Presented By
The Future of Maritime Platforms
Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy
Deputy Commissioner, Shipbuilding and Materiel, Canadian Coast Guard
Director General, Marine and Space Procurement, Defence Investment Agency
Director Naval Requirements, Continental Defence Corvette Project Team Lead
Director General, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Founding Partner, NorthStar Public Affairs
Director Submarine Program, Seaspan Victoria Shipyards
Autonomous Capability Development Manager, OSI Maritime Systems
Director General Major Projects Delivery (Sea), Department of National Defence
Director General, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Editor in Chief, Vanguard Media
Director General, Maritime Equipment Programme Management, Chief Engineer
Acting Director General, Vessel Procurement, Canadian Coast Guard
Vice President, Government Services, ABS
Project Manager, River-class Destroyer Project
Senior Naval Architect, Vard
Vice President, Business Development, Safran
Program Manager for AJISS, Thales Canada
Safety Engineering Manager, L3Harris Technologies
Copyright ©2026 Vanguard Canada Media
Commander Dean Lang
Director Naval Requirements, Continental Defence Corvette Project Team Lead
Cdr Dean Lang leads the Continental Defence Corvette Project within the Directorate of Naval Requirements. He was previously appointed Executive Officer of HMCS Fredericton and deployed as Flag Ship Standing NATO Maritime Group 1. His earlier experience is a mixture of operational time in the east coast fleet, sailing in HMC Ships Iroquois, Charlottetown, Toronto, Preserver, and Athabaskan, and working in Ottawa in Naval Force Development running projects.
Demetrios Xenos
Director General, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Demetrios Xenos is the Director General of the Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) Branch in Industry Sector within Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). The ITB Branch is responsible for the ongoing management and application of leveraging strategies including the ITB Policy, Canada’s main tool to leverage economic benefits from major defence and Canadian Coast Guard procurements.
Demetrios has worked with the aerospace, defence and marine sectors in Canada over his 25-year career in the federal public service. Prior to his current role, Demetrios was Senior Director of the ITB Branch and managed the ITB Land and Cyber team. Before this, Demetrios served as Director of the ITB Marine team between 2014 and 2019 and worked extensively on files related to the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
Demetrios is delighted to work with a team of dedicated and talented professionals. Despite working in a fast-paced environment, Demetrios endeavours to ensure a focus on people and collaboration. Demetrios is a graduate of both Concordia and Carleton universities, having earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Administration respectively. He and his wife are proud parents of three children and live in Ottawa.
Captain(N) Martin Drews (Ret'd)
Director Submarine Program, Seaspan Victoria Shipyards
Martin Drews is the Director, Submarine Program at Seaspan Victoria Shipyards, since April 2024 and a retired Capt(N) in the Royal Canadian Navy.
During his last five years in uniform, Capt(N) (Ret’d) Drews served as the Deputy Project Manager for the Canadian Surface Combatant Project, Commander Naval Personnel and Training, and the CO of the Fleet Maintenance Facility.
Following 35 years of service to Canada, Martin first worked for General Dynamics helping establish the Halifax Class Combat System In-Service Support Contract and later joined Seaspan Shipyards in 2023 and assumed his current leadership role in 2024.
Martin is a graduate of the Royal Military College, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Science, Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Policy & Strategic Studies, and is a graduate of the Australian Joint Command and Staff Programme.
Robert Gray
Director General Major Projects Delivery (Sea), Department of National Defence
Throughout his 33 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, Robert Gray's operational postings included opportunities on the east and west coasts of Canada and several postings to engineering training establishments. His 15 years in Ottawa as a Naval Officer included postings to the Project Management Office for the Joint Support Ship, two years within the Halifax Class Modernization Project, lead for the DND’s National Shipbuilding Project Office, the position of Director Materiel Group Strategic Plans and as Project Manager for the Canadian Surface Combatant project. He retired in 2022 and is working within the Major Project Delivery (Sea) Division of ADM(Mat). Rob is a graduate of the Royal Roads Military College, the Royal Military College of Canada, and the Canadian Forces College.
