Our Team

We're purpose-built to enable businesses and communities to easily switch to renewable energy.

Sustainable Energy Platforms has a leadership team with deep expertise in designing, building and maintaining sustainable energy projects.​

Our leadership team includes:

Carol Tobian, SEP

Carol Tobian
Vice President, Business Development

As Vice President, Business Development, Carol Tobian drives Sustainable Energy Platforms’ commercial growth in North America.

 

To the role Carol brings decades of experience in the clean-tech energy space.

Carol’s background, working in wholesale energy markets, demand-response, large utility system energy conservation initiatives and renewable energy project development helps Carol deftly anticipate the needs of energy offtakers, project funders, and other key stakeholders.

When she’s not helping guide decarbonization journeys, Carol can be found aboard her sailboat with her husband and black cat off the coast of New England.

 

Carlos Fernandez, SEP

Carlos Fernandez
President

Carlos Fernandez has led the start-up of Sustainable Energy Platforms from its conception, and serves as President of the business.

To this role Carlos brings the resume of an international executive, working in Canada, Mexico, the UK and Europe in consumer and B2B markets. Carlos is widely respected in the renewable energy sector. He co-founded s2e Technologies Inc., where he continues to serve as President. Between 2009 and 2012, he served as President of Canadian Solar Solutions, where he pioneered a novel business model that resulted in several of the largest grid-scale solar developments in Canada.

Carlos lives in Waterloo, Ont., and his passion for nature is evident not just in his work, but also in the amusing wildlife rescue stories he can share.

Randy Topp, SEP

Randy Topp
Chief Operating Officer

Randy Topp serves as Chief Operating Officer of Sustainable Energy Platforms. To this role he brings three decades of experience in energy services, working as an engineer, project manager and operations leader.

In addition to his role in Sustainable Energy Platforms, Randy also holds the title of Vice President of Energy Services at Ainsworth. In this capacity, he supports the integration into Ainsworth of newly acquired companies.

 

Randy is a Professional Engineer (P. Eng), Professional PMP, and mini-MBA certificate holder. Randy has received nominations for Direct Energy Platinum Award (Okanagan and University of Calgary), an ASHRAE Award – regional level – London Regional Art and Historical Museums, and several other nominations.

 

Howard Lu, SEP

Howard Lu
VP, Operations

If you’re setting out to simplify decarbonization for commercial enterprises, somebody is going to need to manage a lot of complexity. Howard Lu, in his capacity as VP Operations, is that somebody.

Howard’s qualifications bridge the tangible world of engineering and the conceptual world of business models and contracts. This provides Sustainable Energy Platform customers with continuity and confidence as projects travel the path from design to financing, to construction, commissioning, operations and maintenance.

Howard is a Professional Engineer, a graduate of University of Toronto in Mechanical Engineering, and he holds an Executive MBA from Kellogg-Schulich. Prior to this role, Howard was Ainsworth’s Director of Innovation and Product Management.  

Steve Pepper, SEP

Steve Pepper
Chief Financial Officer

Matching shovel-ready sustainability projects with the optimal business structures and the right sources of financing is mission critical work for Sustainable Energy Platforms, and CFO Steve Pepper sits in the center of that process.

 

With more than 28 years of experience in corporate and structured finance, international credit, collection management and regulatory compliance, Steve provides Sustainable Energy Platforms with financial support services for daily operations and for project structuring and financing.

 

Steve previously worked as the Chief Risk Officer/Head of Risk of China Construction Bank (Canada), Vice President Structured Finance at Fifth Third Bank, and Head of Special Accounts at State Bank of India (Canada).

Glen Drummond, SEP

Glen Drummond
Chief Marketing Officer

Part of the way Sustainable Energy Platforms creates value is by identifying and unlocking potential synergies between stakeholder groups. One of the people found at the center of that process is Chief Marketing Officer, Glen Drummond.

 

Before joining Sustainable Energy Platforms, Glen operated a strategy and communications practice focused exclusively on innovators developing practical solutions to the crisis of climate change. Prior to that was a three-decade run in the B2B marketing agency world, serving much of that time as Chief Innovation Officer. As a teacher, over the course of two decades he created and led a series of popular undergrad and grad courses on advertising, marketing creativity, and innovation. Glen has degrees from University of Waterloo, and Wilfrid Laurier University.

In a nod to Canadian stereotypes, he’s also a hobby maple syrup producer.

 

Contact Us

Sustainable Energy Platforms has an experienced team dedicated to servicing clients in Canada and the US.

10 Front Street, PO Box 547
St. Jacobs, ON N0B 2N0