Appointee Biographies

NAVIN GAUTAM

Navin Gautam is the Plant Technical Support Manager for the Hydrotechnical Engineering team in the Civil Engineering Department at Ontario Power Generation (OPG). He holds a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and Master's degree in Water Engineering and Management. Navin is a registered Professional Engineer with Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO). His expertise is in the area of flood evaluation and consequence assessment for dam and reservoir safety. At OPG, Navin is involved in hydrotechnical assessments and designs in support of OPG's fleet of Hydroelectric Generating stations across 24 river systems in Ontario. Navin is a member of the Canadian Dam Association (CDA) and the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD). Navin served as the member of Board of Director's for CDA from 2017-2023 and he is currently serving as the vice chair of the ICOLD Committee S: Flood Evaluation and Dam Safety.

ANDY BEATON

Andy began his career with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) in 2008, initially stationed in Wawa and later Timmins, where he focused on water management planning for hydropower developments. This work inspired him to pursue a Master's in water resource engineering from the University of Guelph, studying the ecological impact of river flow alteration. He then relocated to Peterborough and returned to the MNRF where he primarily conducted flood forecasting but also worked with MNRF's Science and Research division developing hydrologic models. In these roles, Andy learned the significance of snowpack in the hydrologic cycle, motivating him to pursue a PhD at Trent University, completed in 2023. Andy is currently employed at Ontario Power Generation (OPG) where he is involved in developing and maintaining water recording accounting systems, providing hydrologic expertise, and representing OPG on the Provincial Flood Forecasting and Warning Committee.