Sylvie Girard
Director General, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Ms. Sylvie Girard became the Director General of the Defence and Marine Strategic Program Management Sector at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) in 2019, bringing with her a strong public sector background of over 25 years in data analysis, policy development, and public sector leadership. Prior to joining the federal public service, she served as a Naval Warfare Officer in the Royal Canadian Navy for seven years, gaining operational and leadership experience in maritime defence.
In her current role, she is responsible for strategic policy, oversight, and governance across a wide range of critical areas, including Business Management Services, Procurement Innovation Initiatives, National Shipbuilding Strategy Performance Management and Marine Infrastructure, Special Projects, and Marine and Defence Program Policy. She also leads interdepartmental governance, coordination and strategic planning efforts to support Canada’s defence and marine procurement priorities.
More recently, in 2024 Ms. Girard was appointed as Canada’s lead to develop the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE) Pact Workforce Development Strategy in close collaboration with the United States and Finland. Sylvie plays a key role in advancing workforce development and industrial readiness in support of future icebreaking capabilities in Canada and abroad.
Commander Nancy Setchell (Ret'd)
Autonomous Capability Development Manager, OSI Maritime Systems
Commander Nancy Setchell (Ret’d) enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces as a Naval Warfare Officer. She completed her initial education and training, specializing in navigation before becoming a Fleet Navigation Instructor. She served on the east coast as a Weapons Officer and Executive Officer. In 2018, she was appointed as Commanding Officer of HMCS Charlottetown. She was the second woman in Canada to hold this position and she truly enjoyed her time in leadership.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Defence Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada and a certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Cornell University.
In January 2024, Nancy was pleased to join OSI Maritime Systems where she is the Autonomous Capability Development Manager. After using ECPINS for over 25 years, she is pleased to be an evangelist for OSI and looks forward to helping chart a course for the future.
Terri Pavelic
Editor in Chief, Vanguard Media
Greg MacNeil
Founding Partner, NorthStar Public Affairs
Greg MacNeil is a seasoned government relations professional with deep expertise in defence procurement and industrial policy, as well as extensive experience across both the federal and provincial levels of government. With more than twenty years working in Canadian politics, his career includes senior roles on numerous federal and provincial Liberal Party campaigns.
Prior to co-founding NorthStar Public Affairs, Greg led Government Relations for Irving Shipbuilding, where he played a central role in advancing Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy. The program stands as clear proof that Canada can build and sustain world-class industrial capacity at home when policy, procurement, and long-term vision are aligned.
Peter Egener
Acting Director General, Vessel Procurement, Canadian Coast Guard
Peter is the Acting Director General, Vessel Procurement for the Canadian Coast Guard’s Shipbuilding and Materiel sector. Peter joined the Canadian Coast Guard in 2010 and has had many roles within the sector including leadership roles in the Helicopter Project, the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel project and the Multipurpose Vessel Project and within the Engineering Services team.
A former Naval Engineer, Peter joined the Coast Guard after serving over twenty-eight years in the Canadian Navy. During his career in the Navy, Peter served both at sea and ashore on Canada’s East and West Coasts and also spent time in staff positions in the National Capital Region.
Peter holds a Master of Defence Studies from the Canadian Forces College, Toronto, Ontario, a Master of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) specializing in digital control of gas turbine engines from the Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario and a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario.
Domenic Carlucci
Vice President, Government Services, ABS
Mr. Carlucci is currently the Vice President, Government Services with ABS. Since joining ABS in 2008, Carlucci has held several senior roles in autonomous systems, asset integrity management, life cycle risk and reliability, design and plan review, and product and service development. With extensive experience in the marine and offshore industries, Carlucci’s expertise includes: autonomous functionality, maritime nuclear, hybrid power applications, ship systems operations and maintenance, systems designs, risk and reliability analysis (FMEA, RCM), and condition/performance monitoring. He served in the U.S. Navy as a Nuclear trained Surface Warfare Officer. In that capacity he was qualified in nuclear watch officer duties, vessel navigation and operations, and engineering responsibilities. His roles included large combatant and aircraft carrier assignments.
Commodore Andrew Forbes
Project Manager, River-class Destroyer Project
Commodore Andrew Forbes, born in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, joined the CAF in 1992. He holds engineering and defence studies degrees from RMC. As a Marine Systems Engineer, he trained on the East Coast onboard HMCS Ville de Québec, Toronto, and HMCS Annapolis. After earning his Head of Department qualification, he served on HMCS Algonquin from 2005–2007.
