Karen Hamberg
Karen Hamberg
Deloitte Canada Partner and National Clean Technology Leader
Ms. Hamberg joined Deloitte Canada in May 2022 as a partner in the firm’s Financial Advisory practice advising on the commercialization of climate technology at industrial scale. In January 2023, Deloitte published a novel and unique readiness framework to assess innovation in reference to desired commercial objectives. The report Scaling Solutions: Accelerating the Commercialization of Made-in-Canada Clean Technology includes an ambitious call to action for the private sector to invest in and deploy climate technology.
She is a clean technology executive with more than 20 years of global experience in the deployment of clean transportation technologies and the policy/regulatory frameworks to enable growth, scale, and market leadership. Prior to Deloitte, she held a range of senior executive positions at Westport Fuel Systems (WPRT: TSX and NASDAQ) with experience in corporate strategy, market creation and development, technology commercialization, sustainability/ESG integration, external communications, and policy and regulatory affairs.
In June 2020, Karen was appointed to the Government of Canada’s Industry Strategy Council by the Honourable Navdeep Bains and named Chair of the Clean Technology Economic Strategy Table. She has advised Cabinet Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and senior staff on strategies to accelerate the deployment of made-in-Canada clean technology, scale Canadian companies, and ensure Canada’s global competitiveness in a decarbonized economy.
She is a trustee on the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Chair Emeritus of CALSTART in Pasadena, California, Vice-Chair of the British Columbia Regional Board of Directors of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, past Chair of the United Way of British Columbia Campaign Cabinet, and a member of The Walrus Magazine 2023 Gala Organizing Committee.
She was named to Canada’s Clean 50™ (2017) for her contributions to advance sustainability in the heavy-duty transportation sector and to Canada's Clean 16TM (2019) for her leadership on more stringent clean transportation regulations in North America.
Karen holds a Master of Arts from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and a Bachelor of Arts from Brandon University in Brandon, Manitoba.
She is a clean technology executive with more than 20 years of global experience in the deployment of clean transportation technologies and the policy/regulatory frameworks to enable growth, scale, and market leadership. Prior to Deloitte, she held a range of senior executive positions at Westport Fuel Systems (WPRT: TSX and NASDAQ) with experience in corporate strategy, market creation and development, technology commercialization, sustainability/ESG integration, external communications, and policy and regulatory affairs.
In June 2020, Karen was appointed to the Government of Canada’s Industry Strategy Council by the Honourable Navdeep Bains and named Chair of the Clean Technology Economic Strategy Table. She has advised Cabinet Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and senior staff on strategies to accelerate the deployment of made-in-Canada clean technology, scale Canadian companies, and ensure Canada’s global competitiveness in a decarbonized economy.
She is a trustee on the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Chair Emeritus of CALSTART in Pasadena, California, Vice-Chair of the British Columbia Regional Board of Directors of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, past Chair of the United Way of British Columbia Campaign Cabinet, and a member of The Walrus Magazine 2023 Gala Organizing Committee.
She was named to Canada’s Clean 50™ (2017) for her contributions to advance sustainability in the heavy-duty transportation sector and to Canada's Clean 16TM (2019) for her leadership on more stringent clean transportation regulations in North America.
Karen holds a Master of Arts from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and a Bachelor of Arts from Brandon University in Brandon, Manitoba.
Related Sessions
Overcoming Barriers for a Clean Energy Future
WED, OCT 18, 4:00 PM
Conference
The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is disrupting the status quo and climate goals are amplifying demand for cleantech. This has resulted in a substantial cost decline over the last decade however, significant investment is still needed to scale emergent technologies. Policy is driving demand; yet regulatory hurdles are impeding supply. And besides that, are we ready for the next arms race? Because “Net Zero” means a mining boom supplying minerals for the energy future.
Amplified demand for rare earth elements and critical minerals has seen the emergence of a new era of global collaboration, and with climate and clean energy firmly on the agenda, Australia offers an unparalleled solution to securing critical mineral supply with our more readily exploitable resources able to drive the clean energy transition. But we’re also maturing and moving beyond the linear “dig and ship” model, understanding that the circularity of materials presents a new paradigm of commodity trade. So how do we ensure this next wave of resource extraction delivers both a clean energy future and a legacy of diversified, fully circular value-chains that deliver long term sustainable growth for the next generation?
