Regulatory area

Executive Vice President, Regulatory – Chris Loewen

Biographical Snapshot:

  • Chris Loewen became Executive Vice President, Regulatory in February 2024.
  • Prior to this role, Chris served as Vice President of Field Operations from April 2016 and Vice President of Operations from September 2014.
  • Chris joined the regulator in 2009 and has served as the Director for Oil/Natural Gas Liquids, Energy Trade, Corporate Performance, and, Safety Management.
  • Chris’ public service career began in 1995 with (formerly) Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, as a Policy Analyst and as a negotiator on several modern treaty and self-government agreement negotiations, including the Labrador Inuit Land Claim.
  • Before joining the regulator, Chris led federal Crown consultation on the Mackenzie Gas Project.

Professional Affiliations, Degrees and Distinctions:

  • Masters of Public Administration, Carleton University
  • Bachelor of Arts, Political Sciences, University of Calgary

Energy Adjudication Business Unit

Acting Vice President, Energy Adjudication – Chioma Izugbokwe

Biographical Snapshot:

  • Chioma Izugbokwe became Acting Vice President of Energy Adjudication in April 2024
  • Chioma joined the regulator in 2022 as the Director of Research and Innovation in the System Operations business unit.
  • Prior to joining the CER, Chioma worked for the Yukon oil and gas regulator as the Manager, Oil and Gas Operations and Chief Operations Officer.
  • Chioma also has 20 years’ experience working in the private sector managing multidisciplinary projects and teams in the oil and gas industry.

Professional Affiliations, Degrees and Distinctions:

  • Master of Science, Petroleum Engineering, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
  • Bachelor of Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria
  • Member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA)

Field Operations Business Unit

Vice President, Field Operations – Jess Dunford

Biographical Snapshot:

  • Jess Dunford became Vice President, Field Operations in April 2024.
  • Jess joined the regulator in 2009. Jess has led the environmental assessment of major pipeline projects in Alberta and British Columbia, and the assessment of upstream development proposals in the Canadian Arctic. 
  • Most recently, Jess served as Director, Major Projects Oversight, and Director, Facilities Adjudication, Central/North.
  • Prior to joining the organization, Jess worked extensively in the environmental consulting field, with a focus on Arctic mining projects and oil and gas developments in Western and Northern Canada.

Professional Affiliations, Degrees and Distinctions:

  • Master of Science, Ecology and Environmental Biology, University of Alberta
  • Bachelor of Science, Natural Resources Management (Wildlife), University of Northern British Columbia

System Operations Business Unit

Vice President, System Operations – Jonathan Timlin

Biographical Snapshot:

  • Jon Timlin is the CER’s Vice President of Systems Operations.
  • Prior to this, Jon held various other Vice President roles at the CER, including Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Modernization, and Energy Adjudication.
  • In 2023, Jon was on assignment with Natural Resources Canada in Ottawa, where as Director General for policy and planning Jon helped to build the department's new Fuels Sector.
  • Jon has also served as the CER’s Director of Regulatory Policy and Director of Energy East, and in 2015 Jon established the CER's Pacific region office.
  • Before joining the organization, Jon was a senior policy advisor at Natural Resources Canada and Transport Canada.
  • Jon has also worked in the private sector in the electricity industry, and for a Cabinet Minister on Parliament Hill.

Professional Affiliations, Degrees and Distinctions:

  • Bachelor Degree in Political Science, Mount Allison University.
  • Graduate of the Canada School of Public Service Executive Leadership Development Program
  • A recipient of the Public Service Award of Excellence in Policy

Technical Excellence Team

Acting Professional Leader, Environment – Sean Maher

Biographical Snapshot:

  • Dr. Sean Maher joined the regulator in 2007 and was appointed Acting Professional Leader, Environment in January 2024.
  • Since 2017, as a socio-economic Technical Leader, a key aspect of Sean’s role has been to provide technical, scientific and strategic advice in the areas of socio-economic assessment, impacts to Indigenous rights and interests, and Crown consultation.
  • Prior to joining the CER, Sean worked for several years in environmental consultancy and academia. Sean’s professional work focused on environmental and socio-economic assessments of mining and infrastructure projects in North America, Africa and central Asia, and in research involving the integration of Indigenous knowledge for tracking the movement of chemical pollutants within arctic ecosystems, modelling sea ice conditions and intersections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous systems of economy.

Professional Affiliations, Degrees and Distinctions:

  • Doctor of Geography, University of Cambridge
  • Master of Science, Environmental Design, University of Calgary
  • Fellow, Royal Geographical Society

Professional Leader / Chief Engineer – Dr. Iain Colquhoun

Biographical Snapshot:

  • Dr. Colquhoun joined the NEB in September 2010.
  • Dr. Colquhoun has more than 45 years of experience in pipeline, mechanical, and structural engineering.
  • His most recent specialization is development of risk-based management programs and integrity management systems for pipeline operators worldwide. He has published numerous papers on pipe stress analysis and pipeline integrity management, including recently co-authoring a book for ASME on pipeline integrity management.

Professional Affiliations, Degrees and Distinctions:

  • Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, University of Strathclyde
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Structural Engineering, University of Strathclyde
  • Member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA)
  • Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

Professional Leader / Chief Safety Officer – Keith Landra

Biographical Snapshot:

  • Mr. Landra joined the regulator in May 2015.
  • Before this, he held the positions of Director, Operations/Health, Safety & Environment, and Chief Safety Officer at the Canada – Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board.
  • He has over 29 years in upstream oil and gas (both onshore and offshore) safety, environmental protection, and engineering.

Professional Affiliations, Degrees and Distinctions:

  • Master of Science (Applied), Occupational Health, McGill University
  • Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical), Technical University of Nova Scotia
  • Member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Alberta
  • A Canadian Registered Safety Professional
Date modified: