When Mossadiq Umedaly stepped down as CEO of Xantrex Technology Inc. in 2003, it was a safe bet that he didn’t have golf on his mind. Having built a hospital in Pakistan, worked side-by-side with Firoz Rasul to get Ballard Power Systems Inc. off the ground and then guided Xantrex from start-up to the eve of a $67-million IPO, he would be looking for his next challenge.
But predicting his nomination as chair of BC Hydro this past December would have been a stretch. The lumbering Crown corporation hardly fits the mould of Umedaly’s previous conquests: all nimble start-ups that Umedaly had the opportunity to put his stamp on from day one.
Nevertheless, Umedaly insists there’s a common thread: he goes wherever he sees an exciting challenge where he thinks he can make a tangible contribution to society.
That’s not to say that Umedaly is a stranger to government policy on energy. Since being appointed co-chair of Premier Campbell’s task force on alternative energy and power technology in 2005, he has spent nearly three years plotting a course for the province in this era of climate change and alternative energy.
After only a couple of months in his new office, Umedaly took a few minutes out of a busy day to talk to BCBusiness about the challenges that lie ahead for both himself and BC Hydro.
What was your reaction when you were approached for the position?
I have built companies in the energy space for 18 years, and I have spent a few years working on policy. I’m very interested in this area, and BC Hydro is the kingpin to the whole electricity sector in B.C. So I was very pleased. It provides me with an opportunity to continue to do things that are worthwhile and to contribute to B.C.’s development through an institution that has tremendous capability and substance.
You have a history of joining entrepreneurial ventures at an early stage. Will you have the patience to stick it out if things don’t move as quickly at BC Hydro as you’re used to?
Yes, this is bigger, but there are just more zeros, that’s all. Yes, we need to make it more dynamic, but it’s a good organization with strong leadership – and I mean leadership right from the province. Through the board, and through management, I think we can make it much more innovative and dynamic.
What skills do you bring to Hydro that will make a difference?
If you go to that strategy report that I did for the government [the 2006 report of the Alternative Energy and Power Technology Task Force], you will see vision, strategy and implementation plans on a scale that’s relevant for BC Hydro. So it’s that thinking process that I bring with me. And whether something is small or big, I see it as strategy. Yes, there are different challenges, and you just deal with those as they come.
What exactly does your position as chair entail? Will you have an office at BC Hydro? Is it full-time?
Yes, I have an office at BC Hydro, and no, it is not full-time. But I am spending an awful lot of time here. I need to thoroughly understand it. I’m meeting all the key stakeholders, and I’m spending time with government to understand their vision and the energy plan.
In a 2001 interview, you predicted your tenure at Xantrex would be shorter than eight years. Sure enough, you embarked on your next venture about seven-and-a-half years after founding Xantrex. Do you want to predict how long you’ll be at BC Hydro?
Well, first I need to clarify: I haven’t left Xantrex yet; I’m still chair. But you’re quite right. In my career, it’s not difficult to predict when I will do something else because I make my mind up in advance. Within about eight or 10 years of doing something, I will do something different. And I’ve done that three times.
Does that hold for BC Hydro?
Oh yes.
What do you hope to accomplish before you leave?
The key things are laid out in Premier Campbell’s energy plan. The electricity part of that plan is what BC Hydro is responsible for. It is my job to help the corporation address the key goals: achieving self-sufficiency by 2016 with zero net greenhouse-gas emissions from all new electricity projects and acquiring 50 per cent of our incremental resources through conservation by 2020. Those are two big goals, and there are many subgoals to those goals. As the chair of the board, I completely embrace those goals.
What does a typical day look like?
Well, every day is very different, but today we met with the minister of energy, mines and petroleum resources and his deputy minister, along with the management team at Hydro. We discussed some of the key issues that we face in the next quarter: for example, the next energy call to independent power producers and how we should construct that. So today was a nice day of conversation, and that requires preparation. The management team prepares all the documents, we review them together and draw out points of how best to present it.
Back when you were climbing Mount Kilimanjaro at the age of 16, could you ever have imagined that you’d one day be sitting down with a minister and his deputy, and management of BC Hydro to talk about the future of B.C.?
Quite honestly, I didn’t know where B.C. was. But I certainly always aspired to do things that are worthwhile. You don’t know exactly how, and you don’t know where, but you know in yourself that you want to do things that are exciting. Climbing Kilimanjaro was one of those things at the time. It’s the same attitude as climbing Kilimanjaro.
On the personal side, any plans along the lines of tackling Kilimanjaro?
I don’t have a personal life. I’m thoroughly engaged in this work and that’s it, really. I’m really focused on this.
