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#ShipTechForum

Presented By

The Future of Maritime Platforms

13th Annual Conference

February 24, 2026

Venue: National Arts Centre, Ottawa, ON Canada

Agenda

February 24, 2026

7:30 – 8:20

Registration

8:20 – 8:30

Welcome  

Master of Ceremonies:  Greg MacNeil, Founding Partner, NorthStar Public Affairs

Terri Pavelic, Editor-in-Chief, Vanguard Media

Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, CMM, MSM, CD Commander, Royal Canadian Navy

8:30 – 9:00

Opening Keynote

9:00 – 10:00

Panel 1

Moderator:

Commander Dean Lang, Director Naval Requirements, Continental Defence Corvette Project Team Lead


Panelists:

Robert Gray, Director General Major Projects Delivery (Sea), Department of National Defence

Sylvie Girard, Director General, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Demetrios Xenos, Director General, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

National Shipbuilding Strategy Next Step


What could a NSS refresh look like? How do we build upon current success, further develop a made-in-Canada approach, and set the foundation for export.

Jocelyn Bamford, Vice-President, Automatic Coatings Limited

10:00 – 10:05

Tech Showcase

A Canadian Solution for long lasting Watertight Fixtures

David Harding, President, Fibreglass Solutions

10:05 – 10:10

Tech Showcase

GRE Piping: Reducing Costs and Maximizing Useful Life

Darlene Seligman, Vice President, ARKTOS Developments

10:10 – 10:15

Tech Showcase

Amphibious ARKTOS Craft – Transforming Arctic Mobility

Tom Brown, Technical Manager, Lokring

10:15 – 10:20

Tech Showcase

Lokring - A Cold Alternative to Welding Pipe

10:20 – 11:00

Networking Break  

11:00 – 12:00

Panel 2

Moderator:

Commodore Michel Thibault, Director General Maritime Equipment Program Management


Panelists:

Captain(N) Martin Drews (Ret’d), Director Submarine Program, Seaspan Victoria Shipyards

Peter Egener, Acting Director General, Vessel Procurement, Canadian Coast Guard

Commodore Andrew Forbes, Project Manager, River-class Destroyer Project

Maritime Sustainment

With an emphasis on reliability and availability there is a need to keep workforce skills current and build up supporting infrastructure for new fleets.

What are the considerations for onboard and off board repair and maintenance.

All these things affect a vessel’s design and fitment.  

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch & Networking

Robert Wight, Deputy Commissioner, Shipbuilding and Materiel, Canadian Coast Guard

13:00 – 13:30

Luncheon Keynote

13:30 – 14:30

Panel 3

Moderator:
Robert McCraight, Senior Naval Architect, VARD 


Panelists:

Commander Nancy Setchell (Ret’d), Autonomous Capability Development Manager, OSI Maritime Systems

Domenic Carlucci, Vice President, ABS Global Government Services

Lee Sanders, Safety Engineering Manager,

L3Harris Technologies

Autonomous and Remotely Operated Vessels in the Arctic

Gerry Champagne, Vice-President, Business Development, Safran

14:30 – 15:00

Presentation

Keeping pace with Innovative Technology: Navy's Investment Challenge

Copyright ©2022 Vanguard Canada Media

15:00 – 15:30

Networking Break

Clint Laidlaw, Program Manager for AJISS, Thales Canada

15:30 – 15:45

Presentation

From Contracts to Collaboration: Redefining Partnership through Relational Contracting

Steve Brown, VP of Engineering, J-Squared Technologies


15:45 – 15:50

Tech Showcase

Next-Gen Shipboard Communications: A Case Study in Secure, Zero-Loss & Ultra-Low Latency Networking

Michael Combs, General Manager, Prime Mover Controls Inc.

15:50 – 15:55

Tech Showcase

PMC Products Talk

Greg Horwich, Business Development Manager – Energy, Marine & Land, Gastops

15:55 – 16:00

Tech Showcase

Intelligent Propulsion System Digital Twins from Gastops

Nurul Ibrahim, CEO, Atlantiq AI

16:00 – 16:05

Tech Showcase

Agentic AI in Ship Design

Nicolas Nabaa, Director General, Marine and Space Procurement, Defence Investment Agency

16:05 – 16:35

Closing Keynote

16:35 – 16:45

Closing Summary

Master of Ceremonies: Greg MacNeil, Founding Partner, NorthStar Public Affairs

Terri Pavelic, Editor-in-Chief, Vanguard Media

16:45 – 18:00

Reception