Energy & Environmental Services

Graham Stephens

Sales & Business Development Executive Water Treatment & RO Specialist Strategic Advisor Western Canada

Strategic sales and business development executive with 30+ years unlocking growth in Western Canada's most demanding energy and environmental services markets. Deep specialist expertise in water treatment process design — RO, membrane technology, basal aquifer and produced water systems — combined with a commercial instinct that has converted over $300M in contracts across oil & gas, mining, petrochemical, and construction sectors.

$300M+
Contracts Secured
80×
Revenue Growth
30+
Years Experience
$180M+
Opportunities Identified
Connect with Graham

Where strategy
meets execution

01
Strategic Business Development & Client Engagement
02
Revenue Modeling, Financial Planning & Budget Management
03
Pipeline Management & CRM Analytics — Salesforce, MS Dynamics, Pipeline
04
Water Treatment Process Design — RO, UF, MFT/FFT, Basal Aquifer & Produced Water Systems
05
Team Leadership, Coaching & Channel Development
06
M&A Target Identification & Market Intelligence
07
Sales Strategy Development & Digital Fluency
08
Stakeholder Collaboration & Cross-Functional Delivery

A track record
built in the field

February 2024 — Present · Edmonton, AB
Environmental 360 Solutions Ltd.
Sales Director, Environmental Services
Leading Western Canada business development across petrochemical, industrial, construction, and mining sectors.
  • $180M+ in strategic opportunities identified and converted to multi-year contracts through direct-sourced lead generation and technical sales.
  • Sourced and won Oil Sands site services contracts valued at >$12M against a $1M budget expectation — a 12× return.
  • Architected and advanced a $100M+ saline/basal aquifer water treatment solution for oil sands clients — encompassing full RO-based process design, high-TDS brine management, pre-treatment sequencing, and team buildout from concept through commercial close; expected Q1 2026.
  • Built and leads a field sales team of 9; recruited 6 of 11 Western Canada reps, driving CRM activity completions up 150% through structured coaching and Pipeline metrics enablement.
  • Identified M&A targets in specialized services, analyzing client market share, pricing, and revenue models for leadership.
  • Drives annual sales & marketing budget planning, competitive standing offers, and cross-division collaboration with operations and logistics.
January 2018 — December 2023 · Edmonton, AB
Secure Energy
Senior Executive, Business Development
Led strategic account growth across Oil Sands, expanding client acquisition to nearly every major site in Western Canada through innovative service development.
  • Grew annual revenue contribution to $120M by penetrating nearly every Oil Sands site — CNRL, Suncor, Syncrude, Kearl — through innovative solutions including basal water treatment, haz/non-haz waste T&D, and sulphur blocking.
  • Managed multi-year, complex project portfolios exceeding $5M per contract annually, contributing to $120M in divisional revenue.
  • Developed and validated water treatment process designs for high-TDS/TSS environments — including membrane pre-treatment, chemical precipitation, and brine handling — progressing solutions from lab-scale concept through full-scale field implementation.
  • Led CNRL and Suncor basal water treatment programs from initial scoping and feasibility through engineering validation, procurement support, and operational handoff — applying reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, and antiscalant chemistry across both sites.
  • Developed and positioned novel sulphur blocking and haz waste service lines as integrated environmental solutions, unlocking multi-site adoption across the Athabasca Oil Sands.
February 2017 — January 2018 · Edmonton, AB
Finning Canada
Manager, Strategic Pricing
Designed enterprise-wide loyalty and tiered pricing programs across Finning's $3B client portfolio.
  • Generated $36M in trackable incremental revenue through predictive Excel modeling and tiered discount structures applied across all client segments.
  • Set KPIs to drive 4% parts churn increase and 11.6% profitability improvement on a $750M parts sales budget, yielding $87M in improved revenue.
2010 — 2017 · Fort McMurray, AB
Newalta Inc.
Manager, Heavy Oil Sales
Built and led a heavy oil sales team from a single site operation into a dominant multi-site presence across Oil Sands.
  • Grew revenue 80× — from one site at $1.5M/year to nearly all Oil Sands sites at $120M/year — securing over $250M in contracts across the period.
  • Pioneered commercialization of MFT/FFT (Mature & Fluid Fine Tailings) technology — designing water reclamation and solids management processes for high-suspended-solids tailings streams; launched onsite slop oil treatment, pond dredging, lime slurry processing, and waste management service lines, many of which continue operating under Secure Energy today.
  • Applied lime softening, coagulation/flocculation, and mechanical dewatering process knowledge to develop repeatable treatment trains for oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) streams across multiple operators.
  • Developed KPIs, client engagement plans, and marketing programs that established long-term oil sands agreements and positioned the division as the preferred environmental water services partner.

