2022 Strategic Speakers

Following his longstanding participation on the Energy Council of Canada’s Board of Directors, Jacob Irving became the organization’s President in January of 2018. His nearly twenty-year career in the Canadian energy industry has been divided almost evenly between the petroleum and electricity sectors. He has spent more than half of this time, successfully leading prominent energy industry associations, including the Oil Sands Developers Group and the Canadian Hydropower Association.

Originally from the Huron and Franco-Ontarian community of Penetanguishene, Mr. Irving attended primary and secondary school entirely in French, which led him to pursue his post- secondary studies at the University of Ottawa. His education and work experience have taken him from South Africa, to Calgary, to Fort McMurray with a return to Ottawa.

Mr. Irving has significant knowledge of Canadian energy systems combined with a specialization in the areas of government policy, regulation, communications and stakeholder engagement. He is a passionate promoter of all forms of Canadian energy, particularly to international audiences, outside Canada. As the President of the Energy Council of Canada, he strongly believes that better energy conversations yield better energy decisions, especially in a sophisticated and ever-changing democracy like Canada.