We are excited to announce that Bonnie Hoffensetz has been appointed Department Head of our Winnipeg environmental group.

Bonnie joined KGS Group as an Environmental Scientist in 1999, shortly after completing her B.Sc. in environmental sciences at the University of Manitoba. During her long tenure with KGS Group, Bonnie has advanced to become a Senior Project Manager, an Assistant Department Head and Associate Principal. She has shown tremendous growth to become a strong leader with excellent communication skills, technical proficiency and sound judgement. Bonnie also has a fearlessness in taking on challenging situations and demanding workloads.

Over the years, Bonnie has built strong relationships with many of our clients, focusing largely on contaminated sites with some involvement in nearly all the disciplines of environmental work we do at KGS. She also completed a Master of Science degree in environment and management from Royal Roads University in 2011.

Please join us in congratulating Bonnie!

International Women in Engineering Day is about celebrating the amazing work that women engineers around the world are doing to support lives and livelihoods every day. Today, we are recognizing the inspiring and talented women working at KGS Group who are helping build towards a brighter future.

KGS is committed to supporting Engineers Canada’s goal of having 30% of newly licensed engineers be female by 2030. To help reach this goal, the Women of KGS Committee was started in 2019 to support the community of women we have through professional development and networking opportunities. In addition to this, over 40% of our new hires in 2023, to date, are female-identifying, reinforcing our commitment to support and foster the growth of female engineers.

Meet some of the inspiring women we have at KGS and learn about their perspectives on the industry.

Nicole Mills P.Eng., Municipal Engineer, Saskatoon

Nicole has been working in the industry for over 16 years in the civil and land development fields. She has enjoyed a variety of work throughout her career from industrial water management projects and municipal engineering for communities to asset condition assessments and management systems.

At KGS, she works on larger municipal infrastructure projects for institutional clients and municipalities. Read below how she is helping to build towards a brighter future for women in engineering.

“I feel we all have a responsibility to lead by example. I hope that I can provide mentorship to young women in the industry. I enjoy working with young people to determine a career path that suits them, understanding that not everyone’s career goals are the same.”

Kathryn Black P.Eng., LPEI, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Regina

After graduating as one of five women in a class of 85 from the University of Saskatchewan, Kathryn was ready for a career of firsts as a mechanical engineer. At her first job, she was one of the first women to work on a mixed crew, holding positions from operations engineer to safety engineer. She was also the first woman boiler and pressure vessel inspector for the Government of Saskatchewan. With over 20 years of experience, she is passionate about seeing more woman in engineering and has worked with a lot of talented and capable female engineers.

Kathryn joined KGS in April and supports the Mechanical Group with proposals, designs, project work and business opportunities. She shares below what career advice she would give her younger self.

“Enjoy it and be the biggest sponge you can be, because the knowledge and skillset of the people around you are huge assets for your future. Never be too busy to take the time to build relationships, both career-wise and personally.”

Bianca Sharpe, Structural E.I.T., Vancouver

After graduating from the Civil Engineering Program at the University of Manitoba, she joined KGS Group as a Structural Engineer-in-Training and currently works in the Hydrotechnical Group. Her experience includes structural assessments of hydraulic structures, stability analyses and design of water retaining structures and dam safety reviews.

Below she shares what change she is still hoping to see in the industry.

“As more women choose to pursue degrees and enter the field, my hope is that this trend continues and that there will be more female leaders and mentors. I personally find it very inspiring to see a woman who is very dedicated to pursuing excellence in the engineering field.”

Kripa Mary Jose, Electrical E.I.T., Mississauga

Kripa is an electrical and computer engineering graduate specializing in power systems. Her research during her master’s degree focused on cybersecurity of substation automation systems and power quality. She also worked as a teaching assistant during the program and has previously worked as an electrical designer for conveyor system solutions in the manufacturing industry.

She joined KGS Group in May and spends her days working on specifications, transformer sizing calculations and drawings. Kripa shares her perspective on what change she has seen in the industry towards women.

“The industry has come a long way in supporting women and giving them equal opportunities. I’ve seen organizations step up with scholarships and cool groups like the Women of KGS Committee to help women engineers grow and succeed. As an electrical engineer myself, I’ve felt welcomed and even encouraged to go on site visits for hands-on learning. It’s awesome to see positive changes happening!”

We are excited to welcome Amy Deakyne and Samantha Faddis to the KGS Group U.S. team as we expand into California. We are growing our U.S. team to continue providing industry-leading service to clients in the hydropower and water resource sectors.

Amy has over 17 years of experience and has joined KGS as Regional Director Hydro Structures and Dams. She specializes in structural engineering and project management of water conveyance structures, spillways, tunnels, bridges, buildings and hydraulic structures. Amy is excited to support the opening of our new office in California, and looks forward to connecting with clients, new and old.

Samantha has over 11 years of experience and has joined KGS as Structural Design Lead. She specializes in water and wastewater infrastructure, water conveyance structures and industrial facilities. Samantha will be overseeing our structural team in California and supporting business development opportunities in the western United States.

Please join us in welcoming Amy and Samantha to KGS!

Six employees were recently promoted to prominent leadership positions within KGS.

Bruce Belmore, P.Eng., was appointed to the position of principal, the most senior role at KGS. A well-known expert in the transportation field, Bruce leads the talented staff in our transportation group who undertake a broad range of projects affecting travel, mobility and safety. He is passionate about transportation and continually strives to make our communities a better place to live, work and play.

Stefan Kohnen, P.Eng., was appointed as a principal. With extensive experience in the development and delivery of complete hydropower projects, Stefan supports the waterpower sector of the firm. He is also responsible for managing the delivery of KGS Group’s services from our Mississauga location.

