Harneet Panesar

Harneet Panesar is a true collaborator in Ontario’s energy sector, driving change, advancing policy and championing red tape reduction. Mr. Panesar joined the OEB in 2021 as part of the provincial regulator’s modernization mandate, propelling it to the rank of a top-tier regulator. He is integral in providing clarity and guidance to the sector, which is forecast to face a 75 per cent increase in power demand by 2050 to accommodate Ontario’s growing population, economy and related infrastructure.

Within the OEB, Mr. Panesar supports Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) through his role as Executive Champion for the OEB’s DEI Council. He has also acted as the Executive Champion of the OEB’s annual charitable giving campaign, resulting in record funds raised for community-based and national charities.

Mr. Panesar is a Fellow of Engineers Canada and a member of Professional Engineers Ontario’s Hall of Fame. He also serves as on the University of Waterloo’s Institute of Sustainable Energy Advisory Board and the Dean’s Advisory Board at Queen’s University.

Mr. Panesar holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in electrical engineering from the University of Toronto and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. He is a part-time lecturer at Toronto Metropolitan University, and regularly appears in the media, on panels and podcasts, and delivers lectures at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School and the Ontario Institute of Technology.

Prior to joining the OEB, Mr. Panesar spent 14 years in progressively senior positions at Hydro One, most recently as Director of Strategy and Integrated Planning.