Bob is a mining executive with extensive international experience marketing coking coal to the steel industry and energy coal to the power generation industry. He also has extensive experience in transportation including negotiation of major rail and port agreements, leading the logistics function in two large coal producers and arbitration of commercial disputes. Other focus areas included transportation strategy, marketing strategy development, major commercial agreement negotiations and corporate development. He is a former Director and Chair of the Board of Neptune Bulk Terminals (Canada) Ltd., a large coal, potash and agricultural product export terminal in Vancouver.

From a coal industry perspective, Bob is a director of the Western Canadian Coal Society, is past Chair of the Coal Association of Canada, sat on the Board of the Canadian Clean Power Coalition, and was a member of the Coal Industry Advisory Board to the International Energy Agency.

Bob has been involved in transportation advocacy work for many years. This has included meeting with regulators and elected officials during his tenures with Teck and Luscar advocating for improved shipper protection. He appeared before the Competition Policy Review Panel to discuss the importance of greater competition in Canada’s rail industry and on two occasions appeared before the Rail Freight Service Review panel and supervised the work of others in appearances before regulators and elected officials. Bob was also actively involved with the Western Transportation Advisory Committee and Transport Canada’s Gateway Performance Table Bulk Committee. He also served on the Port of Vancouver’s Active Vessel Traffic Management advisory panel.

Bob’s education includes a degree in mining engineering from McGill University in Montreal, a master’s degree in business administration from Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario and the Directors Education Program (ICD.D) from the Rotman School of Management/Institute of Corporate Directors. His early career was spent in the Alberta Oilsands in engineering and operations. He joined the coal industry in 1988 in the finance group of Luscar Ltd. and in 2001 was appointed its VP Marketing. In 2007, Bob was appointed Chief Commercial Officer of the coal business unit of Teck Resources, the world’s second largest coking coal exporter, responsible for all Teck’s coal marketing and transportation. In 2013 he set up his own consulting providing advice to the international coal industry and the North American shipping community. In addition, he has been the CEO of three junior coal companies. He is currently a consultant to the coal and transportation industries.