The Government of Canada has appointed Fred Dermarkar to take over as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) effective February 7, 2021.
Fred will replace Richard Sexton, who will retire after 38 years in the industry when his mandate ends in February. Richard has served as AECL’s President and CEO since February 2018, and was interim President and CEO and Acting Chief Transition Officer of AECL for almost two years prior to that.
“I would like to thank Richard for his service to AECL over the past five years. He has played an integral role in establishing AECL as a strong oversight organization and in advancing AECL’s nuclear science and environmental remediation mandates”, said James Burpee, Chair of the Board of AECL.
“It has been an honour to be part of the renewal of nuclear research and development in Canada at a time when nuclear energy is recognized as an important part of Canada’s low-carbon energy goals”, said Richard Sexton.
Fred Dermarkar will join AECL following close to seven years as the President and CEO of the CANDU Owners Group (COG). Prior to that, he held a variety of technical and executive positions at Ontario Power Generation (OPG), and has 40 years experience in the Canadian nuclear sector. “As countries around the world consider the importance of nuclear energy as part of a clean energy mix, AECL has an important role to play in seeing that Canada remains at the forefront of nuclear innovation. I am excited to contribute to AECL’s success in that area and to advance AECL’s environmental remediation mandate”, said Fred Dermarkar.
As a federal Crown corporation, AECL’s mandate is to enable nuclear science and technology and to protect the environment by fulfilling the Government of Canada’s radioactive waste and decommissioning responsibilities.