Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association elects new Chair, Vice-Chair and Board of Directors for 2021-22
September 9, 2021
The Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA) is pleased to announce the election of a new Chair, Vice-Chair and Board of Directors for 2021-22.
Nicolas Pocard, who previously served as Vice-Chair, has been elected as Chair of the Board. As Vice-President of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships at Ballard Power Systems, Mr. Pocard currently oversees market strategy, marketing activities and government relations. Mr. Pocard has more than 20 years of experience in international business development and marketing, and serves as a board member of the California Hydrogen Business Council (CHBC) and the Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC). He also represents Ballard with various Industry Associations and Government forums. Mr. Pocard holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from ESCOM (France) and a Master’s of Science from The Ohio State University (USA).
Elected to the position of new Vice-Chair is Sabina Russell, Principal at Zen Clean Energy Solutions. Sabina Russell is a Principal and co-founder of Zen Clean Energy Solutions, a Vancouver-based consulting firm specializing in hydrogen and fuel cells. She has over 24 years of experience working in the hydrogen sector in both technical and commercial roles. Sabina leads Zen’s project management branch, with a focus on consortium-based projects deploying zero-emission technologies and infrastructure, with active projects spanning the full hydrogen value chain. Sabina led Zen’s work to develop the Hydrogen Strategy for Canada on behalf of the Government of Canada and recently contributed to regional hydrogen studies for Atlantic Canada and British Columbia. Before joining Zen, Sabina was with Ballard Power Systems for 18 years developing fuel cell products and finished her time there as Director of Product Engineering. Sabina is a registered Professional Engineer with Engineers and Geoscientists B.C.. She holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of British Columbia and has an Executive Certificate in Strategy & Innovation from MIT Sloan.
Returning board members for 2021-22 include past chairs Francois Girard, National Research Council and Robert Artibise, Unilia Canada Fuel Cells; Dr. Sam Suppiah, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL); Edward Stuart, Hydrogen Optimized; Rob Harvey, Cummins; Sam McDermott, Enbridge Gas; Sylvain Labonté, Hydro-Québec; Mitchell Foreman, Toyota Canada; Philip Horacek, Powertech Labs; Colin Armstrong, HTEC; Grace Quan, Hydrogen in Motion; Sunny Minhas, Intertek; George Rubin, Loop Energy; Dr. Pierre Benard, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and Dr. Walter Mérida, University of British Columbia.
New members joining the CHFCA board for 2021-22 include Jessica Lof, Air Products Canada; Kelly Grives, Atura Power; Elizabeth Buckmaster, Hatch; Christopher Norris, Siemens Energy Canada; Antoine Sautenet, Michelin North America; Amy Nelson, AVL Fuel Cell Canada; Canon Bryan, Terrestrial Energy; Laurent Amram, Xebec Adsorption; Doug Duimering, Next Hydrogen; Nicolas Laroche, Permascand; Dr. Sushanta Mitra, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology; Jojo Delos Reyes, Red River College; Brian Teefy, StrategyCorp; and Bob Blattler, Cariboo Low Carbon Fuels.
The new board began its 1-year tenure on September 8th.
Quotes:
Nicolas Pocard, Chair, CHFCA; Vice-President, Marketing and Strategic Partnerships, Ballard Power Systems:
““I am very honored to become the new Chair of CHFCA. Our industry is facing a unique and exciting growth opportunity as the critical role of hydrogen in the decarbonization of our economy is now recognized and accepted. I am looking forward to supporting the Association and bring my experience to advance the objectives of our industry.”
Sabina Russell, Vice-Chair, CHFCA; Principal, Zen Clean Energy Solutions:
“I am very excited and honoured to have been selected as the Vice-Chair of the CHFCA. Hydrogen’s day has arrived. Canadian hydrogen and fuel cell companies are already playing a leading role on the international stage, with potential for significant growth in the coming years. I’m looking forward to working with the CHFCA staff and member organizations to help turn Canada’s vision for hydrogen into a reality.”
About the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA)
The Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA) is a national association that supports industry, academia, government agencies, financial organizations and other stakeholders focused on hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and products. As the collective voice of Canada’s world-leading hydrogen and fuel cell sector, the CHFCA’s mission is to strengthen Canadian leadership, raise awareness of the benefits of the technology, and accelerate the adoption of its members’ products and services in Canada and abroad. The CHFCA currently has more than 100 members across Canada and regional branches in British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario. You can also follow CHFCA on Twitter at @PoweringNow or visit www.chfca.ca for more information.