His shore postings included engineering readiness roles with Maritime Forces Atlantic and Pacific. In 2008, he became a NATO Exchange Officer in Mississippi, supporting USN Arleigh Burke-class destroyer construction. Returning to Canada, he served with the Joint Support Ship Project before holding key fleet support roles as Fleet Technical Officer and Operations Manager at FMF Cape Scott. Promoted Captain(N) in 2020, he led maintenance for the Halifax-class as Director of Major Surface Combatants. Promoted Commodore in 2025, he became Project Manager for the River-class Destroyer Project.
Commodore Michel Thibault
Director General, Maritime Equipment Programme Management, Chief Engineer
Commodore Thibault is a senior naval engineering leader with over 30 years of experience in combat systems, fleet maintenance, and major maritime capability development. A Naval Combat Systems Engineer, he has served extensively on both coasts at sea and ashore, including a tour as Combat Systems Engineering Officer of HMCS Vancouver and as the Formation Technical Authority in Marlant. He completed staff tours at the Naval Reserve HQ and NDHQ in the VCDS and CDS offices.
Across multiple postings within DGMEPM and the Materiel Group, he has contributed to major modernization efforts such as the Halifax Class Modernization program, managed the Above Water Warfare equipment program and implemented the AOPS & JSS In-Service Support Contract (AJISS). His project leadership includes contributions to the National Shipbuilding Strategy, senior roles in the Canadian Surface Combatant project, and command of Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Scott.
Promoted to Commodore in 2022, he became Project Manager for the River Class Destroyer and in 2025 assumed his current role as Director General Maritime Equipment Programme Management.
Robert McCraight
Senior Naval Architect, Vard
Rob McCraight is the Research Lead for Autonomous Vessels at Vard Marine, bringing more than a decade of experience in the design and delivery of complex, specialized vessels. His career spans government and commercial programs, combining naval architecture expertise with leadership on high-profile international projects.
Since joining Vard Marine in 2014, Rob has held a series of senior technical and program leadership roles. He has been an integral part of the Chilean, Canadian, and U.S. icebreaker programs, contributing across multiple phases of design development and engineering support. More recently, he has led Vard Marine’s work under the Canadian Coast Guard Engineering Support Services contract.
Rob also led Vard Marine’s efforts on the DARPA-funded NOMARS program, where the team fundamentally re-examined naval architecture by asking a simple but disruptive question: what would a ship look like if it never had to accommodate people on board? This work continues to inform his research focus on autonomous and minimally crewed vessel concepts.
Prior to joining Vard Marine, Rob worked in both the defence and commercial marine sectors in the UK, including roles with Babcock Marine and the UK Ministry of Defence. He holds a Master’s degree in Engineering from the University of Southampton.
Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, CMM, MSM, CD
Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy
Vice-Admiral (VAdm) Angus Topshee is the 38th Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). His diverse academic background includes military and civilian institutions on three continents. The highlight of his time at sea was his far too brief command of His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Algonquin in 2009-2010 and, a close second, his three years in command of Canada’s Pacific Fleet. His shore postings include two tours in the Navy’s Strategy three years in command of Canadian Forces Base Halifax, and two years as the Deputy Director, Strategy, Policy, and Plans at NORAD and United States Northern Command Headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 as the director of Afghan National Police Training within the NATO Training Mission Afghanistan. Over the course of his career, he has been involved with the Arctic at every one of his shore postings (except Afghanistan). Before taking command of the RCN in May 2022, VAdm Topshee had the honour and pleasure to command Maritime Forces Pacific and Joint Task Force Pacific, in Esquimalt, British Columbia.
Robert Wight
Deputy Commissioner, Shipbuilding and Materiel, Canadian Coast Guard
In January 2026, Robert (Robb) Wight was appointed Deputy Commissioner, Shipbuilding and Materiel at the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG).
In this capacity, Robb provides strategic leadership to realize the renewal of the Coast Guard’s fleet, within the broader context of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, and the lifecycle management the Coast Guard’s active fleet and shore-based assets.
