Biography of Ken Petersen

Ken Petersen graduated in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree of Economics and completed graduate studies in international business in 1990 both from Carleton University. He worked abroad in London in 1987 and in 1990/91 he worked in Copenhagen as an International Personnel Consultant for Novo Nordisk A/S, the largest producer of industrial enzymes in the world and the second largest producer of insulin. Ken Petersen is the owner of Petersen Consulting, a management consulting firm established in 1991, with its head office in Timmins. In 2004, he became a Partner in Quantum Management Group Ltd. with its head office in Toronto. www.quantum-mg.com.

He has written evaluated, critiqued hundreds of business plans and leveraged millions of dollars for clients either as loans or forgivable loans in a variety of industries and company sizes.

In 1992, Mr. Petersen joined the Canadian Association of Management Consultants and is currently a Certified Management Consultant. In 1998 he completed the Alternative Dispute Resolution certificate program through the Canadian International Association of Applied Negotiation at the University of Ottawa and is a Registered Practitioner in Dispute Resolution. In May 2000, he completed the Queen’s National Executive MBA Program, Class of 2000. Mr. Petersen is recognized as an expert witness and has testified in court as a specialist in business plans, business viability and feasibilities studies.

He completed a 2 ½ year consulting contract in 1998 for Industry Canada (Aboriginal Business Canada) evaluating business plans for Industry Canada in northeastern Ontario. Over the last sixteen years Mr. Petersen has spent eight months living in remote aboriginal communities and has an understanding of the economic challenges facing First Nation communities.

Since 2000, Mr. Petersen is also a Project Advisor with the Queen’s / Cornell MBA Program working and grading projects across Canada and internationally in three MBA courses. Ken Petersen has also worked as a Third Party Evaluator for the Department of Indian Affairs regionally in Ontario and Nationally through Ottawa. He has been a consultant for the Business Development Bank of Canada since 1993. He has an enhanced reliability check completed for security clearance for working on projects for the National Research Council, Industrial Research Assistance Program.

He was the President of the Timmins Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) from 1997-2000, spearheading the creation of the International Toyota Cold Weather Research Centre, the $13 million Shania Twain Centre and doubling the TEDC annual budget. In August 2000, he was appointed to the First Council of the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario (APGO). In May 2003 he was made an honourary P.Geo by the Council for providing exceptional service to APGO. In September 2000 he was elected for a three year term to the Council of the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Ontario and served the role of Vice President and Treasurer. In 2003 he was elected to Timmins Chamber of Commerce with over 600 members and will serve as President for the 2006/2007 fiscal year. In February 2007 he became a board member of the Northern Ontario Enterprise Gateway.

Since 1996 he has been the Project Manager of the proposed Moose Cree Forest. From February 2005 to February 2006 he was the Lead Negotiator for the Attawapiskat First Nation joint ventures for the 27 initial construction contracts for the Victor Diamond Mine securing over $150 million in business for Attawapiskat businesses. He is also working with Ontario Power Generation on First Nation issues on the Lower Mattagami Development. The firm is also working on Impact Benefit Agreements (Participation Agreements) working for industry and First Nations in Ontario.