Our executive team

Nicolle Butcher is OPG’s Chief Operations Officer. Nicolle is responsible for all of OPG's generating fleet with a capacity of over 15,600 MW consisting of 10 nuclear units, 66 hydro stations, two thermal stations, and a solar facility. She is also responsible for the engineering function, integrated fleet management, and the energy-related commercial business functions including energy trading, commercial contracting, and market affairs at OPG.

In addition, Nicolle is the Chair of the Board of both Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, OPG’s US hydro subsidiary and Atura Power, OPG’s subsidiary who owns and operates a fleet of combined cycle gas plants.

In her previous role as Senior Vice President, Renewable Generation and Power Marketing, Nicolle was accountable for the operation of hydroelectric and thermal generation in Ontario.

In her 22 years with OPG, Nicolle held a wide range of roles in OPG, including OPG’s Corporate Business Development and Strategy team, focusing on implementing OPG’s long-term strategic plan, including executing on $5B of acquisitions, building an electrification strategy, and driving an innovation culture at OPG. She also worked with Canadian Nuclear Partners (now Laurentis Energy Partners), leading a corporate-wide business transformation and developing the Portlands Energy Centre in Toronto.

In 2021, Nicolle was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and named Women of the Year by WIRE (Women in Renewable Energy) and APPRO (Association of Power Producers of Ontario).

She sits on the Board of Directors of WaterPower Canada and the MaRS-Advanced Energy Centre Advisory Board of Directors. Nicolle holds an MBA from McGill University, is a Chartered Business Valuator, and has earned an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Aida Cipolla is OPG’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Senior Vice President, Finance. Aida and her team are responsible for providing OPG with strategic leadership and strategy for: business planning; accounting and financial reporting; treasury; taxation; fund management; internal audit; and enterprise risk management.

An experienced business executive, Aida joined OPG in March 2022 from Toronto Hydro, where she had worked since 2008, most recently as Executive Vice President and CFO. She supported critical initiatives such as electricity rate applications and successfully reshaped Toronto Hydro’s Finance function using transformational strategies that include automation, blending industry best practices, and practical business solutions to drive strong financial performance. She also led their Climate Action Plan financial strategy to support the Toronto’s Transform TO initiative towards sustainability, and Toronto Hydro’s financial response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to joining Toronto Hydro, Aida worked for KPMG LLP in Toronto and Dublin, Ireland, leading audit and advisory engagements.

Aida is known as a forward-thinking thought leader and spokesperson for the electricity industry. She is the first woman to chair the Electricity Canada (formally Canadian Electricity Association) CFO committee. Aida is a mentor through formal mentorship programs and is a strong advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives. She was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2020 and as an Honouree in Canada's Top 40 Under 40 in 2019.

She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce Diploma with a minor in Economics from McMaster University, Michael G. DeGroote School of Business. Aida sits on the Board of Directors of Laurentis Energy Partners Inc. and on the Board of Directors and Resource Committee for Women’s College Hospital in Toronto.

Aida is a devoted wife and mother of two young children.

As Senior Vice President, Business Development and Corporate Affairs, Heather’s focus includes ensuring progress on the company’s Reconciliation Action Plan, and advancing hydroelectric generation development across the province in partnership with local Indigenous communities. She is also responsible for all stakeholder, public and media outreach, government relations, Indigenous relations, and branding activities in support of OPG’s business goals.

Heather has more than twenty-five years’ experience in the resource development, energy and electricity sectors. This includes roles as OPG’s VP of New Business Ventures & Electrification, VP of Environment, and Director of the Hydro Business Development Group. In these roles, she was instrumental in starting OPG’s electrification business as well as assembling the OPG team working to advance small modular nuclear reactors. As the hydro business development lead, Heather and her team successfully built northern power projects in partnership with Indigenous communities. She also previously worked in the Calgary office of Golder Associates supporting clients from the mining and oil & gas sectors.

Heather currently serves as a Director on the Boards of Atura Power and Electricity Canada, and is Vice Chair of Electricity Canada’s Generation Council. She holds an undergraduate and Master's degree in Science from Queen's University, as well as an MBA from the Rotman School of Management.

Chris Ginther is EVP Business Strategy and Commercial Management at OPG. He joined the company in July 2012 as SVP and General Counsel, was appointed to Chief Administrative Officer in February 2017, and moved into his current role in October 2021.

Chris and his team are responsible for OPG’s business strategy, development, commercial structuring, negotiations and commercial positioning in support of OPG’s growth strategy. Chris is a member of the OPG’s Enterprise Leadership Team and other committees.

Chris received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1983 and graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1986. He received his Master of Laws Degree from Osgoode Hall in 1999.

Chris began his legal career at Torys LLP in Toronto. He has served as Vice President and General Counsel at BCE/Bell and Chief Legal Officer at Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

As Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Mel and her team are responsible for human resources, labour relations, environment, health and safety, procurement, information technology, real estate and facilities.

Mel joined the company in September 2017 as Assistant General Counsel and was appointed Senior Vice President Human Resources (HR) in 2019. After working with her team to modernize HR and implement a transformational HR strategy, Mel moved into her current role in October 2021. Her mandate in the CAO function involves establishing a set of cohesive shared services using process, technology, and leading practices to further improve support function activities at OPG under her division. This includes out of the box thinking on how services are engaged, customer satisfaction tracking, and supporting a well-functioning service delivery model.  

Mel has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Toronto and graduated from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law in 2002. Prior to joining OPG, Mel practiced commercial litigation in New York City and at a large national Bay Street law firm in Toronto.

