Our Team

Neil Wildgust is the President and CEO of Carbon Management Canada (CMC), responsible for leading the organization in supporting industry, governments and other organizations attempting to reduce emissions and meet their net-zero goals.

Neil has been a champion of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies for the past two decades, bringing over 35 years of geoscience expertise to our team. Prior to joining CMC, Neil had left his role as Director for Cordilleran Research at the British Columbia Geological Survey, to consult independently on CCS and risk assessment. He has also held past roles within the IEA Greenhouse Gas (IEAGHG) R&D Programme, the Petroleum Technology Research Centre leading the IEAGHG Weyburn-Midale Program, the Global CCS Institute in Calgary, and the Energy & Environmental Research Center in North Dakota. Neil also served as an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control between 2016 and 2021 and was a recipient of a Plains CO2 Reduction Partnership (PCOR) Partnership Pioneer Award in 2015.

With Neil’s guidance, CMC strives to position Canada as a global leader in carbon management, providing deep expertise and CCS research and recommendations where they’re most needed.

Karim Teja is Carbon Management Canada’s (CMC) Chief Financial Officer. Karim is an accomplished financial and operations executive with over two decades of success in technology commercialization, operations management, financings, investor relations, mergers and acquisitions. 

With an extensive background in bringing new products in health and green tech to market, Karim has travelled to the US, China, Korea, India and Western Europe to negotiate distribution contracts and conduct business. 

In 2006, Karim was one of the winners of the coveted Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his instrumental work in rapidly commercializing and distributing a new healthcare product globally.

Karim capitalizes on his strong business acumen and experience to resolve critical financial and business decisions. He is acknowledged as a trusted business advisor with integrity, credibility and character.

Kirk Osadetz is the Programs Development Manager at Carbon Management Canada (CMC), responsible for developing and demonstrating technology and practices that further assist Canadian corporations with carbon management and subsurface containment issues and requirements.  

Kirk is known as a leader in the Calgary geoscience community, holding positions as the Past-President of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG) and Secretary of the CSPG Foundation. Kirk has extensive experience in the field. He was even a major contributor to the PTAC Unconventional Gas Technology Roadmap, receiving a PTAC Volunteer Achievement Award in 2009.  

 Kirk has an accomplished background in providing both laboratory and interpretational support to dozens of Canadian petroleum companies, including Cenovus at Weyburn. He has advised Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) concerning innovative technology opportunities and also participated in numerous industrial joint industry partnerships (JIP) conducting research that was subscribed to by Canadian, American and European petroleum companies (e.g.,, Institut francais du petrole’s “Subtrap” Industrial Consortium).  

Kirk has made more than 130 contributions to the peer-reviewed journal, monographic and conference literature working as an exploration geologist for PetroCanada Exploration Inc. and Gulf Canada Resources Ltd., all of which can be found in online databases today under his surname.

Marie Macquet is Carbon Management Canada’s (CMC) Manager of Subsurface Research and Project Delivery. Today, Marie focuses on the geophysical monitoring of the subsurface applied to CO₂ sequestration.  

Marie completed her M.Sc. in Planetology in 2011 at the University of Nantes (France) and graduated with her Ph.D. in Geophysics in 2014 from ISTerre laboratory, University Joseph Fourier (Grenoble, France). At the time, Marie was working on the crustal tomography of mountain ranges. By 2016 Marie changed her focus toward CO₂ monitoring and storage, starting at CREWES (University of Calgary) and CMC.

Brendan Kolkman-Quinn is the Geophysicist I.T. at Carbon Management Canada (CMC), responsible for the processing and analysis of seismic monitoring data gathered at the Newell County Facility.  

Brendan completed a B.Sc. with Honors in Physics from the University of Alberta and a B.Sc. in Geophysics from the University of Calgary (U of C). Moving forward, Brendan worked in oil and gas exploration and development with ConocoPhillips Canada, interpreting 3D seismic data covering dozens of townships in Alberta’s Deep Basin, before returning to the U of C to complete an M.Sc. in Geophysics with CREWES. 

Joanna Cooper is the Subsurface Data Analyst for Carbon Management Canada (CMC), responsible for the management, processing, and interpretation of monitoring data collected at the CMC – CaMI Newell County research facility.

Joanna received her Ph.D. from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand in 2021, following an M.Sc. in Geophysics (2010) and double B.Sc. in Geology and Geophysics (2006) from the University of Calgary.  She joined CMC after two years as a Postdoctoral Associate with the Global Research Initiative in Sustainable Low Carbon Unconventional Resources at the UofC, working on improved characterization of geological formations suitable for subsurface CO2 storage in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin.

Hamid Behmanesh is the CCS Reservoir Modeler at Carbon Management Canada (CMC). With over 7 years of industry experience in the North American Production and Oilfield Service sectors; his primary responsibility is to provide technical expertise to full chain CCUS projects.

Hamid’s experience has allowed him to develop into a quickly adaptable Petroleum Engineer. Hamid is currently involved with supporting and developing our CCUS company portfolio, as well as creating, and updating models for the purpose of safe injection and CO₂ storage. Hamid is also responsible for representing the subsurface and integration with multidisciplinary teams (e.g., well, facilities, permitting etc.).

Perry Manning is CMC’ s Newell County Facility Field Operator, responsible for maintaining the site, operating our injection and helping organize activities, tours and projects at the facility.  

Previously, Perry worked for CDN/Inphase, managing their shop, and assisting with solar farm installations. Perry also has over 10 years of experience installing well-heads, acting as an operator in the oil and gas industry as well as becoming an RV mechanic by trade.  

