Team

Chana Martineau is the CEO of the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation, a provincial Crown Corporation with a mandate to serve as a catalyst for Indigenous prosperity and independence through investment and involvement in Alberta’s natural resources, agriculture, transportation, and telecommunications sectors. Prior to joining AIOC, Chana had an extensive and diverse background in the financial services sector with 30 years of experience across all aspects of banking and investing. Her experience includes strategy and consulting in the key sectors under the AIOC mandate. Chana has been recognized for her efforts fostering Inclusion and Diversity for women in leadership and Indigenous peoples. She has a track record of building high performance teams both inside and outside of the boardroom. Her governance experience encompasses several board positions, including time as the Enterprise Risk Finance & Audit Committee chair of a National Sport Organization and is a current candidate for the ICD.D. Chana is a proud member of Frog Lake First Nation on Treaty 6 Territory. She is a graduate from the University of Alberta with a degree in Economics, and has her ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Steven Kroeker has over 27 years of financial experience in Alberta. Most recently, he was with Keyera Corp. and its predecessors for 14 years. Keyera Corp. is a publicly traded energy infrastructure company with assets largely located in Alberta. For almost half of his time at Keyera Corp., he was Vice President, Corporate Development, where he was responsible for evaluation and execution of acquisitions and divestments. From that position, he became Chief Financial Officer and ultimately Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Keyera Corp. He continued to be responsible for Corporate Development, and became responsible for Accounting, Tax, Treasury, Investor Relations, Information Technology and Supply Chain Management. Prior to Keyera Corp., Steven spent nine years as an investment banker in Calgary with Scotia Capital. At Scotia Capital, he worked on various mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, as well as on various equity financings. Prior to Scotia Capital, Steven worked at Gulf Canada Resources Limited for over four years, including in Corporate Development where he worked on various strategic and economic evaluations of acquisitions and divestitures.

Steven has a Master of Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business of The University of Western Ontario, and a Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction from The University of Calgary. He enjoys spending time with his wife and four children and enjoys various water sports and going on volunteer trips abroad.

Steven’s volunteer commitments currently include serving on the Board of Directors and Audit Committee of World Vision Canada and serving on the Calgary Advisory Board for The Salvation Army.

Rakesh Saraf is a senior private equity and infrastructure investments professional. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (1986) from the University of Chennai, India; a Master of Management Studies(1998) from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, University of Mumbai, India; holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA, 2003) designation; and is an ICD.D Charterholder since 2008.

He has over 3o years’ experience in investment management, governance, strategy, growth, audit/risk management and HR/compensation. Draws from a diverse set of experiences rooted in hands-on principal investing across multiple strategies, industries and numerous direct equity situations. General management techniques are grounded by strong quantitative analytical investment skills. International experience in all facets of investment management, spanning both Private and Public Market investments.

He was a Senior executive at Alberta Teachers’ Retirement Fund Board and Alberta Investment Management Corp., where he represented both organizations at the Board of Directors of investee companies that included RTL-Westcan, Klemke Mining Corporation, and NCSG Ltd, and was a Director of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.

He is currently a Board member of BeneSys, Inc., a provider of Taft-Hartley Trust Fund Administration and Information Technology services; Skyline Renewable LLC, an independent power producer; and POI Business Interiors a Workspace Interiors and Office Furniture Company.

He also serves his community as Member, Board of Governors, University of Alberta and serves on the Investment Committee of Edmonton Community Foundation.

Scott brings experience, expertise and leadership capabilities around structuring, financing, and negotiating Indigenous partnerships in Alberta, including several deals directly involving AIOC. Scott’s previous experience positioned him as a principal architect of AIOC's first investment, Cascade Power.

Scott has directly supported a large number of Indigenous Communities across Western Canada in the equity ownership of major assets including renewable and non-renewable power generation, energy storage, hydrogen and critical minerals, oil and gas infrastructure, carbon capture utilization and storage and agriculture, in addition to key land acquisitions directly for Alberta Indigenous Communities. Scott’s previous experience spans Alberta economic sectors including energy, oilfield services, real estate, manufacturing, and international trade.

Scott holds a CPA designation and is accredited as a Chartered Business Valuator and Chartered Financial Modeller. He is a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors education program.

