About Us

Chris Bakker has over two decades of experience in oil and gas, most recently working as a commercial negotiator with Encana/Ovintiv for major facilities and pipelines in the Montney gas play. His expertise includes all facets of Natural Gas Exploration such as land acquisition, exploration, drilling, well production and facility integration and construction. His educational background includes a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Economics and, later in his career, an MBA.

D. Brad Paterson has over 28 years’ experience acting as a senior officer of listed companies.  In these roles he has developed a thorough knowledge of management and financial accounting, corporate finance, cross-board transactions, corporate governance, and the regulatory markets.  He has led and consulted in the public listing of private companies and corporate re-structurings, business and asset valuations and acquisitions, and facilitated prospectus, brokered and non-brokered financings in excess of $76 million for private and public companies.  Additionally, he was a contract sessional instructor for the risk management and insurance courses of the Institute of Canadian Bankers.  Prior, he has worked as a senior analyst for a private equity and mezzanine-financing firm.

Mr. Paterson has earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Graduate Diploma in Management Accounting from the University of Alberta.  In addition, he has completed the Canadian Securities Course and has received the Chartered Professional Accountants and Certified Management Accountant designations.

Genga Nadaraju holds over two decades of diverse professional experience in the oil and gas industry that includes asset exploitation, strategic planning, investor relations, and technical innovation. Most recently, she was the lead technical advisor for the Montney gas field and has extensive experience in natural gas Geology, Geophysics & Reservoir Characterization. Ms. Nadaraju brings strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to interact effectively with all stakeholders within the organization, both internally and externally.

Cam Buss is a professional engineer with 28 years’ experience. Mr. Buss worked for Encana (now Ovintiv) for twenty-five years taking on roles up to Senior Manager in both upstream and midstream oil & gas. His broader experience includes O&G development, long range planning, infrastructure planning and design, production operations and completions engineering. He is driven by performance in meeting and exceeding targets and continually innovating. Mr. Buss attended the University of Alberta and received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering.

Carter Chalmers is a senior business leader with over a decade of experience in business development and corporate development, including marketing communications and investor relations across a wide range of mediums from mining, technology and oil and gas data solutions. He is experienced in all aspects of digital marketing, communications, corporate development and investor relations for multiple start-ups and TSXV and CSE-listed companies. Prior to Avanti, Mr. Chalmers co-founded Terrelium resources as a pure-play helium company.

Richard Balonhas over 30 years of experience in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. He is a technically focused geophysicist with a proven track record working extensive analysis of 2D and 3D seismic data across some of the largest oil and gas fields in Canada. Mr. Balon holds a B.Sc. Geophysics from the University of Manitoba and is a member of APEGA (P.Geoph.), SEG, CSEG, CSPG.

Chad Lerner has over 23 years of experience in many aspects of energy exploration. He has extensive experience in commercial agreements, joint ventures, business development and land acquisition strategy. His experience has focused on junior and emerging energy companies having been involved in both private and public energy entities. Mr. Lerner is a graduate (1998) of the University of Calgary, holding a Bachelor of Commerce Degree with a major in Petroleum Land Management.

Darrel Zacharias has 29 years of technical and managerial experience in the Canadian energy industry. His knowledge of many play types comes from having generated, evaluated and drilled hundreds of prospects in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin during his career. He also has 10 years of executive-level experience at publicly traded companies, including most recently as Vice President – Exploration at Chinook Energy Inc. Mr. Zacharias is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan (B.Sc. Geology, 1993) and is a member of APEGA (P.Geol.).

Chris Bakker has over two decades of experience in oil and gas, most recently working as a commercial negotiator with Encana/Ovintiv for major facilities and pipelines in the Montney gas play. His expertise includes all facets of Natural Gas Exploration such as land acquisition, exploration, drilling, well production and facility integration and construction. His educational background includes a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Economics and, later in his career, an MBA.

Genga Nadaraju holds over two decades of diverse professional experience in the oil and gas industry that includes asset exploitation, strategic planning, investor relations, and technical innovation. Most recently, she was the lead technical advisor for the Montney gas field and has extensive experience in natural gas Geology, Geophysics & Reservoir Characterization. Ms. Nadaraju brings strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to interact effectively with all stakeholders within the organization, both internally and externally.

Brad is a prominent business and community leader based in Calgary. He brings a wealth of experience from his roles in both the private and public sectors, spanning various industries. His extensive Board of Directors experience includes organizations involved in regulatory and policy-making activities with government agencies, boards, and commissions, as well as significant work with First Nations. Brad's background features comprehensive Profit & Loss oversight, strategic planning, and strategy execution, along with managing numerous corporate initiatives and major projects across diverse organizations.

Currently, Brad serves on the Board of Directors for the Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council, Calgary Co-operative Association, Care Group of Pharmacies, Mistahiya Development Corporation, and the Real Estate Insurance Exchange. His notable past board experience includes the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission, cSPACE Projects, the Calgary Convention Centre Authority, and the Safety Codes Council of Alberta.

Brad holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Royal Roads University, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban and Regional Studies from the University of Lethbridge, and the Institute of Corporate Directors ICD.D designation.

Clark Schow is a Corporate Director.  Mr. Schow is also the Founder and Director of Legal Services of EXG Legal, a law firm in Calgary, Alberta.  His practice focuses on general corporate work, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, commercial contracts, real estate, and banking and finance. Prior to the creation of EXG Legal, Mr. Schow was a member of the energy and infrastructure practice group at a national law firm in Calgary and worked as in-house counsel for one of Canada’s largest integrated oil and gas companies.  His energy/oil and gas experience include international project development work, drafting and negotiating asset purchase and sale agreements, conventional and offshore oil and gas transactions, conducting large-scale oil and gas due diligence reviews and managing day-to-day oil and gas and commercial matters. Mr. Schow also serves as Executive Member of the Calgary Minor Basketball Association.  He earned law Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) Degrees from the University of Alberta.