Our Executive Committee

Derek Wilson is President and CEO of the NWMO. He is responsible for implementing Canada’s plan for the safe, long-term management of intermediate- and high-level radioactive waste. Wilson joined the NWMO in 2009 and was appointed to the role of President and CEO in 2026.

Wilson previously served as Chief Operating Officer at the NWMO, overseeing all operational aspects of our mandate, including operational readiness projects, field activities, supply chain, procurement, information technology and other functions. Prior to that role, he served as the NWMO’s Vice-President of Construction and Projects, which included implementing the Adaptive Phased Management technical and field assessment programs and managing the NWMO’s past work with Ontario Power Generation to obtain regulatory approval for a proposed deep geologic repository to store low- and intermediate-level waste.

Wilson is a mining engineer with more than 30 years of experience in the mining and heavy construction industries, primarily in project and operational management roles. Before joining the NWMO, he worked with the mining division of AMEC and with Holcim Canada.

Chris Boyle is Vice-President and Project Director (Design and Construction Project) at the NWMO. He is responsible for leading the integrated project team that will design and plan Canada’s deep geological repository for used nuclear fuel in northwestern Ontario.

Prior to joining the NWMO in 2011, Boyle worked in automotive manufacturing, biomechanics, and defence science, research and development, with a focus on innovation and design optimization. He holds a bachelor and master of applied science in mechanical engineering from Queen’s University.

Caitlin Burley previously served as Regulatory Decision-Making Project Director and Director of Strategic Programs and Transportation at the NWMO.

Earlier in her career, she supported and led federal and provincial assessments for projects including the Cliffs Chromite Project, the Wataynikaneyap Transmission Project and the Bruce C Nuclear Project. She also worked on ExxonMobil’s Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas Project, and led First Nation community readiness policy through Ontario’s Ring of Fire Secretariat.

Burley holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Ottawa, a master of applied science degree in environmental management from Toronto Metropolitan University, and accreditation in consultation and dialogue from the International Association for Public Participation.

Lisa Frizzell is the Vice-President of Communications at the NWMO. Before joining the organization in 2012, Ms. Frizzell worked in communications for a number of corporate, academic and government organizations in Canada and the United States. Her focus is in strategic communications, and she brings extensive experience as a communications leader, primarily in the energy sector. Ms. Frizzell holds a Bachelor of Public Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University and an Executive Master of Business Administration from the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business.

Sarah Hirschorn is Chief Operating Officer at the NWMO. Her background is in geochemistry. Since joining the NWMO in 2008, she has worked across the organization in research and development, geoscience, project management and site characterization programs associated with Canada’s plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel. In her previous role as Vice-President of Projects, she led a team that executed technical and field programs for the NWMO.

Hirschorn obtained her bachelor and doctoral degrees in earth sciences (then geology) from the University of Toronto, where she is currently an adjunct professor.

Leigh Ann Layno is the Vice-President of Human Resources, and Chief Ethics Officer at the NWMO. Ms. Layno oversees programs related to employee and labour relations, recruitment and talent management, total rewards, ethics and wellness. Ms. Layno is a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) with over 25 years of experience across multiple sectors, specializing in labour relations within multi-union environments. Prior to joining the NWMO in 2017, she held several leadership roles, including Director of Human Resources at the National Ballet of Canada and Senior Industrial Relations Consultant at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Jeff Quick is the Chief Financial and Risk Officer for the NWMO. Mr. Quick is a seasoned financial professional with more than 30 years of North American financial and business leadership. Prior to joining NWMO, Mr. Quick served as Chief Financial Officer for STARS, a Western Canada based helicopter emergency medical services organization, where he was responsible for an extensive portfolio including Finance, Information Technology, Human Resources, Facilities and Legal. Over the course of his career, Mr. Quick has held several leadership roles including Vice President Consumer Database Marketing Services and Vice President Strategic Planning and Business Development Alliance Data Systems, a Dallas based company. Prior to that Mr. Quick led Strategic Planning and Business Development for Loyalty One, the owner of AIR MILES loyalty programs.

Mr. Quick is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D).

Shanu Shaikh is Vice-President and Chief Engineer at the NWMO. He has been with the NWMO since 2012. In his previous role as Design Authority and Director of Integration Management, he was responsible for establishing and managing the engineering and design controls employed by the NWMO during the implementation of our key projects. He was also instrumental in the NWMO’s past work supporting Ontario Power Generation's efforts to obtain regulatory approval for a proposed deep geologic repository to store low- and intermediate-level waste.

Shaikh is a registered professional mechanical engineer with more than 23 years of experience in the nuclear, biomedical and manufacturing industries, primarily in design development and project management roles. Before joining the NWMO, he worked at Ontario Power Generation in the Plant Design division at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, in the nuclear division of AMEC supporting the Bruce A Restart Project, and with the product development division of Tetra Tech (formerly Wardrop Engineering Inc.).

Doug Taylor is Vice-President and General Counsel, and Board Secretary at the NWMO. He is responsible for NWMO’s real estate portfolio and providing legal counsel on all aspects of the NWMO’s business including all Board secretarial matters. Prior to joining the NWMO, Mr. Taylor worked at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP and at the Independent Electricity System Operator. He also practised for over 15 years in law firms in the United Kingdom, including eight as a Partner. Mr. Taylor holds a Bachelor of Law LLB (First Class Honours) from Aberdeen University in Scotland and a Master of Law LLM from Dalhousie University. He is called to the Bar in Ontario and Scotland.