Kathleen Heppell-Masys

Information

Kathleen Heppell-Masys serves as the Vice-President of Nuclear Operations Oversight at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). In this role, she oversees the operations, infrastructures and assets of the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), seeing that the priorities of Government are delivered safely, securely and efficiently under the Government-owned, Contractor-operated model Before joining AECL in March 2023, Kathleen served the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), the Nuclear Regulatory Authority in Canada. She held senior leadership roles, including Director General of the Directorate of Safety Management and later, Director General of the Directorate of Security and Safeguards. Her tenure at CNSC was marked by her leadership in developing and pioneering many nuclear regulatory policies and providing technical regulatory oversight for nuclear safety, nuclear security and forensics, and emergency management across Canada’s nuclear installations. Kathleen oversaw the implementation of Canada’s non-proliferation policy, managing the controls regime for the import and export of nuclear technology, materials, and equipment, and ensuring compliance with international nuclear safeguards obligations. Prior to this, she served National Defence as an Aerospace Engineering Officer, with a focus on the engineering and maintenance of military aircraft and facilities. Internationally, Kathleen has made substantial contributions to nuclear safety, security, and safeguards. Kathleen has been an active member of the IAEA Advisory Group in Nuclear Security (AdSec) since 2016, providing the IAEA Director General with authoritative advice and recommendations on current and emerging issues in nuclear security.