Previously, Robb served as the Director General of Vessel Procurement from 2012, where he was responsible for guiding the planning and executing of Coast Guard’s Fleet Renewal Plan – updating CCG’s fleet of large and small vessels, and helicopters.
Projects include the delivery of four offshore/oceanographic science vessels, twenty- three helicopters, twenty search and rescue vessels, and the start of construction of the Coast Guard’s two Polar Class icebreakers.
Robb joined the Canadian Coast Guard in 2001 as an engineer in the Integrated Technical Services (ITS) directorate, contributing to a range of projects before advancing to the position of ITS Director General in 2008. Robb holds a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a Masters of Business Administration from Wilfred Laurier University.
Nicolas Nabaa
Director General, Marine and Space Procurement, Defence Investment Agency
In his 26 years of experience in the Federal Public Service, Mr. Nabaa has acquired significant experience in setting strategic direction and leading operational service delivery and initiatives. He has established and maintained strategic alliances and partnerships with various stakeholders including other government departments and industry.
In July 2020, Mr. Nabaa was appointed Senior Director of PSPC’s Marine Sustainment Directorate responsible for the Repair, Refit and Maintenance of multiple RCN fleets and requirements. The portfolio included the Halifax Class Frigates Maintenance contracts ($8B), the Halifax Class Combat Systems suite of contracts ($1B), The AJISS Contract ($5B), the Victoria Class Submarines in Service Support contract ($5B), the Submarine Vessel Modernization Contracts ($3B) as well as the maintenance of other naval fleet and systems ($2B).
From September 2021 to March 2025, Mr. Nabaa was the Director General, Major Marine Construction Sector within PSPC. The Sector was responsible for the qualification process of the 3rd Canadian Shipyard within the NSS and for the build contracts of 6 Program Icebreakers, 2 Polar Icebreakers for the CCG, and 2 Ferries for Transport Canada. The Canadian Patrol Submarine Project was briefly added to the Procurement Portfolio of the Sector.
From April 2025 to November 2025, Mr. Nabaa has been the Director General of the Submarines, Arctic and Space Defence Sector within PSPC. The Sector is responsible for the procurement activities of the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project and the Space defence files. The value of these key files exceeds $300B.
In December 2025, Mr. Nabaa joined the newly formed Defence Investment Agency where he assumes the role of DG Procurement for the Navy, Space and Land files.
He holds a B.S.Sc Economics (1996) and a B.Sc. Chemical Engineering (1999) as well as an International Masters of Business Administration (I.M.B.A), (2005) from the University of Ottawa.
Gerry Champagne
Vice President, Business Development, Safran
Gerry Champagne retired in 2011 as Deputy Commander of Canada Command. He then served as Vice-President of Business Development and Operations at the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) for three years before founding CJAG Consulting Group in 2017, offering strategic management and business development, facilitation and coaching/mentoring services.
In June 2025, he became Vice President of Business Development at Safran Electronics and Defense Canada, where he leads efforts to expand the company's presence in Canada's national security providing the latest innovations in the defense market across air, sea, land, space, and emerging technology sectors.
Clint Laidlaw
Program Manager for AJISS, Thales Canada
Clint Laidlaw is Program Manager for the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship and Joint Support Ship In-Service Support (AJISS) program with Thales Canada, a position he has held for seven years. Prior to joining Thales, Clint dedicated 39 years in the Canadian defence industry, where he held roles in program and project management, operations and engineering management, and business development.
Lee Sanders
Safety Engineering Manager, L3Harris Technologies
Lee Sanders is a Safety Engineering Manager with L3Harris, providing system safety leadership across a broad portfolio of projects including maritime autonomous/remotely operated vessel programmes. With 25 years’ of experience across Defence engineering, trials, airworthiness governance and safety case delivery, he specialises in translating complex regulation into pragmatic assurance frameworks that enable operational capability while maintaining ALARP risk. A former Royal Navy engineering officer, Lee has led high-tempo operational engineering teams, authored enterprise assurance strategies and delivered safety governance for first-of-class trials and novel systems. His expertise supports ShipTech 2026 themes of autonomy readiness, regulatory pathways and safe deployment in challenging environments.