Panelists

Lana Asaff | Senior Economist, APEC 

Lana is a Senior Economist at APEC and is leading APEC's net-zero research. Previously, she held positions with the provincial government at the Nova Scotia Department of Finance and Treasury Board, as well as with the federal government at Finance Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency.

Lana is President of the Atlantic Association of Applied Economists. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) in Economics from Saint Mary’s University and a Master of Arts in Economics from Queen’s University.
 

Ron Smith | Manager of Business Development, Old Fletcher Farm Property Limited, a division of Masstown Market Limited

Ron has called Nova Scotia home for most of his life, with over half of it in the  Central part of the province.  Following graduation from St. FXU, he served rural Nova Scotians with personal financial services for 20 years prior to working in Regional Economic Development, for almost a decade. The last decade Ron has assumed the role of Manager:Business Development for Masstown Market Limited, a role which continues to expand, challenge and delight.

After surviving three daughters under three, now all with families of their own, he and his wife of 35+ year enjoy escaping to the eastern shore and spoiling grand children.

Emma Thériault | VP, Co-founder, D.A.S. Concrete Countertops Inc.

Originally from Vancouver, Emma began her career as a policy analyst with the Department of National Defence in Ottawa, before relocating to Moncton, NB, in 2011 to be closer to family.  Here, she served as a regional economic analyst with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and, briefly, as Manager of Innovation with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.  These latter roles exposed her to Atlantic Canada’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and to the possibility of becoming an entrepreneur herself.  In 2018, she left the federal government to launch D.A.S. Concrete Countertops alongside her husband, Yannick, where she has been able to combine her passions for community and the environment in promoting locally and sustainably made countertop options.  Emma is a devoted mother to three pretty awesome children, and knows from experience that amazing things happen when you combine passion, hard work and the humility to ask for help.
 

Andrew Willett | Director, Sustainability & Indigenous Relations, J.D. Irving, Limited 

Andrew is a graduate of the University of New Brunswick in 1999 from the Forest Engineering program, and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario.  Following graduation Andrew has worked for the last 24 years with J.D. Irving, Limited in the Woodlands Division in various operating roles, in various locations in New Brunswick, Maine, and Nova Scotia.  Currently Andrew is the Director, Sustainability and Indigenous Relations based in Saint John, NB with a focus on Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting, carbon accounting and leading engagement activities with Indigenous communities in the region.

Moderator

David Chaundy | President & CEO, APEC 

David Chaundy is President and CEO of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council (APEC). David has over twenty years experience researching Atlantic Canada’s economy, sharing his insights and ideas in numerous publications and presentations to business, government and other stakeholders. As someone who lives and works in the region, he is keen to ensure a healthy, inclusive and sustainable Atlantic Canadian economy. And he is passionate about APEC’s vital role as the source for independent research, insights and ideas to advance these outcomes.