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FOUNDING PRINCIPAL - Nigel Etherington

Mr. Nigel Etherington is the Founding Principal of Planet & Company Inc., a consultancy focused on sustainability, renewable energy and technology innovation in support of the circular economy. His mission is to accelerate companies’ development of profitable and sustainable business strategies that reduce environmental footprints and demonstrate leadership in corporate social responsibility. 

He began his career with Ontario Hydro and furthered it in England with graduate work and technical consulting for PA Technology. In 1989, he joined McKinsey & Company, where he served Fortune 500 company senior management on a range of strategy and operations performance initiatives for seven years. His subsequent executive leadership roles have encompassed several technology based start-ups such as the Canadian launch of E*Trade’s on-line brokerage, Fidelity Investment’s Canadian mutual fund back office, and Potentia Solar, now Ontario’s largest rooftop independent power producer. Prior to Potentia Solar he was COO of Potentia Energy Services LP, which provided energy efficiency and on-site renewable energy services to commercial and institutional real-estate owners, including developing energy storage, district energy and commercial geothermal systems.

Mr. Etherington holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Engineering Physics from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and a M.Sc. degree from the University of London in England. He completed a Mini-MBA with McKinsey & Company. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the province of Ontario, and holds Canadian Securities Institute designations. He was a former member of the Canadian Solar Industries Association Board of Directors, and is on the advisory board of Efficiency Capital Inc.  In 2013 Nigel was CANSIA’s President Award winner, chair of EUCI's conference 'Securing Ontario's Grid of the Future - Together', and Canada Energy Summit 2014.

Please contact Nigel

e: nigel@planetandcompany.ca

c: 416-399-7569

View his LinkedIn Profile 

PRINCIPAL - Bob Waddell

Mr. Bob Waddell teamed up with Nigel in 2018, bringing skills in solar thermal, alternative fuels and hydrogen to their common solar PV experience. He began his career at H.H. Angus Consulting Engineers as a project manager in the Mechanical Engineering group, then subsequently moving to Ottawa as office manager and to oversee large federal projects such as the National Gallery and the National Aviation Museum.  Following this Building Engineering experience, he returned to University to do an MBA, focusing on international business and marketing strategy.   

His experience since has included M&A management in the automotive industry, two company startups, including developing Canada’s first mid-engine award winning supercar and successfully building on new digitizing technology to create and sell a white-light/laser digitizing metrology company.  Formerly he played lead renewable energy development efforts - both solar PV and thermal - serving clients in Canada and the United States, primarily as Engineering Director and General Manager with Centrosolar, previously one of the largest solar PV module manufacturers and distributors in the EU. His more recent focus has been consulting in the hydrogen energy business, as a complimentary technology augmenting the significant cost decrease in renewable energy and energy storage. 

Mr. Waddell holds a B.A.Sc. Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. He is a licensed professional engineer in the province of Ontario, and Past Chair (2015) of the Canadian Solar Industries Association Board of Directors.  His time on the Board was from 2011 to 2016 and included roles as Sponsoring Director of the Micro-FIT committee (residential solar) and of the Ontario PV Caucus. 

He has worked to build the renewable and alternative energy business and has spoken at solar conferences in Ontario and Alberta on behalf of CanSIA as well as speaking to industry and all levels of the Provincial and Federal governments.  He has a  passion for clean technologies as demonstrated with the development of a natural gas powered supercar, continuing on to solar energy and subsequently the application of hydrogen as one of the next major energy platforms.

Please contact Bob:

e: bob@planetandcompany.ca

c: 416-988-0332