LISTEN TO THE Speakers
CONFERENCE SESSION I: CATCH THE CURRENT
Gerry Hynes
Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Placentia
Gerry Hynes
Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Placentia
Gerry Hynes serves as the Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of Placentia, bringing a wealth of expertise and a deep commitment to his role. With a background in Architectural Drafting and over 30 years of experience in project management, Gerry is both LEED BD+C and CET certified. His extensive work with various councils has given him a thorough understanding of operational requirements and procedural policies essential to effective municipal management. Gerry’s professional experience has also made him well-versed in key government regulations, including the Public Procurement Act, the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and multiple Municipal Acts.
Outside of his professional duties, Gerry is an active volunteer in several community organizations, including the Placentia Lions Club, Special Olympics, and Hike Placentia. Gerry and his wife, Rhonda, call Southeast Placentia their home where they enjoy the close-knit community and scenic surroundings. While their two children and grandson now live abroad, they enjoy their time travelling between Labrador and Mexico to visit them. As CAO, Gerry is dedicated to fostering a vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive future for Placentia, ensuring the town continues to thrive for generations to come.
Scott Penney
Chief Executive Officer, Port of Argentia
Scott Penney
Chief Executive Officer, Port of Argentia
In 2020 Scott Penney took the helm as CEO of the Port of Argentia to drive bold growth and innovation. A graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland with a Bachelor of Commerce, Scott launched his career in telecommunications before serving as Executive Assistant to former Premier Dwight Ball. He later contributed to the Hebron project at Bull Arm and rose to General Manager of one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s marine bases. Scott led the Port of Argentia in establishing North America’s first monopile marshaling yard—paving the way for offshore wind development. Now, he’s steering a high-performance team as the Port positions itself as an integrated energy hub—bridging traditional and renewable sectors to shape the future of Canadian energy in Newfoundland and Labrador.
With deep experience across oil and gas, marine transportation, logistics, and energy, Scott also serves as a Director of Argentia Capital, a dynamic joint venture between the Port and Torrent Capital. As Board Chair of the Bay Bulls-Bauline Athletic Association, Scott helped raise more than $1 million for recreation infrastructure across seven communities—while championing youth through after-school and summer programs.
Charlene Johnson
Chief Executive Officer, Energy NL
Charlene Johnson
Chief Executive Officer, Energy NL
Charlene Johnson was a Member of the House of Assembly, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, from 2003 to 2014. She was a senior cabinet minister in several departments, including Finance and Human Resource Secretariat, President of Treasury Board, Innovation, Business and Rural Development, Child, Youth and Family Services, and Environment and Conservation. She was also the minister responsible for the Status of Women and parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources. Prior to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Charlene worked as a policy analyst for the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board. Following her time in provincial politics, Charlene lived in Brunei. During her time overseas, she completed a Master of Business Administration (with Distinction) from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. This complements her Bachelor of Science in forest engineering from the University of New Brunswick and Master of Applied Science in environmental engineering from Memorial University. Charlene has the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and recently completed the Energy Innovation and Emerging Technologies certificate from Stanford University. Charlene became Chief Executive Officer of Energy NL on January 9, 2018.
Sean Strickland
Director, Canada’s Building Trades Union
Sean Strickland
Director, Canada’s Building Trades Union
Sean Strickland serves as the Executive Director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions. Drawing on more than 40 years of experience in the construction industry, Sean started his career in the field with LiUNA as a Bricklayers Labourer at age 15. He was raised in a construction union household where his father was a business manager for Bricklayers Local 12 in Kitchener. Prior to his appointment as Executive Director at Canada’s Building Trades Unions, Sean served as the CEO of the Ontario Construction Secretariat, the Business Manager for Waterloo Wellington Dufferin Grey Building Trades, and the Director of Business Development at Pomerleau, a major Canadian construction company. Sean served as an elected official for more than 25 years, first elected to public office in 1993 as a trustee with the local public school board, and won election six times as a regional councillor representing Waterloo.
A recipient of the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal, Sean has been appointed to numerous boards and advisory committees including Helmets to Hardhats Canada, SkillPlan, the Canadian Development Corporation, and the Federal government’s Union-Led Advisory Table. He currently serves as Chair of Helmets to Hardhats Canada and is a board member of BuildForce Canada. Sean is a graduate of the University of Waterloo’s political science program, the Wilfrid Laurier Executive Management program and holds a Performance Management diploma from Harvard.
CONFERENCE SESSION III: EMERGING INDUSTRIES
Jeff Murphy
Vice President of Capital Projects
Jeff Murphy
Vice President of Capital Projects
Jeff Murphy P.Eng., is the Vice President of Capital Projects. He brings extensive experience in engineering, procurement, and construction for energy projects, ensuring the successful development of large-scale infrastructure. He has 20+ years of experience as a Process Engineer in oil and gas, primarily in the NL offshore industry. He has held various senior and engineering lead positions throughout his career, spanning all phases of the project life cycle from Pre-FEED/FEED, through Detailed Design and Construction, Commissioning, Start-up and Operations. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University, is a professional engineer registered with Professional Engineers and Geoscientists NL and is a member of the board of the Canadian Hydrogen Association.
CONFERENCE SESSION IV: NAVIGATING TRADE & TARIFFS
AnnMarie Boudreau
CEO, St. John’s Board of Trade
AnnMarie Boudreau
CEO, St. John’s Board of Trade
AnnMarie Boudreau is dedicated to working alongside her team and Board of Directors to provide guidance, support, and solutions to members - creating a sense of community and positioning Newfoundland and Labrador as a strong place to do business. Her leadership has made a lasting impact, and in 2024, she successfully led the merger of the Board of Trade with the NL Employers Council. Before taking on this role, AnnMarie spent over 15 years at NATIONAL Public Relations, Canada’s largest public relations firm. During that time, she worked with some of the region's biggest companies, including Nalcor, NL Hydro, Emera, Nova Scotia Power, Irving Shipbuilding, Sobeys Inc., and Atlantic Credit Unions. Her experience in helping organizations shape their vision, build strong relationships, and achieve their goals has been a major asset in her role as CEO.
AnnMarie is also a trained crisis communicator, using her expertise in strategic marketing and communications to help businesses navigate tough situations. Her dedication to supporting the success of businesses earned her recognition as one of Atlantic Business Magazine's Top 50 CEOs of the Year and, most recently, 25 Most Powerful Women, and she remains committed to helping businesses grow, evolve, and succeed every day.
Seamus O’Regan
Senior Business Advisor
Seamus O’Regan
Senior Business Advisor
Seamus O’Regan Jr. joined Stewart McKelvey in March 2025 as a Senior Business Advisor. He served as Member of Parliament for St. John’s South-Mount Pearl and held several federal cabinet positions, including Minister of Natural Resources, Minister of Indigenous Services, Minister of Veterans Affairs, and Associate Minister of National Defence. Seamus played key roles on government committees such as the Prime Minister’s Agenda, Results and Communications Committee, and Cabinet Committees on Canada-US relations, COVID, Reconciliation, and Defence Procurement.
He was a long-standing member of the Treasury Board and chaired the Ministerial Working Group on Regulatory Efficiency and Clean Growth. Prior to politics, Seamus was a journalist and host of CTV’s Canada AM. He is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and has served on boards including World Wildlife Fund Canada and Canada World Youth.