With extensive field experience and a passion for the outdoors, Perry’s helping hands are essential to the ongoing activities happening at our Newell County Facility.  

Don Lawton is Vice President Research and Operations at Carbon Management Canada (CMC) and Professor Emeritus in Geophysics at the University of Calgary (U of C).  He is a sought-after expert advisor and thought leader to industry, government, the research community and other stakeholders involved in the carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) environment.   

 Don led the development of the CMC – U of C Newell County Facility in Southern Alberta where monitoring technologies are being developed and evaluated to verify the secure storage of CO2.  He was awarded the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (CSEG) Medal in 2000 and received Honorary Membership in the Society in 2014.  He also recently was a co-recipient of the 2022 Patricia J. Lee Trailblazer Award from the Canadian Energy Geoscience Association (CEGA) and his team was awarded the 2023 Project Achievement Award from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA). 

Negar is Carbon Management Canada’s (CMC) Emissions Analyst for the Alberta Methane Emissions Program (AMEP), responsible for interpreting and analyzing methane emissions data using unique statistical techniques. 

Negar is a geoscientist with more than 10 years of work experience in both the industry and academic settings. After receiving her MSc in Petroleum Geoscience from the University of Aberdeen, Negar began working for the National Iranian Oil Company as a petroleum geoscientist. After six years in the workforce, Negar returned to academia to complete her PhD in Geoscience, focusing on geomechanical modeling of induced seismicity caused by hydraulic fracturing operations in Canada.  

Today, Negar is passionate about applying her past experiences from the oil and gas industry into better understanding the detection, quantification, and mitigation of methane emissions in Alberta. 

As a GIS professional , Emmanuel has over a decade of experience applying GIS tools in various industries, including GIS Consulting, Wildlife Conservation, Oil and Gas, and more recently, Sustainability. With a bachelor’s degree in Geography, a master’s degree in Geographic Information System (GIS), several ESRI GIS certifications and a Land Analyst certificate, Emmanuel effectively managed Oil Sands assets in his most recent role.

Emmanuel is passionate about staying at the forefront of technological advancements, particularly in the sustainability sector . Emmanuel looks forward to contributing from his wealth of experience while expanding his knowledge and skill set.

Michelle Unsworth is a project manager at Carbon Management Canada (CMC), responsible for leading the carbonNEXT program. Her master’s in Environmental Geology complements her industry experience in oil and gas as well as environmental monitoring and assessment. Michelle’s background also includes implementation of strategic initiatives, having dedicated two and a half years to the National Research Council’s IRAP program where she was a strategic advisor responsible for driving innovation program delivery and optimization. Michelle strives to play a key role in assisting CMC and our partners in deploying groundbreaking carbon management solutions.   

Shamez Kotadia is Carbon Management Canada’s (CMC) Program Director. For over 20 years, Shamez has been helping companies leverage technology solutions to increase their decision-making capability and enhance operational effectiveness. Today, he works to facilitate the growth and networking of large technology companies.

In the past, Shamez has held roles in strategic planning, program management, project management, and technical leadership. Shamez has worked in both private and not-for-profit companies, covering a wide range of projects in industries such as telecommunications, defence, energy (e.g., oil and gas, pipelines, and utilities), agriculture, manufacturing, security, labour, and health.

Shamez graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a PMP certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI).

Tamara Gale is Carbon Management Canada’s (CMC) Marketing and Communications Manager. She is a senior communications and marketing professional with more than 15 years’ experience in brand and strategic communications management, public, stakeholder and rightsholder engagement, and content creation. Tamara specializes in communicating for Canada’s energy industry.

She applies a consistent communications approach driven by research-based and insightful audience analysis with alignment to business goals. Tamara is co-host of Not Your Grandpa’s Energy Industry podcast and supports the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) in a variety of volunteer roles. She has won awards for brand representation and website development in online publishing.

Winnie is Carbon Management Canada’s (CMC) Marketing and Communications specialist. She handles CMC’s digital marketing analytics and reporting, as well as creating content and publishing articles for the company.

She comes from a background of broadcast news, with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Calgary. In the near future, her goal is to continue to work in communications at a senior level in public relations. To do this, she is currently completing her Master’s degree in public relations from Syracuse University, NY, while also receiving applicable experience.

Kenna Aulakh is Carbon Management Canada’s (CMC) Office Coordinator, responsible for effectively managing all office operations and administrative procedures within our company.  

Kenna holds a Bachelor of Computer Science Degree as well as an Associate Degree in Information Systems. Prior to joining CMC, she held positions at the California State Government, Robertson College and Optional Rehabilitation Services. From developing curriculums to teaching computer programming to students and staff, Kenna is well versed when it comes to managing groups of people.

Madison Paulson is Carbon Management Canada’s (CMC) Executive Assistant, responsible for strategically managing the time of CMC’s President and Chief Executive Officer, delivering critical documents for the Senior Leadership Team, supporting the preparation of government grant claims and assembling Board materials to ensure quick and thorough communication between both parties. 

Prior to joining the CMC team, Madison held an Executive Assistant position during her time at Rohl Projects, a telecommunications sub-contractor operating across North America, Madison provided all administrative, communications and leadership support for the President of Rohl Projects. Even preparing sub-contractor bids for fibre optic installation projects.  

Madison has a Practical Nursing (LPN) Diploma from Assiniboine Community College. Also returning to post-secondary to complete her Business Administration Diploma at Red River College Polytechnic, which was awarded to her in 2016.