May 9: WiRE Vancouver Networking Meet-Up (Women Only)
May 5, 2019
Guest speaker at this Women in Renewable Energy – WiRE event is Colleen Giroux-Schmidt, Vice President – Corporate Relations for Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. Giroux-Schmidt has over a decade and a half of experience in resource development with an extensive knowledge of the renewable energy sector.
She leads the engagement and relationship activities with all levels of government, Indigenous communities, local communities, strategic partners and other stakeholders. Her team leads the policy research and advocacy portfolio with the goal of increasing renewable energy opportunities to help the jurisdiction’s meet their climate change goals. Colleen is also responsible for the management of Innergex’s Vancouver office.
Giroux-Schmidt has a strong background in government relations, relationship building, regulatory and policy development, as well as project management. She has had an opportunity to be involved in the development, environmental assessment and permitting, construction, and operations phases of numerous clean energy projects, in multiple technologies and in multiple jurisdictions, which has afforded her a broad perspective on developing clean energy projects from conception to operation.
Colleen is well-versed in association management, starting with several years working with the Association for Mineral Exploration BC. She served as the first female Chair of the Board of Directors for Clean Energy BC (CEBC) from 2014 through 2017, where she helped promote and support the growth of British Columbia’s Clean Energy industry. Today, she is active with many of the associations Innergex is a member of and is the past-chair of CEBC’s annual Generate Conference. Colleen continues to participate in government working groups and task forces, both provincially and federally, as well as leads Innergex’s work with the Energy Forum, a collaborative table of representatives from the ENGO community and the renewable energy industry.
In 2016, Ms. Giroux-Schmidt was appointed to Canada’s newly created Generation Energy Council. The council was created to give shape to Canada’s energy future by providing recommendations on how Canada can transition to a reliable, affordable, low-carbon economy. It will report directly to the Honourable James Carr, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. In 2016, Colleen was one of six experts invited to brief the BC Cabinet before their decision on the Site C project. In 2017, she served on the Environmental Assessment Revitalization Committee, reporting to the Honourable George Heyman, BC’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change.
In 2014, Colleen was chosen to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Program with the US State Department on renewable energy policy. She has also been recognized through a nomination for the Minerva Foundation’s 2014 Women in Energy awards and AME BC’s Honourable Service Roll. In 2017, she received the Merit Award for Distinguished Service from CEBC. These recognitions reflect her significant expertise and her contribution to the renewable energy sector both in BC and across Canada.
