2007 CN Distinguished Guest Lecturer

Mr. Kvisle's talk is titled "Thinking Across Borders."

Mr. Kvisle is well experienced in addressing a diverse set of interests in the areas of policy, business, research, and advocacy. He has been President and CEO of TransCanada Pipe Lines Limited (TCPL) since May 2001 and TransCanada Corporation since May 2003. Mr. Kvisle joined TCPL in 1999 as Executive Vice-President for Trading and Business Development, with responsibility for power and pipeline venture in North America. He was also responsible for TransCanada's marketing and trading activities in power and natural gas.

Michigan State University, international scholar in developing business value chains in global markets. 

Dr. Hamish Gow is recognized as a leading international scholar in developing business value chains in global markets. At Michigan State, he will continue to develop an internationally recognized research program in global agrifood industry development. He will also provide leadership in coordinating the broader Global Agrifood Systems Development area of specialization at MSU and provide leadership to Partnerships for Food Industry Development (PFID F&V), a USAID-funded project at MSU.

Executive Director, New England Conference of Public Utility Commissioners, Inc. (NECPUC)

The New England Conference of Public Utilities Commissioners, Inc. (NECPUC) is a non-profit 501(c) (3) corporation comprising the utility regulatory bodies of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.  NECPUC was established in 1947 and incorporated in 1976. NECPUC provides regional regulatory assistance on matters of common concern to the six New England states.  NECPUC has no independent regulatory authority. It addresses issues challenging the electricity, gas, telecommunications and water industries.

Ontario Deputy Minister of Energy and Associate Secretary of the Cabinet.

Mr. Wallace has served as Assistant Deputy Minister for Program Management and Estimates and as Management Board Secretary.  He has held senior management positions in the ministries of Finance for Treasury and Economics, Industry, Trade and Technology, and as Management Board Secretary. He holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in Political Economy and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Toronto.

President & Chief Executive Officer, ITC Holdings Corp.

Mr. Welch has been a Director and the President, Chief Executive Officer and Treasurer of the Company since it began operations in 2003. As the founder of ITCTransmission, Mr. Welch has had overall responsibility for the Company's vision, foundation and transformation into the first independently owned and operated electricity Transmission Company in the United States. Mr. Welch worked for Detroit Edison Company, or Detroit Edison, and subsidiaries of DTE Energy Company (DTE Energy Company and its subsidiaries, collectively, "DTE Energy") from 1971 to 2003. During that time, he held positions of increasing responsibility in the electricity transmission, distribution, rates, load research, marketing and pricing areas, as well as regulatory affairs that included the development and implementation of regulatory strategies.

"[There are] differences between Americans and Canadians...For example, the worst thing you can say to a Canadian is the nicest thing you can say to an American, which is, 'you're just like us.' That makes them feel like you don't understand, they have no identity, that they don't really count; they just dismiss you immediately as someone who doesn't know anything.
When Canadians wake up in the morning, they look at the world differently...living [in Canada] was like living behind a one way mirror...when you're up there, you're watching everything going on in the US, because you get all the US TV, but the [American] people here couldn't see you. They could walk right up and kind of knock on the window and not know that there's 30 million people up there watching us, pretty carefully I might add..."

-CNForum 2005 Keynote address[Full Text available shortly]

"Americans have a lot to learn about Canada, but the reverse is true as well. Canadians have a lot to learn about the U.S. and many Canadians think that they know a lot about this country. Why? [Canadians] watch American TV, they read American books, and when it gets cold, they travel to Arizona or Florida, and they think that they understand the U.S. And yet, beyond these generalities, many Canadians don't understand the U.S.; they don't understand the diversity of the U.S., the difference between the Northeast and, let's say, Texas, or the west. And I must say that, as a businessperson, I'm always surprised, and I'm always dissappointed to see that there are so few major Canadian companies, which are well organized to understand the U.S. market and to deal with U.S. administration or the administrations of the various states...When Americans and Canadians don't understand and know each other as well as they should, it has an impact on the economy and on security... "

-CNForum 2006 Keynote address [full text: .PDF, .DOC]