Calgary Senior Consultants

Astrid Gagnier, Senior Consultant

Astrid Gagnier’s experience in strategic communications planning, stakeholder relations and aboriginal affairs is derived from more than a decade of working with resource industries in Alberta and British Columbia. Her strategic planning experience ranges from managing communications around issue-sensitive regulatory approval processes to First Nations consultation and protocol developments. She brings on-the-ground experience in working with community coalitions and advisory committees as well as at-the-table participation in land use planning and Treaty Tables. Astrid’s background in corporate communications and journalism has given her a deft hand in developing full suites of communications materials. Her corporate experience has also given her significant expertise in sustainability issue management, triple-bottom-line reporting and reputation management.

Michelle Harries, Senior Consultant

For more than 20 years, Michelle Harries has worked in a wide variety of industries and roles. She began her career as a journalist and moved into corporate communications. Her experience spans oil and gas and heavy industry, politics, non-profit and environmental communications. She has held management positions in crisis communication, issues management and stakeholder engagement, community investment, internal communications and marketing/communications functions. She has been a corporate spokesperson for a multinational oil and gas company and a project communications lead for another multi-billion-dollar oil sands development. Before coming to Canada in 1998, she worked in Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Her focus is on protecting a client’s overall reputation by leveraging ongoing good work and integrating strategic messaging.

Larry E. Veilleux,

Senior Consultant, Aboriginal Engagement

Larry Veilleux has more than 25 years of experience working with First Nations, including almost two decades in senior Community and Aboriginal Affairs roles with Ranger Oil, PanCanadian Petroleum and Willbros Canada, and as a senior consultant with Golder Associates Ltd. He is an accomplished executive with experience in domestic and international operations, strategic conflict analysis, management of operations in culturally sensitive work areas, and business development partnerships. He has had “on the ground” experience with First Nations consultation in B.C., including Haida Gwaii and northeast B.C., and in Alberta and the N.W.T. He was Chairman of the CAPP Community and Aboriginal Relations Committee for five years, has a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture/Economics from the University of Alberta and a Bachelor of Education in Adult Literacy from the University of Calgary.