Past-Presidents

APEGA has existed for almost 100 years, and for every year of its existence, there has been a president of Council to uphold the pillars that APEGA stands for: integrity, accountability, innovation, and service. Through the decades of change and growth, the men and women listed below led APEGA’s Council.

They have worked across the globe, from Mississippi to Venezuela, but all settled their talents here in Alberta. Each came from different walks of life, from serving in the Second World War, to teaching aeronautics, to instigating first-time overseas ventures. This incredible group made its mark on the world and on APEGA.

All of these outstanding people helped make APEGA what it is today, and all were thanked for their service with an Honorary Life Membership award—a framed medallion memento—inducting them as life members of APEGA.

2007: John G.F. McLeod, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)

john-mcLeod

John McLeod was born and raised in southern New Brunswick. John attended university at College Militaire Royal in St. Jean, QC and graduated with a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton in 1970.

Following graduation, John moved west and spent 15 years with Amoco Canada Petroleum Corporation in Calgary, Edmonton, DraytonValley and Odessa, TX. He spent one year at Amoco’s ProductionResearchCenter in Tulsa, OK, and four years as chief engineer for Amoco Canada.

Since leaving Amoco Canada, John has been involved as an officer and director of smaller Canadian oil and gas companies with both domestic and international operations. In addition to projects in China, Jordan, the US, Guinea, Georgia (in the former Soviet Union), India, and Papua New Guinea, he was heavily involved in the Sudan Petroleum Project from 1991 to 1997, including as president and CEO of Arakis Energy Corp. from 1995 to 1997.

He was recently president and CEO of Rally Energy Corporation with a large heavy oil project in Egypt and exploration in PEI and in Pakistan. He has also served as an officer and/or director of upstream Exploration and Production companies with operations in California, Louisiana, Vietnam, Ontario, Michigan, the Republic of Congo, Iraq, Russia, Uganda and elsewhere in Africa.

John obtained his Professional Engineer designation from APEGGA in 1972, and served on various committees commencing in 1981. He was chair of the Career Development Advisory Committee and the Discipline Committee, and served as a member of the Enforcement Review Committee. He was elected to council and served from 1986 to 1989.

Elected to a second term on council in 2006 as president-elect, John was president in 2007 and past-president in 2008. In 2008 he was awarded an APEGGA Honorary Life Membership, 2009 he was named a fellow of Engineers Canada and in 2013 he was named an honorary fellow of Geoscientists Canada. John is also a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Calgary Petroleum Club.