Sean Bayer, P.Eng., was appointed to the position of associate principal. Sean has over 25 years of experience in regulatory, civil engineering, sales and consulting for a wide variety of clients. He oversees our Saskatchewan municipal group and specializes in small to large water treatment, wastewater and civil engineering development projects.

Bonnie Hoffensetz, M.Sc., was appointed as an associate principal. She is a senior environmental scientist and an assistant department head for our environmental department in our Winnipeg office. She has 24 years of experience in the environmental consulting industry across Western Canada and Ontario. Her expertise includes contaminated site assessment, remediation and long-term remedial monitoring programs, as well as hazardous materials assessment and emergency spill response.

Lee Peters, P.Eng., was appointed to the position of associate principal. She is a senior environmental engineer and project manager who heads our Regina geoenvironmental department and also serves as a member of our Board of Directors. Lee has more than 25 years of experience with field work, data analysis and report preparation for a variety of environmental, hydrogeological and geotechnical projects.

Dino Philopoulos, P.Eng., was appointed as an associate principal. Dino’s expertise includes structural design, construction services, project management, contract administration, as well as structural asset rehabilitation and long-term management for a wide range of projects. As regional manager of our Saskatchewan offices, he also works to foster long-term relationships with our people and clients.

“I am excited to bolster our leadership team with these appointments,” said Rick Martin, president. “These individuals bring diverse perspectives and a breadth of expertise that will help us keep pace with the ever-evolving needs of our clients.”

The newly appointed principals and associate principals will take on more leadership responsibilities at KGS over time and will remain a key part of client projects. Please join us in congratulating Bruce, Stefan, Sean, Bonnie, Lee and Dino on their promotions!

We are delighted to announce the promotion of seven long-time employees to the position of Principal, the most senior role at KGS Group:

• Dami Adedapo, P.Eng.
• David S. Brown, P.Eng.
• Jason Mann, P.Geo.
• Gord McPhail, P.Eng.
• Adam Pawlikewich, P.Eng.
• Colin Siepman, P.Eng.
• Hugh Williams, P.Eng.

“While these individuals have served as senior leaders at KGS for many years, it was time to acknowledge their contributions to the growth and success of our company,” said Rick Martin, President and Principal of KGS. “Our future is in good hands with these leaders who bring a wealth of seasoned expertise and capabilities to our team.”

The newly appointed Principals will remain a key part of client projects, providing expert oversight and mentorship as they take on more leadership responsibilities within the organization. These appointments took effect July 1, 2022.

Please join us in congratulating Dami, Dave, Jason, Gord, Adam, Colin and Hugh!

Biographies

Dami Adedapo, Ph.D., P.Eng.

Dami has over two decades of diverse experience in geotechnical and earthquake engineering, including 15 years with KGS Group. He has served as head of our geotechnical group as well as lead geotechnical engineer and project manager for a wide range of hydro, flood control, mine, dam, industrial and municipal pipeline projects. Dami provides advice on constructability, risk management and construction of a variety of design-build, EPC and design-bid-build projects from feasibility study to execution phase.

David S. Brown, M.Eng., P.Eng.

Dave has worked at KGS for 24 years and oversees our water resources groups. As a senior water resources engineer, he is responsible for the design, analysis and implementation of a wide variety of water resource and hydrologic/hydraulic projects. His experience spans all aspects of water resources engineering from flood protection to dam safety analysis to the design of hydroelectric generating stations.

Jason Mann, M.Sc., P.Geo., FGC

Jason is head of our environmental group. He has over 24 years of experience in geoscience, including 23 years with KGS, working on projects from South America to the Arctic. He is skilled in aerial photography interpretation and mapping, and in the design and execution of hydrogeological and environmental investigation and remediation projects. He also provides technical input for many large-scale, multidisciplinary flood control, hydroelectric, mine closure, industrial and institutional projects.

Gord McPhail, M.Sc., P.Eng.

Gord is a senior engineer specializing in structural and hydraulic design, planning, environmental approvals, and life extension of water control structures and hydroelectric plants. Over the course of his 30+ year career (33 years with KGS), he has served as project manager and structural and hydraulic technical specialist for the design of new or life extension of many significant dams, spillways, canals, penstocks and hydro projects.

Adam Pawlikewich, B.Sc.EE, P.Eng., LEED AP, FEC

Adam is responsible for overseeing project management and electrical design services for a broad variety of planning and construction projects, focusing on utility and energy clients. He has over 20 years of experience as an electrical engineer. Over the course of his career, Adam has gained significant experience coordinating design, planning and construction for numerous largescale industrial, hydroelectric and institutional projects.

Colin Siepman, B.Sc. CE, M.Eng., P.Eng.

Colin has over 25 years of experience in planning, design, inspection and contract administration for a wide range of projects. As a senior structural engineer, he is well versed in the assessment and rehabilitation of structures and foundations. He is also a proficient project manager with experience in scheduling, cost estimating, multi-discipline resource coordination, benefit cost analysis, presentations and public consultations for projects up to $250 million+.

Hugh Williams, B.Sc., P.Eng.

Hugh has over 25 years of experience in mechanical engineering and consulting for a wide range of clients. Hugh and his team specialize in small to large multidisciplinary projects for clients in industries such as food processing and pharmaceuticals, agribusiness, oil and gas, water resources and power generation, aerospace, and pulp and paper, among others. He provides project management and mechanical engineering design services for our clients as well as coordination and support to our firm’s other departments. Hugh also makes a valuable contribution through his role on our corporate Health and Safety Committee.