Water Treatment &
Membrane Technology

From concept-stage process design to multi-site commercial deployment — translating complex water chemistry into revenue-generating environmental solutions for Canada's most demanding operators.

Graham's water treatment expertise spans more than a decade of hands-on engagement with oil sands produced water, basal aquifer systems, and high-TDS industrial streams. He bridges the gap between engineering and commercial reality — designing treatment processes, validating performance, assembling technical teams, and structuring the contracts that make large-scale water infrastructure viable.

His work spans the full treatment train: pre-treatment (coagulation, flocculation, media filtration, DAF/IAF de-oiling), primary membrane systems (ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis), concentrate management, and brine disposition — including zero liquid discharge (ZLD) pathway analysis for saline aquifer programs where disposal is not an option.

Currently advancing a $100M+ basal/saline water treatment solution through final commercial close — the largest water treatment procurement initiative he has led to date.

Process Simulation — Oil Sands Water Treatment Train Centrifuge · UF · RO · Brine Management
SOLIDS DISCHARGE BRINE CONCENTRATE 52,000 mg/L TDS FEED WATER Saline / Basal Aquifer PUMP COAGULATION Polymer Dosing DRIVE FEED DECANTER CENTRIFUGE 3,220 RPM ΔN 12 RPM Clarified → ↓ Dewatered Cake ULTRAFILTRATION Membrane Pre-treat RO-1 RO-2 RO-3 RO-4 850 PSI REVERSE OSMOSIS High-Pressure Membranes <42 mg/L TDS PERMEATE PRODUCT Treated Water OIL SANDS PRODUCED WATER TREATMENT — PROCESS SIMULATION
Process Technology Capabilities
Primary Separation
Reverse Osmosis (RO)
High-pressure spiral-wound & tubular RO for high-TDS saline and basal aquifer water; brine concentration and permeate recovery optimization
Pre-Treatment
Ultrafiltration & Nanofiltration
UF membrane pre-treatment to protect downstream RO elements; NF for divalent ion removal and partial softening before high-pressure stages
Solids Management
Coagulation, Flocculation & Clarification
Chemical conditioning for TSS and colloidal removal; lamella plate and conventional clarification; polymer optimization for variable feed quality
Oil-Water Separation
DAF / IAF De-oiling
Dissolved and induced air flotation for produced water and OSPW pre-treatment; slop oil recovery and hydrocarbon removal prior to membrane systems
Chemical Treatment
Lime Softening & Antiscalant
Lime/soda ash softening for hardness and silica removal; antiscalant program design for RO brine side scaling control in high-alkalinity oil sands water
Brine & Concentrate
ZLD Pathway & Brine Management
Zero liquid discharge feasibility analysis; evaporator/crystallizer integration concepts; deep-well disposal vs. beneficial reuse economic modelling
Tailings Recovery
MFT / FFT Process Design
Mature and Fluid Fine Tailings water reclamation; solids dewatering using centrifuge and filter press; pond dredging and tailings pond water reuse strategies
Produced Water
SAGD & OSPW Treatment
Steam-assisted gravity drainage produced water management; oil sands process-affected water treatment trains; Once-through steam generator (OTSG) feed water quality
Signature Projects
E360 Solutions · 2024 — Present
Basal Aquifer Water Treatment Program — Oil Sands
$100M+
Contract Value · Expected Close 2026
Scoped, designed, and is advancing the largest water treatment initiative of Graham's career — a full RO-based process solution for treating high-TDS saline basal aquifer water at an oil sands operation where conventional disposal pathways are constrained. Led process design, technology selection, team buildout, and operator engagement through multi-stage commercial negotiation.
Reverse Osmosis High-TDS Brine ZLD Analysis Process Design Team Build
Secure Energy · CNRL · 2018 — 2023
CNRL Basal Water Treatment — Concept to Implementation
Multi-year
Sustained Commercial Contract
Led the full commercial and technical lifecycle of a basal water treatment program at CNRL's oil sands operations — from initial feasibility and process design validation through equipment specification, operational startup, and ongoing performance optimization. Addressed high-TDS/TSS feed variability with a staged membrane + chemical treatment approach.
UF Pre-treatment RO System Antiscalant CNRL Validation
Secure Energy · Suncor · 2018 — 2023
Suncor Basal Water Treatment Program
Multi-site
Oil Sands Operations
Developed and implemented water treatment solutions for Suncor's basal aquifer management program, adapting process design parameters to Suncor's distinct water chemistry profile. Managed cross-functional teams across operations, engineering, and regulatory groups to achieve compliance-driven project milestones and sustained operating performance.
Suncor Aquifer Mgmt Process Adapt. Regulatory
Newalta Inc. · 2010 — 2017
MFT / FFT Tailings Water Reclamation — Athabasca
$250M+
Contracts Across Period
Pioneered the commercialization of MFT and FFT tailings treatment technology across multiple Athabasca Oil Sands operators — designing water reclamation processes for high-suspended-solids streams, launching slop oil treatment, pond dredging, and lime slurry processing service lines that remain active under Secure Energy today. Grew the division from one site to pan-Oil Sands presence.
MFT/FFT Lime Softening Pond Dredging Slop Oil OSPW
Operating Environments & Technical Challenges
Feed Water Quality
Extreme TDS & TSS Variability
Experience designing treatment trains for basal aquifer water with TDS exceeding 50,000 mg/L and variable suspended solids loads — conditions that demand robust pre-treatment and adaptive chemical programs to protect membrane integrity.
Scaling & Fouling
Carbonate, Sulphate & Silica Scaling
Managed antiscalant selection and dosing programs for RO systems treating calcium carbonate and barium sulphate scaling waters; coordinated with membrane OEMs on element selection and cleaning protocols for high-fouling oil sands produced water.
Regulatory Context
AEPEA & Tailings Directives
Operated within Alberta's regulatory environment governing tailings management and produced water disposal — including Directive 085 and EPEA approvals — structuring commercial solutions that satisfy both operator economics and environmental compliance obligations.
Commercial Structure
CAPEX-to-Service Conversion
Designed revenue models and contract structures that convert large capital water treatment assets into fee-for-service or build-own-operate arrangements, enabling operators to manage produced water obligations without balance-sheet exposure.

