FULL: John Dielwart (TransAlta/ARC Resources) - 1st Montney Wells & Canadian Power Markets

Greetings, and welcome back to the podcast.

This episode, we are joined by Mr. John Dielwart - Chairman of TransAlta a TSX listed ectricity generation and wholesale marketing company with a market cap of ~$7 billion.

Mr. Dielwart was formerly Chief Executive Officer of ARC Resources Ltd., which owns and operates oil and gas properties in Western Canada. He oversaw the growth of ARC Resources from start-up in 1996 to a company with a total capitalization of approximately $10 billion at the time of his retirement.

After his retirement from ARC Resources on January 1, 2013, Mr. Dielwart re-joined ARC Financial Corp. as Vice-Chairman and Partner. ARC Financial is Canada’s leading energy-focused private equity manager.

In 2020, Mr. Dielwart resigned from the board but remained as Partner and member of ARC Financial’s Investment and Governance committees, and currently represents ARC Financial on the board of Aspenleaf Energy Limited.

Mr. Dielwart has a Bachelor of Science with distinction (civil engineering) from the University of Calgary. He is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta and is a past-Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

In 2015, Mr. Dielwart was inducted into the Calgary Business Hall of Fame and in 2018 he received the Oil and Gas Council’s Canadian Lifetime Achievement Award.

Among other things we learned about Building ARC Resources, 1st Montney Wells & Canadian Power Markets.

Thank you to our sponsors.

Without their support this episode would not be possible:

Connate Water Solutions: https://connatewater.com/
ATB Capital Markets: https://atbcm.atb.com/expertise/inves...
EPAC: https://explorersandproducers.ca/
Astro Oilfield Rentals: https://astrorentals.ca/
Platinum Endeavors: https://platinumendeavors.ca/
Treeline Well Services: https://www.treelinewell.com/

Timecodes:

00:00:00 — Intro & opening remarks
00:04:07 — Starting with no clear path
00:08:18 — Early opportunities & growth
00:12:11 — Career decision moments
00:16:28 — Joining an energy venture
00:20:15 — Leaving research work
00:24:30 — Shifting business model
00:28:20 — Capital returns philosophy
00:32:26 — Decentralized business units
00:36:26 — Leadership vs. operators
00:40:33 — Lessons from mentors
00:44:22 — Staying grounded in success
00:48:30 — Playing the long game
00:52:32 — Leadership principles
00:56:38 — Culture as foundation
01:00:32 — Developing strong leaders
01:04:42 — Accountability in leadership
01:08:41 — Smart capital allocation
01:12:52 — Building business relationships
01:16:42 — Avoiding ego in leadership
01:20:58 — Stakeholder balance
01:25:02 — Trust & integrity in teams
01:28:59 — Risk-taking in business
01:33:10 — Regulation & market dynamics
01:37:08 — Capital discipline & growth
01:41:29 — Long-term valuation mindset
01:45:19 — Media & public narrative
01:49:25 — Free speech & open dialogue
01:53:22 — The misinformation challenge
01:57:41 — Bridging societal divides
02:01:33 — Complexity in modern issues
02:05:27 — Journalism’s responsibility
02:09:23 — Leadership legacy lessons
02:13:28 — Final reflections & closing