YPAC Changes the Energy Industry; now it’s your turn

From the desk of Kevin Krausert, CEO & Co-Founder of Avatar Innovations
Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash

Wow. Young Pipeliners really are capable of anything! This past summer, with a pandemic sweeping the world, oil prices nose-diving, the reality of layoffs setting in and an increasingly uncertain future, the Young Pipeliners of Canada stood up to the world and said: the future cannot be this way. Instead of falling into the fears and doubt that can come with this disruption, YPAC united. Stepped up. And accomplished something bold. Together with Avatar, YPAC brought not just hope and new ideas to the industry we love, but a path, a plan and concrete deliverable for our future. Now it’s your turn to make an impact. The next step is even bolder. And we can’t do it without you.

The YPAC x AVATAR Program which ran this summer truly changed the industry. 54 of your peers undertook an 8 week learning journey supported by the University of Calgary and some of the industry’s most senior leaders – not just to listen and learn – but also to solve some of the most pressing energy challenges our industry faces. The national press took notice. Squabbling politicians united. And the C-suites of our industry jumped in. The work of the first 54 participants of the YPAC x AVATAR Program delivered 9 transformational visions for the future of energy. After the world heard them, they became unstoppable. 5 of these ideas and technology are now in some stage of implementation– with real capital, real impact and real change. Now it’s your turn, to accomplish even more.

After the success of the YPAC x AVATAR Program and the incredible work of your peers, we realized we needed to put the structures in place to truly allow the ideas of young professionals to be implemented. Investors and C-Suites realized you were onto something transformational. It was time for Avatar to grow. With support from Industry partners, TC Energy, Enbridge and Suncor, and the support and leadership of the young professionals in this industry, Avatar Innovations launched. I made the decision to leave my former C-Suite job to jump in with both feet and unlock a better future beside you. The future is here. And we’re going to build it. Together.

The newly re-imagined Avatar Program will take-off on January 15, 2021 with sessions on Energy Economics, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Energy Policy, Indigenous Reconciliation and Technology Transformation each led by Industry titans and University professors. Through this program we want to provide you with the tools, the network and the resources needed so you can realize your greatest hopes for the industry by working on challenging, relevant projects for a bright energy future. Among these project will be carbon markets, nature-based climate solutions, methane emissions reductions, hydrogen and many more. We can’t wait to see what ideas you come up with.

The future of energy is in your hands.

As your YPAC peers and industry senior leaders will attest to, Avatar is the forum we have long needed. We couldn’t be prouder to be re-launching the Avatar Program in partnership with YPAC again. Also joining us is for this iteration is Young Women in Energy (YWE) and Young Professionals in Energy (YPE). A movement has begun. Now it’s your turn. Throw yourself in. You are capable of greatness. Just believe in yourself and in each other. This is your moment.

Register at www.avatarprogram.org