Foundations

2008 — 2010
Newalta Inc.
Account Manager, Calgary Transfer Station
Secured $2M in contracts for waste management in industrial and oil & gas sectors across Southern Alberta before moving to Fort McMurray to lead the Heavy Oil sales division.
2003 — 2008
Clean Harbors
Regional Account Manager, Alberta
Drove sales targeting industrial and petrochemical industries throughout Alberta, securing $5M annually with 12% YOY acquisition growth over a 5-year term.
1993 — 2004
Registered Professional Forester
Environmental Science & Resource Stewardship
A foundational decade in environmental science — the perspective that continues to inform a career built on sustainable industrial solutions.

Knowledge & Capabilities

Master of Business Administration
University of Saskatchewan
Finance · 2003 — 2004
Bachelor of Science, Environmental Science
University of Alberta
Forestry · 1989 — 1993
Leadership Foundations
Western University, London ON
2013
Project Management Professional — Module 1
Project Management Institute
2011
Anthropic AI Learning
Anthropic / Claude Platform
AI Fluency · Claude 101 · Claude Code · Claude API · MCP · Agents · 2026
Reverse Osmosis Membrane Technology Ultrafiltration Basal Water Treatment High-TDS / TSS Brine Management ZLD Analysis OSPW Treatment MFT / FFT Lime Softening DAF / IAF Process Design Channel Sales Salesforce MS Dynamics CRM SAP Ariba Avetta iValua Pipeline CRM ISNetworld Team Coaching Strategic Planning C-Suite Engagement Marketing & Events Financial Modeling Process Improvement Water Treatment Microsoft Suite Adobe Acrobat Google Workspace M&A Analysis CRM Analytics
Board Chairman
Canadian Skin Cancer Foundation
Edmonton, AB · 2022
Attended, planned, and presented at 120+ trade shows and conferences across the energy and oil & gas sectors.

Continuous Learning

AI
Anthropic AI Certification Suite
AI Fluency, Claude 101, Claude Cowork, Claude Code in Action, Building with the Claude API, Model Context Protocol, Agent & Subagent Skills — March 2026
H₂O
Water Treatment Certificates
Membrane Technology for Water & Wastewater Treatment, Water Treatment Process Design, Complete Course in Water & Wastewater Treatment — Udemy, 2025
MS
Microsoft Office Suite
Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Dynamics CRM, Outlook, Visio, SharePoint, Access — 2017
HSE
Safety & Compliance Training
First Aid CPR · CSTS · H2S Alive · NORM Awareness · Nuclear Gauge Awareness · OHS ALA/OSSA BDO · Silica Awareness — Energy Safety Canada
Ready to build
something exceptional?

Edmonton, Alberta · Open to strategic engagements across Western Canada