Our Team
Martin Pudlas, P.Eng.
Chief Executive Officer
Before joining Red Leaf Pulp, Martin was VP Operations and Innovation for Canfor Pulp Products Inc. (CFX-TSX). Martin was responsible for the production of NBSK and BCTMP Pulp, High Performance Paper and Renewable Energy.
Martin has more than three decades of industry experience, with knowledge ranging across Silviculture, Engineering, Operations and Management, Low Carbon Fuels, Renewable Energy and Bio-Products. He has served on the boards of Premium One Paper, the College of New Caledonia and is a member of the Industry Advisory Board for the UBC Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
Martin holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of British Columbia and is a Registered Professional Engineer in British Columbia.
William Walls
VP, Corporate Development
Will serves as an integral member of the Red Leaf Project Development team. He is a Senior Executive with deep experience supporting other team leaders and establishing a winning corporate culture in the construction, technology, and manufacturing industries.
Over his 30 year career, Will has developed a reputation as an entrepreneurial, performance-driven executive possessing integrity, keen business acumen and achieving strong results across a range of industries. A successful closer, Will has secured more than $10B in senior debt, project debt and equity financings, most recently in P3 infrastructure, renewables and start-ups. He is also an aggressive strategic partnership builder, very experienced in identifying the corporate and community partners necessary to reduce risk, or to assist in developing a diverse and scalable team.
Will has held senior positions in finance and management with Ledcor Group, 360 networks, Corvus Energy and TRAK Capital Limited.
Rob Tarčon
VP, Supply Chain & BioProducts
Rob leads the efforts in evaluating and establishing the conversion and commercialization of by-products from Red Leaf's pulping process.
Rob brings 20+ years of proven and successful experience within the global biomass industry. Serving as Operations Manager, GM of Global Sales & Logistics, GM of Pellets/Project Development for three globally recognized forest product companies and Director/President/Chairman of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada. His involvement in private industry, national association and academia will provide invaluable insight and leadership in the areas of biomass procurement, conversion, sales, transportation and commercial activities.
Joe Hinz
Director, Fibre Procurement
Joe is responsible for advancing the Red Leaf brand, reputation and long-term feedstock supply pipeline with a focus on relationships with local producers, government and First Nations agencies.
He is an accomplished marketing, sales and operations leader with extensive experience developing and empowering high performance teams in the agribusiness industry, such as with Nutrien Ag Solutions, Crop Production Services, Viterra and the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.
Thomas Papst
Director, Project
Thomas brings over 17 years of project experience in mining and industrial settings in Europe and North America to the Red Leaf team. His expertise includes project management, engineering, construction, commissioning and start-up of green and brownfield projects. As the designated Owner’s Representative, Thomas oversees project execution and management for Red Leaf.
Mike Beattie, P.Eng., PMP
Senior Process Engineer
Mike is a Senior Engineer with over 32 years of experience in the pulp and paper industry. Mike has been involved in all aspects of process engineering/design, energy reduction, project development and project implementation. He has held various pulp mill positions including Senior Engineer/Process Control Specialist, Site Energy Manager, Mechanical Pulping Manager, Senior Operations Specialist and Pulp Mill Superintendent. Mike is a Project Management Professional and brings with him years of expertise managing projects, with a strong focus on plant and process management, and an ability to communicate effectively with the client, project team and other project stakeholders.
Doug McKenzie, P. Eng., CEM
Principal Engineer - Process
Doug is a Principal Engineer – Process with over 35 years of chemical/process engineering experience. Doug is responsible for leading/assisting corporate process engineering initiatives. He has applied his expertise to help clients reduce their conversion costs, debottleneck mill processes, optimize power consumption, and increase their capacity to generate power. Doug is a lecturer and a published author and has been awarded two patents. He also has received a BC Hydro Power Smart Energy Champion award for his leadership in energy reduction. He is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) and is licensed to practice in both British Columbia and Alberta.
