay. Her roots run deep in the lives of her people and she enjoys being on the land with her family exploring the territory and teaching her son the traditional ways on the lands and how to hunt, fish, and gather medicines and berries. As a leader and Chief of the Nation, she understands the importance of upholding the spirit and intent of the treaty by asserting her peoples’ rights to their land and taking responsibility for ensuring that our future generations are able to live their lives in their territory in a way that honours their ancestors. Chief Gale brings a wealth of experience garnered from her extensive tenure in the oil and gas sector, the corporate realm, and various leadership roles. This rich background informs her invaluable contributions in shaping the aspirations of the Fort Nelson First Nation, both at the Council table and as the Chair of the Dehtai Corporation—the Nation's economic development corporation driving prosperity. Throughout her tenure as Chief, Chief Gale has overseen significant milestones in her community's development, including the realization of a geothermal electricity project, a pivotal partnership in a major renewable energy endeavor, the acquisition of the largest Indigenous woodlot license in British Columbia and partnership with the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality in securing the largest community forest in the province. Notably, in 2020, Chief Gale served as the sole Indigenous member on the Premier's Economic Recovery Task Force for the Province of BC, showcasing her dedication to inclusive economic growth. In 2023, Chief Gale further expanded her reach by joining the Canada Electricity Advisory Council, entrusted with the mission to provide counsel to the Minister of Natural Resources. Her role entails accelerating investments and advancing sustainable, affordable, and reliable electricity systems for the betterment of all Canadians.