APEGGA has filled a new position created to meet the demands of a growing volume of registrations. Bill Santo, P.Eng., a chemical engineer with more than 20 years of industry experience, joined the staff last month as Assistant Director, Registration.

Mr. Santo, who spent the last three-plus years practicing as a licensed financial planner, has returned to his roots. “I wanted to get back into engineering, and this puts me right into the heart of engineering’s self-regulation world.”

As a financial planner, Mr. Santo came to appreciate the high level of professionalism APEGGA exhibits as a self-regulator. “The level and extent of APEGGA’s self-regulation model of professionalism are something all engineers and geoscientists should be proud of, because you don’t find it everywhere,” said Mr. Santo.

“We’re setting a good example for the rest of society – that people have to be qualified to do their work and that they have to take responsibility for their work. I’m excited about playing an integral role in the regulatory process.”

Mr. Santo, a 1978 graduate of the University of Saskatchewan, spent 11 years with Celanese Canada Inc. and 11 years with Sherritt International Corporation, starting as an engineer and working into project work and management.

He’s lived in Fort Saskatchewan for 25 years, and he and his wife Allison, an occupational health nurse, have two children.

“We welcome Bill into his new role at APEGGA,” said Registration Director Mark Tokarik, LL.B., P.Eng.