The Southern Ontario Water Consortium (SOWC) is proud to announce the establishment of its Industry Advisory Committee (IAC). Reporting to the SOWC Advisory Board, the role of the IAC is to provide strategic direction and advice regarding SOWC’s priorities, sustainability and business development activities, and to provide insight on water sector needs and how SOWC’s physical infrastructure and expertise can best support technology development and commercialization.
Please view a list our current IAC members and a brief description of their professional background below.
John Vogan, P. Geo., is the Operations Manager for ARCADIS Canada Inc. and has over 25 years experience in groundwater and soil investigation and remediation. ARCADIS provides consultancy, design, engineering and management services in the fields of infrastructure, water, environment and buildings. Mr. Vogan is responsible for supporting ARCADIS project execution throughout Canada. Prior to joining ARCADIS, John led a pioneering in-situ remediation company, originally a ‘spin-off’ of the University of Waterloo, which established innovative in-situ groundwater treatment technologies in the marketplace.
Rob Andrews was appointed President and CEO of the Ontario Clean Water Agency on January 6, 2014. Prior to joining OCWA, Rob was the Chief Executive, Global Water at AECOM, where he formed and integrated the company’s first global water division. AECOM Water is now the world’s largest water engineeringbusiness, with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion and more than 6,000 dedicated staff providing water, wastewater, water resources and community infrastructure services to clients on 6 continents. Rob’s other previous industry experience includes a role as the Executive Vice President, Global Water Projects and Products Division, at Earth Tech, a company with annual revenue of $600 million and 3000 staff, including several water treatment technology companies, that was acquired by AECOM in 2008.
Dave Ellis, P.Eng., is a Senior Engineer for Geosyntec Consultants, a consulting and engineering firm that works with private and public sector clients to address new ventures and complex problems involving our environment, natural resources, and civil infrastructure. Dave specializes in chemical, process, and project engineering. He has more than 20 years of consulting experience focused on water and wastewater treatment system planning and design for industrial clients. Dave has expertise in both physical/chemical and biological processes for wastewater treatment. His recent experience has focused on developing and implementing industrial facility integrated water management plans that address water sources, consumptive uses, reuse opportunities, and residuals management.
Dr. Linda Gowman, P.Eng., is currently Chief Technology Officer of Trojan Technologies. Her previous roles at Trojan have included Vice-President, Research and Vice-President, Science and Technology. She holds degrees in Engineering and Biophysics from the Universities of Toronto and Western Ontario. Dr. Gowman has led cross-disciplinary and international teams in technology development and has been responsible for the research, engineering and installation of innovative water treatment technologies in Ontario and internationally. She has participated nationally and internationally on the boards of organizations focused on water and works hard to bring her experience to the thoughtful discourse and implementation of innovative approaches to the sector.
Emily Moore is the Managing Director, Water and Tailings Management at Hatch Ltd, an international engineering company serving the mining, energy and infrastructure sectors. She manages a diverse team of over 100 specialists in Australia, South Africa, North and South Americas which support Hatch clients from conceptual studies through plant engineering, construction and commissioning. Emily is a technology development specialist with over 20 years of experience in new product development and technology innovation management, and holds more than 20 US patents. Her project experience includes chemical process design, engineering and operations from the laboratory to manufacturing scale. She has managed multidisciplinary teams for technology delivery and has advised organizations on technology development and innovation policies. Emily studied Engineering Chemistry at Queen’s University in Canada and then completed her doctorate in Physical Chemistry at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
Geoff Riggs holds the position of Smarter Planet Project Manager for Business Development at IBM Canada, helping to develop and deploy industry-first Advanced Water Management technology to organizations that need help in serving fundamental community needs, and addressing broader efficiency and sustainability challenges. Geoff collaborates with subject matter experts within IBM and around the world to support the development of innovative, sustainable and transformative tools and techniques. Geoff demonstrates a passion for promoting Smarter Planet solutions in water-stressed regions of the world and has led several philanthropic initiatives in this domain. He is the Global Smarter Water team leader for Canada, and serves on IBMs Sustainability Community. Geoff complements his Commerce and IT degrees with an MBA in Sustainable Development.