Meet Our Team
Experienced advisors committed to getting it right the first time.
Founders
Jennifer Turner
President, CEO, & Founding Partner
M.Sc., PMP, R.P. Bio.
Jennifer Turner
President, CEO, & Founding Partner
M.Sc., PMP, R.P. Bio.
Jennifer Turner is the President and CEO of Falkirk and brings nearly 25 years of experience as a regulatory strategic advisor and environmental assessment/approvals expert. In addition to her technical expertise, Jennifer has extensive leadership experience, guiding multidisciplinary teams and advising executives and boards on complex regulatory challenges. She has played a central role in shaping strategy, building organizational capacity, and advancing major projects through rigorous approval processes.
Her project experience spans a wide array of infrastructure developments across sectors. Notable examples include mine development (Red Mountain Underground, Eskay Creek Revitalization, North Island, Elk Gold, Cariboo Gold, and Premier Gold Projects, BC; Casino and Coffee Gold Mines, Rogue Project, YK); hydroelectric power supply (Aishihik Generating Station, YK; Site C Clean Energy Project, BC); transmission line development (Columbia Valley Transmission Line Project, Atlin Hydro Expansion Project, BC; Stewart-Keno Transmission line, YK); transportation and rapid transit infrastructure (Gordie Howe International Crossing, VivaNext Yonge Street Rapidway Project, ON); and waste management (Highland Valley Copper Sustainable Waste Management and Metro Vancouver Waste-to-Energy Projects, BC).
Michael McPhie
Executive Chairman & Founding Partner
B.Sc., M.Sc, QEP
Michael McPhie
Executive Chairman & Founding Partner
B.Sc., M.Sc, QEP
Michael is a founding partner of Falkirk and Executive Chairman, and an accomplished professional with 30 years of experience at senior leadership levels in the natural resources sector in British Columbia, across Canada, and internationally. He is a specialist in regulatory issues for mining projects and operations, and has led environmental assessment, permitting, and government affairs for many projects in western and northern Canada and abroad. Michael’s career spans industry, association, and government leadership, including serving as President and CEO of the Mining Association of British Columbia and as Senior Policy Director at Natural Resources Canada. He recently served as Chair of the Board of Ridley Terminals Inc., a federal Crown corporation, and has sat on several public company boards of directors. He is co-author of Weaving Two Worlds, a book on reconciliation and resource development in Canada, and is a frequent speaker on the future of responsible resource development.
Max Brownhill
COO & Founding Partner
B.Sc., R.P.Bio
Max Brownhill
COO & Founding Partner
B.Sc., R.P.Bio
Max is Falkirk’s Chief Operating Officer and a founding partner, a senior professional with 24 years of experience providing environmental leadership for mining, oil and gas, infrastructure, and transportation projects. He has produced successful results in environmental assessments, project management, permitting, and community and First Nations engagement, and his experience spans the exploration, engineering, construction, and closure phases of the project development cycle. As COO, Max leads Falkirk’s operations, making sure the right people are on the right files and that the firm delivers what it commits to. He continues to advise clients directly, currently serving as strategic permitting advisor to a number of exploration and development companies, and is known for translating regulatory complexity into a plan a project team can actually run. A Registered Professional Biologist, Max has worked on projects ranging from early exploration in remote northern settings to major urban infrastructure in the Lower Mainland. Max’s approach reflects Falkirk’s owner’s mindset: understand the whole project, anticipate what is coming, and remove obstacles before they become delays.
Christy Smith
Senior Vice President, Indigenous Engagement and Human Environment
B.NS, M.B.A.
Christy Smith
Senior Vice President, Indigenous Engagement and Human Environment
B.NS, M.B.A.
Christy leads Falkirk’s Indigenous Engagement and Human Environment practice. A member of the K’ómoks First Nation, she is a highly skilled and accomplished professional with more than 25 years of proven expertise. Her work is deeply rooted in reconciliation and in decolonizing the way business gets done. Christy specializes in developing long-lasting relationships, consultation and engagement, human environment and socio-economic reporting, and the management plans that accompany permits and the environmental assessment process. She brings significant experience in negotiations, strategic planning, risk assessment, facilitation, and mediation, and is recognized for her professional and personal understanding of Indigenous worldviews. Christy advises both proponents and Indigenous governments, and is regularly called on where relationships have become difficult and a credible, respectful path forward is needed. She is a sought-after facilitator for difficult conversations between industry, government, and Nations, and speaks widely on what reconciliation looks like in practice on a working project. Christy also leads Falkirk’s regional growth work in the Yukon.
Expertise
Katie Shaw
Vice President, Project Realization
M.A.
Katie Shaw
Vice President, Project Realization
M.A.
