Gary Newman

Chief Engineer, Senior Vice President of Engineering 
Bruce Power

Gary Newman is Chair of the Board of Directors at Conexus Nuclear Inc., where he provides strategic leadership to advance industry collaboration, innovation, and the long-term success of CANDU technology.

In his executive role at Bruce Power, Gary carries the responsibility for all Engineering activity at Bruce Power and holds the Design Authority for the Bruce Power site.  With more than three decades of experience in the nuclear industry, Gary has held senior leadership roles at Ontario Hydro, Ontario Power Generation, and AMEC Nuclear Safety Solutions, with deep expertise in fuel channels, structural integrity, and reactor components.

Gary is an active contributor to industry and academic organizations, and holds Director positions at the Nuclear Innovation Institute (NII), the University Network of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering (UNENE) (Vice-Chairman), as well as the Advanced Nuclear Research Centre (ANRC) Strathclyde).

Gary holds a Master of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

Emily Tarle

Vice President of Advanced Inspection & Maintenance
Ontario Power Generation

Emily Tarle has more than 20 years of experience in nuclear operations, project delivery, and engineering management. She has led large teams delivering inspection, maintenance, and technical services across OPG’s nuclear and non-nuclear facilities, and has contributed her expertise through advisory roles with the INPO National Academy for Nuclear Training and the Darlington New Nuclear Review Board. A strong advocate for diversity in STEM, she mentors women in the industry and engages with organizations such as Women in Nuclear and The Prosperity Project. In 2021, she was recognized as one of WXN’s Top 100 Canada’s Most Powerful Women, and she joined the Conexus Board in 2025.

John Osborne

Vice President, Central Technical Authority & Chief Nuclear Officer
Canadian Nuclear Laboratories

John Osborne is Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ Vice President, Central Technical Authority and Chief Nuclear Officer, with more than 25 years of experience across Canada’s nuclear sector. In this role, he oversees nuclear operations, regulatory compliance, engineering, safeguards, and safety culture, and maintains CNL’s primary regulatory interface with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. John has held senior leadership roles across maintenance, radiation protection, emergency preparedness, and nuclear operations at CNL, and previously served as Atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s (AECL) Vice President for Capital Programs, Operations & Security, supporting major site revitalization initiatives and safe, secure operations across AECL-owned sites. Earlier in his career, he served 15 years in the Royal Canadian Navy in senior engineering and operational roles. He joined the Conexus Board in 2026. 

Jason Nouwens

Director, External Affairs

New Brunswick Power

Jason Nouwens is the Director, External Affairs based at New Brunswick Power's (NB Power) Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station. He brings nearly 25 years of nuclear experience to the Conexus Board. Nouwens joined the board in May 2021 as NB Power's representative. Nouwens first joined Point Lepreau in 1997, as a member of the systems engineering team, where he served in a number of supervisory and management roles for more than a decade. In 2014, Nouwens transitioned to the regulatory affairs (RA) team as manager before being appointed director, regulatory affairs and performance improvement in 2016. He served in that role until appointment as Director, External Affairs in 2021.

​Dumitru Benchea

Engineering Director
Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica, Romania

Dumitru Benchea is SNN's Engineering Director with 20 years of experience in various positions at Cernavoda Nuclear. He started in his current role in December 2020 and oversees areas including systems, components and design engineering as well as capital projects and IT. Benchea also leads station committees in the areas of design modification and condition reporting, among others. Prior to his current role, Benchea served as Cernavoda's Systems Engineering Senior Superintendent and spent six years in a similar role focused on design and technical support. He also worked for nine years (2002-2011) as a design engineer at Cernavoda. Benchea studied electrical engineering at Dunarea de Jos University in Galati, Romania. He joined the Conexus board in January 2021.

Cassidy McFarlane

General Counsel
Hydro One 

Cassidy McFarlaneis responsible for the law, corporate ethics and corporate secretary functions, as well as the Pension Division at Hydro One. She is an experienced and dedicated leader with a deep knowledge of the sector. Having joined Hydro One in 2001, Ms. McFarlane has 25 years of experience and has been involved in many transformational changes in the company’s history, including the initial public offering of Hydro One in 2015.

Cassidy is also a Board member of the Ontario Energy Network. She holds a BA in Political Science from McGill University and an LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School. She joined the Conexus Board as its first external member in 2026.