Outside of OPG, Mel fuels her interest in social justice through her service on the board of a not-for-profit organization providing support to women experiencing violence. She also mentors a diverse group of up-and-coming professionals from a variety of backgrounds that will eventually help to change the profile of leadership teams in the future. 

Mel is mother to two young sons who keep her very busy.

Kim Lauritsen is OPG’s Senior Vice President of Enterprise Strategy & Energy Markets. Kim is responsible for OPG’s strategy development and leads the team responsible for interfacing with Ontario’s energy markets and markets in other jurisdictions.

Kim has more than 20 years of experience in the energy industry, having worked across various parts of the value chain, in several areas of the world. Prior to joining OPG in 2019, Kim worked at Origin Energy in Australia, focused on commercial strategy and transactions, renewable energy generation, liquefied natural gas projects, and customer-facing solutions, such as smart metering and virtual power plants. Prior to that, Kim worked at Shell in Europe, where she started her career with roles in finance, modeling, and economics.

Kim holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University, a Master’s of Science in Renewable Energy Development from Heriot-Watt University and an MBA from INSEAD. She is also a member of the C.D. Howe Energy Policy Council.

Mike Martelli is Chief Projects Officer of OPG’s Enterprise Projects organization. This organization takes an enterprise view of all OPG projects, to leverage project expertise across all areas of the business.

Prior to moving into his current role in August 2020, Mike held the title of President - Renewable Generation since 2013, leading a team of 1,500 skilled and dedicated team members who operate and maintain OPG’s two thermal stations, 66 hydroelectric generating stations, and a solar project. These stations are located across Ontario and have total capacity of over 10,000 megawatts (MW).

Mike is a member of OPG’s Enterprise Leadership Team and an officer of the company. He has directed major projects including the Lower Mattagami, New Post Creek, and Ranney Falls hydroelectric projects; fuel conversions of Atikokan Generating Station and Thunder Bay Generating Station from coal to biomass; and the Nanticoke Solar Project.

Mike joined OPG’s predecessor company, Ontario Hydro, in 1985. Since then he has held roles of increasing responsibility in both technical functions and plant operations at OPG site locations across Ontario including Timmins, Renfrew, Thunder Bay, Niagara Falls, and Toronto. Mike’s previous management and executive roles include Maintenance Manager, Asset Manager, Director of Engineering, VP Operations-Thunder Bay, VP Operations-Niagara, and SVP Hydro-Thermal Operations.

A graduate of the University of Waterloo, Mike holds a B.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Professional Engineer in Ontario and a graduate from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Carlton Mathias is the Chief Legal, ESG, and Governance Officer at OPG. Carlton lead’s OPG’s Law Division, OPG’s work towards accelerating Environmental, Social, and Governance performance and reporting, the Regulatory Affairs Division, and as the Chief Governance Officer is the trusted advisor to the OPG Board and leads OPG’s Corporate Governance Program. Carlton has received the Institute of Corporate Directors Designation and the ESG Global Competent Boards Designation.

Carlton is called to the Bar of Ontario, having graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School and the University of Toronto before that. He practiced first as a commercial litigator and then in energy and infrastructure law and was a partner at international Bay Street law firms. Carlton also worked at the Ministry of Energy leading the negotiation of inter-provincial power purchase agreements. Carlton has been at OPG for over 13 years.

Carlton is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors Chapter Executive for the Greater Toronto Area. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Governance Professionals of Canada and is the Chair of its Advocacy and Thought Leadership Committee. Carlton is also on the Board of Directors of PowerON Energy Solutions Inc., an OPG subsidiary that is a leader in the transit electrification business.

Carlton has been an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School instructing in both the Trial Practice and the Lawyer as Negotiator courses. 

Neal Simmons is Eagle Creek’s President and Chief Executive Officer bringing strategic leadership and strong innovation and technical expertise. Neal previously served as Senior Vice President of Engineering & Major Projects at Eagle Creek, as Vice President of Engineering at Cube Hydro, and as a professor of mechanical engineering at Duke University for 15 years. At Duke, he played a key role in the formation of Energy Engineering program. Neal remains committed to the importance of energy education and continues to teach courses at Duke on renewable energy technologies, modern power systems, hydroelectric generation, and engineering innovation. He has also overseen the rehabilitation, automation, and management of several damaged and underperforming hydroelectric projects.

Neal has started two successful engineering companies and has been granted over 30 US patents, which are licensed worldwide. He has over 90 peer reviewed publications and conference proceedings.

Neal graduated from Bucknell University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and from Duke University with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science.

Subo Sinnathamby is the Senior Vice President – Nuclear Refurbishment at OPG. She has responsibility for all aspects of the refurbishment of the remaining three units of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, to prepare the plant for 40+ additional years of low-cost, safe and reliable power generation. As a member of the Enterprise Leadership Team, Subo is also a director on the Atura Power board.

Prior to her current role, Subo was Vice President - Inspection & Reactor Innovation (IRI). In this role, she was accountable for specialized inspection and maintenance across all major components on OPG’s Nuclear and Renewable Generation stations, including Darlington Refurbishment, with an annual operating and project portfolio of $200M and workforce of over 500. Subo was responsible for delivering IRI’s internal innovation efforts and support for the enterprise. She was accountable for leveraging IRI’s internal capability and restructuring, to expand service offerings to the broader CANDU fleet.

Since joining OPG in 2001, she has held a variety of leadership positions in her 20-year tenure with the organization. Subo is a graduate from the University of Guelph, with a B.Sc. (Hons) in Environmental Engineering and has been a member of the Professional Engineers Ontario since 1998

Subo is married with two daughters.