INNOVATION November-December 2016

p rof i l e

Bob Stewart, P.Eng.

“ A key challenge this year is demonstrating to members and government that we can deliver on our duty to protect the public without compromising member advocacy ”

Bob Stewart, P.Eng., APEGBC’s new president for 2016/2017, says the most significant professional experience of his career was when he took on the role of electrical maintenance manager at a large, remote hydro-electric generating station. Bob had, to that point in his career, worked for 16 years in design or project management in BC Hydro and Ontario Hydro big-city offices, so moving to the Gordon M. Shrum Generating Station meant a big shift in his professional, community and social environments. The G.M. Shrum station converts the energy stored in the water behind the massive W.A.C. Bennett Dam, on northern BC’s Peace River. The power station covers an area as long as two football fields and generates so much power that every BC Hydro customer uses its electricity. Bob was responsible for keeping the station’s electrical equipment maintained so it was operational at all times by overseeing maintenance and repair programs, and

managing a large, unionised staff who work year-round to maintain the station’s day-to-day reliability. The assignment allowed Bob to demonstrate his capabilities on a broad scale. He brings the leadership, communication, negotiation and problem-solving skills he drew on there to his role as APEGBC president. “I’ve spent my career working in diverse roles within a public company and with volunteer organisations, so I am very familiar with various governance structures and financial models,” says Bob, who currently works as an Electrical Principal Engineer for BC Hydro. “In these roles, I have led design, project, management and operational teams, as well as volunteers, to meet the objectives required. As a result, I have a good understanding of the leadership style and communication skills required to make things happen in an organisation such as APEGBC.”

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