Katie leads Falkirk’s Project Realization practice and brings over 20 years of leadership experience at the intersection of public affairs, Indigenous engagement, public policy, and major project development. She has a proven track record of designing innovative, inclusive strategies that align Indigenous rights, regulatory frameworks, environmental stewardship, and economic value. At Falkirk, Katie built and leads the Project Realization service line, a transformative approach that integrates Indigenous partnership, technical excellence, regulatory alignment, and environmental leadership into the foundation of project planning and execution rather than treating them as separate workstreams. Her experience spans the infrastructure, energy, and natural resource sectors, and she is frequently engaged where a project’s path forward depends as much on political and community alignment as on technical merit. Katie serves as Board Co-Chair of the BC Construction Foundation and is an active voice on how Canada builds complex projects with greater speed and greater legitimacy at the same time.
Apurva Gollamudi
Vice President, Operations and Water Stewardship
M.Sc., P.Eng.
Apurva Gollamudi
Vice President, Operations and Water Stewardship
M.Sc., P.Eng.
Apurva is Falkirk’s Vice President, Operations and Water Stewardship, and brings over 18 years of experience across engineering, environmental consulting, and applied research. He is client-focused, enjoys building long-term relationships, and has led technical teams on complex water resource projects throughout Canada. His work includes integrated water management plans, watershed studies, reservoir operations, regulatory permitting, and climate assessments, and he is experienced in translating technical findings into terms that regulators, communities, and boards can act on. Based in Ontario, Apurva holds professional engineering licences in both Ontario and British Columbia, giving Falkirk direct technical presence in eastern and western Canada. In his operations role, he works to ensure Falkirk’s technical capacity keeps pace with client demand and that water expertise is embedded early in project planning, where it has the greatest influence on cost, schedule, and approval risk. He also oversees Falkirk’s technical quality systems, making sure the firm’s work is consistent, reviewable, and defensible wherever it is delivered.
Dennis Kramer
Technical Director, Water Quality and Aquatic Sciences
P.Chem.
Dennis Kramer
Technical Director, Water Quality and Aquatic Sciences
P.Chem.
Dennis brings over 20 years of experience in the mining industry, specializing in water quality modelling and assessment, water management and mitigation planning, and aquatic risk assessment. Before joining Falkirk, Dennis worked both as a consultant and on the owner’s side, where he became known for providing simple, practical solutions to complex problems, a reputation that reflects how he approaches every file. At Falkirk, Dennis directs projects within the Water Stewardship practice, leading the technical programs that sit at the centre of most environmental assessments and operating permits. He believes technical excellence and a strong client focus are both essential to successful project outcomes, and works to deeply understand client goals so that projects are designed and delivered to meet them in a technically rigorous, defensible way. Dennis regularly supports clients through regulatory review, where clear explanation of water predictions is often decisive, and works closely with Falkirk’s geochemists, hydrogeologists, and treatment specialists to keep predictions and site plans aligned.
Jon Robinson
Head of Public Policy and Government Relations, Project Realization
M.P.P.
Jon Robinson
Head of Public Policy and Government Relations, Project Realization
M.P.P.
Jon leads public policy and government relations within Falkirk’s Project Realization practice, bringing deep experience in policy, political strategy, and government relations. He helps clients navigate complex government systems and position major projects for success, and has led the development of policy, communications, and engagement strategies that align project objectives with government priorities. Before joining Falkirk, Jon spent over a decade in senior government and political roles in British Columbia, including serving as Director of Policy to Premier John Horgan and as Executive Director of Planning and Priorities in the Office of the Deputy Minister to the Premier, where he led major project advancement and economic development policy files. That experience gives Falkirk clients an unusually direct read on how decisions actually get made inside government. Jon also leads Falkirk’s growth in Atlantic Canada, advises clients on national policy linkages across jurisdictions, and speaks and writes regularly on how federal and provincial priorities are reshaping the approval landscape.
Our Commitments
Five commitments, made by our founders and carried by every person here. They shape our beliefs, our team’s practice, our work, and the advice we give.
Expertise
We keep building our team of experts so projects are delivered on time and on budget, using strong relationships, technical proficiency, and communication that aligns project goals with community goals.
Diversity
We believe a diversity of background, culture, experience, and perspective leads to enhanced company performance, greater innovation, and the delivery of greater value to our clients.
Reconciliation
Falkirk works in the spirit of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, guided by UNDRIP and the recognition of Aboriginal rights and title. It is embedded in our beliefs, our practice, and our advice.
Innovation
Innovation and adaptation underpin every other commitment. We embrace flexibility, adjust strategy as conditions and regulations change, and invest in continuous learning and research to find better solutions.
Environment
All Falkirk work focuses on improving the lives of people and the environment. We work with our clients to advance these principles, with the goal of ensuring a better future for all.
Build Your Career Here
We are always looking for people who share our mission. If you are looking to expand your horizons or make a shift in your career, we’d love to hear from you.
Work With Our Team
Tell us about your project and we will bring the right people to the table.