Catherine Roome
Panelist
Catherine is the Chair of the McElhanney Board and a tech innovator with a passion for serving the public interest. She is a director of BC Hydro, chairs the board of its energy trading subsidiary Powerex and is a member of the Site C Hydroelectric Project oversight board. She is also on the board of Prospera Credit Union. She recently served as Interim CEO of Atira Women’s Resource Society, supporting governance and operational renewal for BC’s largest supportive housing organization. Catherine is a member of several engineering and scientific advisory boards. Previously, she led Technical Safety BC for a decade.
Catherine is dedicated to fostering justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, and encouraging the next generation of leaders.
Rod Gilbert
Panelist
Rod Gilbert is the President of the Canadian Construction Association.
Prior to his appointment in May 2024, he led the CCA’s internal and external communications, government relations, membership management, and industry practices group for over six years. In his time at CCA, Rod has had a significant impact in raising the industry’s profile, increasing federal advocacy and engagement with stakeholders, and has developed substantial knowledge of best practices in contracting by overseeing CCDC and the modernization of contracting through the new SignaSur platform.
Prior to CCA, Mr. Gilbert worked for over 21 years both with and for the Federal Government. During this time, he spent 10 years as an advisor to several federal ministers. Mr. Gilbert is a public affairs expert who is recognized for his government processes and political expertise at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.
Mr. Gilbert holds a degree in Political Science (BAH) from Laval University and is fluently bilingual.
Pierre Pichet
Panelist
Pierre Pichet is the Chief Operating Officer at WSP in Canada. In his role, Pierre is responsible for overseeing all Canadian operations, collaborating with regional and sector leaders to increase value for clients and partners.
Prior to joining WSP in February 2023 as its Executive Vice-President for Project Delivery, Pierre spent more than 25 years in leadership positions in the Canadian infrastructure and telecommunications landscape. Possessing extensive experience in strategic business transformation, financial planning, project delivery excellence and strategic sourcing, Pierre has established a clear vision for optimizing operations in the engineering sector.
Pierre holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Polytechnique Montréal.
Klayton Gonçalves
Panelist
Klayton Gonçalves is Senior Economist and Head of Business Intelligence at BuildForce Canada. He has a Master of Economics from the University of Waterloo and leads the production of BuildForce Canada’s annual labour market forecasts for Canada's construction industry. Klayton authors insightful reports and articles on industry trends, the participation of women and Indigenous Peoples in construction, and the impacts of achieving net zero targets and addressing housing affordability. He is also known for delivering engaging presentations nationwide, making complex economic topics accessible and actionable.
Joe Bates
Moderator
Joe Bates founded The Institute for Association and Nonprofit Research (www.IfAssociationResearch.com) in 2016 to provide research and consulting services exclusively to associations and nonprofit organizations. In addition, he serves as a senior research consultant to the ACEC Research Institute.
Joe has nearly 30 years of experience in the research profession, including more than 25 years in the association sector, and is an expert in qualitative and quantitative research design, implementation, analysis, and consulting. During his career he led the research efforts at several associations including the Consumer Technology Association, the Global Business Travel Association and the American College for Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
