Economic Reconciliation: Getting to Net Zero

Featured participants

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  JP Gladu

  Principal, Mokwateh

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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 commitment to her nation, the Fort Nelson First Nation (FNFN), spans over 14 years serving in positions as both Chief and Councillor. 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 contributions at the Council table and as the Chair of the Dehtai Corporation—the FNFN’s economic development corporation. Chief Gale has overseen significant milestones in her First Nation’s development, including the realization of the Tu Deh-Kah 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. In 2020, Chief Gale served as the sole Indigenous member on the Premier’s Economic Recovery Task Force for the Province of BC. In 2023, Chief Gale further expanded her reach by joining the Canada Electricity Advisory Council, entrusted with the mission to advise the Minister of Natural Resources. Her role entails accelerating investments and advancing sustainable, affordable, and reliable electricity systems for the betterment of all Canadians.