Meet your speakers
Derrick Cheung
President and Chief Executive Officer, Defence Construction Canada
Prior to his appointment as ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿â€™s President and CEO, Derrick has held high-level positions with large publicly-traded, private and public complex organizations. With expertise in the defence (infrastructure, equipment, materiel, environment and real property), transportation (air, rail, marine, road and public transportation), infrastructure (roads, bridges, and public works), real estate and energy industries, he has demonstrated proficiency in realizing strategic outcomes, optimizing performance, maximizing productivity and championing operational excellence. Derrick is a Chartered Director (C.Dir.) and holds master’s degrees in Laws (International Business), Business Administration, and Arts (Leading Innovation and Change). He is also Vice-Chair of Canadian Water Network and former Advisory Committee member of the University of Waterloo’s Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics.
Brigadier General Éric Fortin
Commander Real Property Operations, Department of National Defence
Nicolas Forget, MSc
Vice-President, Operations—Procurement, Defence Construction Canada
Nicolas joined ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ in 2001 as Coordinator, Environmental Services, in the Quebec Regional Office. He moved to Ottawa three years later to, among other things, support various projects across the Arctic. With Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the Université de Montréal and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Technician Level 1 certification, Nicolas also developed ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿â€™s UXO practice area. Returning to the Quebec Region in 2008, he served as Operations Manager and led the region’s Project and Program Management Services and Real Property Management Services service lines. Nicolas became Quebec Regional Director in 2017, a position he held until 2022. After exploring opportunities in the private sector, Nicolas returned to ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ in December 2023 to take up his current role.
Peter Hammerschmidt
Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure and Environment), Department of National Defence
Peter Hammerschmidt was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure and Environment) in August 2024.
Prior to assuming his current duties, he was Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy). During this time, he was instrumental in advancing several National Defence and government priorities in the context of an increasingly strained and deteriorating international security environment. Mr. Hammerschmidt led the development and launch of Canada’s defence policy,ÌýOur North, Strong and Free, which secured additional funding and new capabilities for DND/CAF and laid out a new policy vision for the Defence Team. Furthermore, he led the establishment and deepening of key bilateral Defence relationships, including in the Indo-Pacific. He ensured that Defence continued to maintain productive and positive relationships with key domestic and international policy stakeholders within government and academia.
Previously, Mr. Hammerschmidt was Director General Policy Coordination at National Defence, Director General National Cyber Security at Public Safety and Executive Assistant to the Clerk of the Privy Council. He also held the following positions within the Government of Canada: Senior Director Planning and Information Management at the Treasury Board Secretariat, Director Cabinet Liaison at National Defence and First Secretary for Financial and Military Affairs at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations in New York.
He began his career in the Public Service with the Policy Officer Recruitment Program and held various positions at National Defence from 1998 to 2001.
Mr. Hammerschmidt holds a Master’s degree from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and a Bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University.
Mélanie Pouliot
National Director, Contract Services, Defence Construction Canada
Mélanie began her career in the private sector as an engineer. She joined ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ in 2007 as a Contract Coordinator for the National Capital Region in Ottawa. In 2009, she was promoted to Team Leader, Contract Services where she led a team responsible for procurement plans for DND's capital infrastructure program. Mélanie subsequently transferred to Head Office as Technical Specialist, Procurement where she was focussed in delivering public-private partnerships. She was promoted to National Director, Contract Services in 2017. Mélanie holds a bachelor's degree in Applied Science, Chemical Engineering from the University of Ottawa and is a member of Professional Engineers Ontario.
Saleem Sattar
Director General Infrastructure and Environment Engineering Services, Department of National Defence
Saleem Sattar was born and raised in Ottawa. He has undergraduate degrees in Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering from the University of Ottawa and has more than 25yrs of public service experience.
Saleem spent the early part of his career at Transport Canada where he occupied positions of increasing responsibility primarily in the field of real property and environmental management. He worked with airport and port operators, international civil aviation authorities, led R&D Partnerships with the US and managed programs supporting the automotive and freight sectors.
Saleem joined the Department of National Defence in 2010 where he joined ADM(IE) to advance priorities in environmental management. In 2013, Saleem became an Executive and lead the Environment Program in Army HQ. In 2017, Saleem re-joined ADM(IE) as Director General, Environment and Sustainable Management where he led DND/CAF efforts on climate change, compliance, contamination and conservation. In June 2025, he moved to Engineering Services to develop and deliver large infrastructure projects to enable mission success.
Grant Sayers, CET
Vice-President, Operations—Business Management, Defence Construction Canada
Grant joined ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ in 2003 as a contract coordinator in Suffield, Alberta. He moved to Comox, B.C., in 2008 as Operations Manager and expanded the team to respond to growth in the Client-Partner’s capital programs. In 2011, Grant took on the dual role at the Western Regional Office in Edmonton of Regional Service Line Leader for real property as well as Operations Manager responsible for delivering services to the Land Forces Western Area Engineering Branch. Prior to being promoted to Vice-President in 2022, Grant was regional director of both the Quebec and Western regions. He is a Certified Engineering Technologist with a mechanical background.
David Thompson
Director General Portfolio Requirements, Department of National Defence
As Director General, Portfolio Requirements at Assistant Deputy Minister Infrastructure and Environment, National Defence, David Thompson leads real property investment, planning, and portfolio management to support Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) operational readiness. He drives innovation in energy strategies, smart buildings, public-private partnerships, and oversees real property advisory services, including natural resources, divestments, accommodations, cyber mission assurance, and emerging defence infrastructure.
Previously, as CEO of the Canadian Forces Housing Agency, he enhanced CAF members’ quality of life and led the agency to Platinum Level recognition from Excellence Canada.
David also served at the Department of Justice as Director, Business Management for the Public Safety, Defence, and Immigration portfolio, supporting legal services across nine departments and the War Crimes Unit.
He holds a Professional in Critical Infrastructure Protection (PCIP) designation, a Master of Infrastructure Protection and International Security, a Master of Arts in Defence Management and Policy, and a BA in Economics (Honours).
Paola Zurro
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Forces Housing Agency, Department of National Defence
Paola Zurro was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Forces Housing Agency in June June 2022.
Prior to this appointment, Paola served as the Senior Director, Architecture and Engineering Services, Real Property Services, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) where she led a client service cost recovery organization. Paola was also the Director of Public Works & Infrastructure, Municipality of Chelsea (Québec) from 2014 to 2018.
Paola has contributed to the improvement of infrastructure, promoted the use of renewable energies and the advancement of sustainability, accessibility and digitization as an executive in the public sector and also in her previous roles at the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (Austria), the Spanish Embassy to Belgium, as well as for the Inter-Agency Procurement Services Office / United Nations Development Programme (IAPSO/UNDP) (Denmark).
Paola is a professional engineer licensed in Quebec and Ontario, and holds a Master’s degree in International Business Management and a Master’s degree in International Relations and Communication. During her career, she has also obtained multiple professional certifications including the IPWEA Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accreditation (LEED AP:BD+C).