Karen Hamberg

Karen grew up in Brandon, Manitoba—also known as “The Wheat City.”

“Growing up there, even if you’re not farming, you form an understanding of the weather, the seasons, and how changes or abnormalities affect people’s lives and livelihoods.”

This interest in climate shifts and their effects led Karen to study geography at university.

“I found the intersection of the environment, conservation, sustainability—and how they contribute to economic and social prosperity—fascinating.”

When choosing her master’s discipline, degrees in environmental policy and science weren’t yet available. So, Karen sought out and found a university happy to let her tailor a master’s program to her areas of interest.

After graduating, Karen worked in environmental conservation before joining Vancouver-based cleantech company Westport Fuel Systems. The company supplies a proprietary high-pressure direct injection (HPDI) technology, invented at the University of British Columbia, that reduces greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by enabling diesel engines to run on liquified natural gas (LNG).

“We set out to disrupt heavy-duty trucking by using natural gas instead of diesel. And we grew from a cleantech company in Vancouver with a cool idea into a tier-one global automotive supplier—a big milestone we achieved during my time there.”

“In the beginning, the market drivers weren’t focused on climate change. They were public health and air quality and energy security. Early markets were California and China, where air pollution was a big problem. It wasn’t until regulations were introduced to limit GHGs that we saw a shift in focus from air quality to tackling climate change.”

After 20 years in various roles at Westport, Karen sought a new challenge in which she could leverage her experience in a small Canadian firm that transformed its business model and operations to become a global cleantech player.

“Canada has all these remarkable climate tech companies at different stages of maturity. Large corporates and emitters need technology solutions to reach net-zero. But they often aren’t aware of the technology developed in Canada. There is an opportunity to advise on the pace and sequencing of a climate tech investment strategy. How do companies navigate this noisy, exciting technology landscape? Who should they partner with, invest in, or buy for competitive advantage?”

“This is why I joined Deloitte. They understood Canada’s need for a climate technology practice that can match the smaller cleantech companies looking to expand their markets with the big corporates that need tech solutions to reach their 2030 and 2050 goals.”

What keeps Karen going when she faces discouraging moments on the net-zero journey are the people that work in the climate space and the amount of capital now flowing into the sector.

“I get to see the ambitious, smart, public-minded entrepreneurs, the tech they’re developing to solve this great climate challenge, and how they are finding capital, talent, and commercial markets for their solutions.”

Asked to recommend a climate influencer, Karen chose Mary Nichols, an American attorney and former chair of the California Air Resources Board who has played a crucial role in the progress California and the United States have made toward healthy air.

“She’s one of the most successful environmental and climate regulators in the world. A pragmatist, Nichols can recognize the different interests of businesses, industry, the community, policymakers, and regulators and find common ground to get things done.”

Nichols championed some of the world’s most robust industrial regulations and innovative environmental programs, including Assembly Bill 32 to reduce CO₂ emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 (a goal California hit in 2016) and California’s cap-and-trade program, the first of its kind in North America.

“A new technology doesn’t replace old technology. A system must replace a system. For example, electrifying transport isn’t just switching from gasoline cars to EVs. You also need the battery supply chain, the vehicles, charging infrastructure, and clean energy sources.”

“Cleantech needs to be deployed within a coherent commercial ecosystem. We’ve built a readiness framework that extends the concept of readiness beyond technical performance to include market viability, supportive policy and regulations, and the capacity of the cleantech company itself. It helps guide investment decisions, highlights barriers to adoption, and identifies priority action areas.” To learn more, read Deloitte’s latest report, Scaling solutions: Accelerating the commercialization of made-in-Canada clean technology.

“To decarbonize Canada’s economy, we need scientists, technicians, and engineers. But equally vital are change agents—people who can work out how to build a tech strategy that can commercialize and operationalize a net-zero commitment.”