Ted Bauer is the Vice President, Engagement and External Relations of the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation, a provincial Crown Corporation with a mandate to catalyze Indigenous prosperity and independence through investment and involvement in Alberta’s natural resources, agriculture, transportation, and telecommunications sectors. Before joining the AIOC, Ted had an extensive and diverse background in the political, journalism and non-profit sectors spanning nearly 30 years of experience. His governance experience encompasses several board positions, including time at Drive Happiness, Homeward Trust Indigenous Advisory Council and the YWCA Rose Council. Ted is a proud member of the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 8 and is a graduate of the University of Montana with a degree in Journalism and holds a citation from the University of Alberta.

Hamid Shahzad is a chartered accountant, ACA (ICAEW), CMA, CIA, CISA, CFE and EMBA. He moved to the United Arab Emirates, and worked in Audit and Finance for the Retail, Construction, Aviation and Education Sectors for approximately eight years. Hamid immigrated to Canada in 2012, initially to Toronto and held his first job in the Yukon. He has lived in different provinces of Canada and likes exploring the country. Hamid's beautiful family of five includes his wife and three daughters. Hamid loves to travel and explore the culture and cuisine of different world countries. He's visited the USA, France, UK, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. His most recent trip was to Morocco, and the next destination on his bucket list is Turkey. Hamid's hobbies are travelling and reading. He holds over 20 years of experience and has led finance departments at different organizations for 14 years. Hamid has had other opportunities to serve Indigenous organizations in Canada. He joins AIOC after his most recent assignment with a Saskatchewan Metis organization as a CFO.

Carole is a proud member of the Dokis First Nation, and was raised in her community, near North Bay, Ontario. She moved to Calgary with her family 25 years ago. Carole has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Laurentian University, a Bachelor of Education degree from Brock University, as well as a Human Resources Management Certificate from the University of Calgary.

Carole most recently worked in Indigenous Relations Business Engagement with TC Energy prior to coming to the AIOC. She has a strong background in Indigenous community outreach, client negotiations, procurement processes and evaluations, and contract management.

Prior to her career in the energy sector, Carole worked at the University of Calgary as a Student Advisor overseeing Indigenous student retention and success programming, as well as leading the community outreach leadership programming. Carole also worked for the Wesley First Nation as the Human Resources and Education Director.

Whitney brings over 13 years of energy industry experience. Prior to joining AIOC, she worked in the midstream sector where her role focused on community and Indigenous engagement, and more recently explored sustainability and specifically how it relates to Indigenous relations. Prior to that, her career focused on community engagement, with further experience in community investment, communications, and business development.

Whitney holds a Master of Arts in History from the University of Victoria where her studies focused on Indigenous history in Canada. While studying, she spent time in south central BC living in the Stó:lō community where she drove a community-based research project. This transformational learning experience ignited her passion for reconciliation and further set the foundation to her approach to engagement.

In her spare time, Whitney volunteers on Young Women in Energy’s Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Committee and is a Learning Partner for the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Indigenous Awareness Learning program, where she supports other engagement professionals in exploring our shared history and complexities relating to engagement with Indigenous communities.

Jessica is of Cree Métis and mixed settler ancestry with family ties to the Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement. She was born and raised in Mohkinstsis. Jessica is the granddaughter of Bertha Clark Jones (nee Houle), who was an Indigenous Women's rights activist and the first president of Native Women's Association of Canada. It is due to the wisdom and leadership of her grandmother that Jessica has pursued a career in Indigenous Engagement.

Jessica comes to the AIOC with over 12 years of experience in the non-profit sector with a focus on strategic communications and community development. She believes strongly in a relational approach to engagement to centre the voices of Indigenous communities.

Jessica holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Victoria, and a Journalism Certificate from Mount Royal University. She also has a strong passion for the arts community and developed and implemented an Artist in Residence Program for her community association.

Allison has over 15 years experience working with senior executives and boards.
Before joining AIOC, she held roles at ENMAX, SNC Lavalin ATP and TransAlta Utilities.

Allison enjoys hiking and travel.

Suzanne MacRae is the Executive Assistant and Office Manager at AIOC. Her professional background includes over 15 years of experience working with senior leaders in a variety of industries including hospitality, healthcare, and energy services. She has a passion for building strong teams and supporting the enrichment of our communities.