Our Board Members

Rick was previously the President & CEO of Iracore, joining the organization in 2011. Iracore is a leading designer, producer and applicator of elastomeric coatings to pipelines, fittings and other equipment used in demanding industrial applications. Rick was also previously with ATCO Group, a Calgary-based company with over 9,000 employees and $14 billion in assets spanning the utility, midstream and logistics industries. His roles included President of ATCO Power from 2006 to 2010, President of ATCO Pipelines from 2004 to 2006, and President of ATCO Midstream from 2000 to 2004. Rick holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta, and has attended the Richard Ivey School of Business (Marketing Management).

Grant leads BluEarth’s leadership team and guides our strategic growth plan. Grant joined BluEarth in 2011 as Vice President, Business Development and, subsequently, he was promoted to the role of Chief Operating Officer. In 2015, Grant became BluEarth’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Grant has over 20 years of commercial and technical experience in the energy sector including engineering design, environmental impact assessments, stakeholder relations, project management, regulatory approvals, construction and operations in Canada and internationally.

Prior to joining BluEarth, Grant held several leadership roles in the renewable energy and natural gas business units at Suncor. Grant was responsible for overseeing Suncor’s Canadian wind power portfolio, including, at the time, joint venture interests for over 750 MW in development, under construction and in operation.

Grant received his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Engineering degree from the University of Alberta. He also has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Calgary. Grant is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta. In September 2021, Grant was named a 2022 Clean16 and Clean50 award honoree by Delta Management Group and the Clean50 organization in recognition of his work to advance the cause of sustainability and clean capitalism in Canada.

Paul was previously the Partner and Head of Americas for DIF Capital Partners. Paul has over 25 years of experience in the acquisition and financing of energy projects and has completed energy, infrastructure, and transportation related transactions in Canada, the United States and Southeast Asia. Paul also worked as an engineer in the utility and energy industries. He has a Master of Business Administration from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University.

Gijs is a Partner and member of the executive committee at DIF Capital Partners with over 15 years in investment management experience. Gijs joined DIF in 2008 and has extensive working experience in renewable energy, transport and utility sectors. Previously, Gijs worked at ING Wholesale Banking, where he started his career in the structured finance team in 2005. Gijs holds a Master’s degree in Economics of Infrastructure from the Technical University of Delft.

Vincent is a Managing Director in DIF Capital Partner’s Toronto office. With over 15 years of experience, Vincent is primarily responsible for origination, structuring and execution of transactions in North America. Prior to joining DIF, he was a Vice President in the North American Infrastructure group at Macquarie Capital, the advisory and principal investment division of Macquarie Group, where he was primarily focused on origination and execution of advisory, financing and principal investment mandates in the energy infrastructure and transportation sectors. Prior to Macquarie Capital, Vincent worked in the Infrastructure and Project Finance group at BMO Capital Markets where he was primarily responsible for advising public and private sector clients in the North American infrastructure and power sectors. Vincent holds a Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

Poulad is a Director based in DIF Capital Partners’ Toronto office, overseeing investments in DIF’s North American portfolio. Poulad has 10 years of experience in infrastructure and renewables investing in Canada and the United States. Prior to joining DIF, Poulad held roles at Desjardins Capital Markets and Canada Life’s Private Debt group. Poulad holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, and is a CFA® charterholder.