Partners
Canatec’s three partners have been working with sea ice since the early 1970s.
Chris Hill, B.Sc. - Geographer, President of Canatec, with 25 years experience in sea-ice analysis, imagery interpretation, and reconnaissance systems integration. Extensive field experience in Beaufort and Caspian Seas.
Roger Pilkington, Ph.D. – Founding Associate of Canatec, 35 years experience in physical analysis of sea-ice, quantitative methods, forecasting, on-site monitoring, and software development. Served as on-board ice advisor/forecaster to the Arctic Coring Expedition of 2004, the first ever deep sea coring project in north polar ice cover from surface ships.
Scott Tiffin M. Eng. (Oceans), Ph.D. - Offshore structures design experience in 1970s in Newfoundland, field work building Fenco ice islands, PetroCanada Arctic LNG tankers, deployment of beacons on high arctic ice islands. Main focus is now on corporate management and development of new projects, markets and products. Leads the beacon, software and training activities.
Professional Staff
With the recent upsurge in offshore arctic work, Canatec has engaged a team of highly skilled and motivated young professionals.
Svetlana Machurina, BEcon., BBA, MBA - After working with several large multinational firms like Phillips and Samsung, Ms Machurina has joined Canatec to lead Marketing and Sales, and help with overall Canatec strategy and management.
Ian Turnbull, Ph.D. - Geophysicist with experience in Antarctic modelling of ocean currents and Arctic and Antarctic iceberg drift, ice and metocean data analysis.
Leonardo Guzman, M.Sc. - Canatec’s geomatics coordinator and HSE officer. Provides data handling and GIS support. In charge of the creation and/or modification of software.
Tyler Sylvestre, M.Sc. – Geographer specializing in Arctic ice. General project design and analysis, satellite image interpretation and field support.
Senior Associates
To supply skills in closely-related areas, and give broader geographic reach, Canatec works closely with a small number of senior professionals. These Senior Associates are engaged in long term relationship with Canatec by formal contractual agreement. Some of them work exclusively through Canatec.
Dave McGonigal, P.Eng. – Senior ocean engineer, with 25 years experience, specializing in regional and local area ice analysis, on-site monitoring, operations support management and ice-structure interaction. Field experience in Beaufort Sea, Newfoundland and Labrador, Caspian Sea.
Alex Brovin, Ph.D. – Senior ice research associate. Formerly head of the Ice Navigation Research Laboratory of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) in St. Petersburg, Russia. 30 years experience in regional ice regime analysis, ice forecasting methods, on-site monitoring. Field experience in Russian Arctic, Sea of Okhotsk, Caspian Sea.
Doug Hagen – One of Canada’s foremost satellite image interpretation specialists. Over 25 years experience in interpreting ice features and ice development from optical and radar imagery, including airborne and satellite based sensors. Trained in operations of the Canadian Ice Service.
Merv Edgecombe, B.Eng. - Principle Engineer with three decades of experience in electronics engineering in North America.
Bob Marcellus, P.Eng. – Senior Ice Engineering Associate with 30 years experience in definition of ice design criteria for in-ice structures, construction of ice-resistant gravel islands, design and installation of pipelines in ice-infested waters.
Associates
As opposed to the Senior Associates above, Canatec works with a group of senior professionals we call Associates. They have a less formal contractual arrangement with us, but provide regular consulting, design and operational support services.
Erik Banke, M.Sc. - Environmental engineering in support of offshore drilling operations in pack-ice and iceberg infested waters.
Lars Friis - 30 years experience as Ice Pilot, Captain and navigation consultant for offshore and arctic petroleum operations.
Rick Hudson, Ph.D. - Global experience in engineering and project management on marine-based contracts and over three decades of in full cycle business development in a variety of industry, especially oil and gas.
David Currie- Expert in database design and development, as well as advanced GIS software applications and satellite imagery manipulation.
Neil Hillier - Master Mariner specialized in ice navigation for Newfoundland and Labrador with additional experience in Baffin Bay and Hudson Bay, Beaufort Sea and Antarctica.
Wim Jolles, M.Sc. – Strategic ice Engineer with more than three decades of global experience in naval architecture in ice environments, dredging industry. Recently Agent for Canatec in Europe.
Management
Patricia L. Sawatzky, BComm. – Thirty years of experience providing accounting and financial management services to numerous clients in Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto and has been working with Canatec for three years.
Paul Cooper - Canatec’s Chief Information Officer, with 20 years experience in software development, computer integration, robotics and remote monitoring in a variety of industrial settings from mining to oil and gas.
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