Mrs. Laura Formusa
Doctor of Laws, honoris causa
Ms. Laura Formusa is recognized for the extraordinary leadership and vision she brought to the great challenges within the energy sector, and for all she has done to champion and change the workplace for women and minorities.
Ms. Formusa was President and Chief Executive Officer of Hydro One Inc. from 2007 to 2013. During her leadership, Hydro One accomplished some important projects to ensure Ontario’s electrical network will continues to meet the province’s energy needs. She oversaw the installation of 1.2-million smart meters across Ontario and their transition to time-of-use rates, so that individual households are able to monitor and conserve their own electrical consumption. Her team also tackled the complex challenge of connecting renewable energy projects to a power system that was not originally designed for it. As part of the province’s Green Energy program, Hydro One successfully added thousands of new megawatts of renewable energy to help sustain Ontario’s electricity grid.
Ms. Formusa embarked on the Bruce to Milton Transmission Reinforcement Project, one of the largest transmission projects to be undertaken in North America. At the forefront of this complex project was the need to maintain the natural environment along the transmission corridor shared by more than 400 privately-owned properties, several First Nation and Métis communities, and some environmentally sensitive wetlands. Through the collective efforts of all stakeholders, Hydro One was able to enhance biodiversity along the corridor. Hydro One received the Sustainable Electricity Social Responsibility Award in 2010 from the Canadian Electricity Association.
She is a tireless advocate for diversity and has worked vigorously throughout her career to help minorities and women find equal opportunities in the workplace. Within her own company, she has implemented a highly successful management training and mentoring program that helps women advance in their careers within the energy sector. She was a founding member of the Women of Energy group. In 2011, she was named to Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Hall of Fame, which recognizes women who are creating legacies, changing perspectives and altering the face of business.
Ms. Formusa received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in Toronto, Ontario and was admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1980. She then joined Ontario Hydro in 1980, and held progressively senior positions that led to her appointment as General Counsel of Hydro One in 2003.
She has served as a trustee to the Banting Research Foundation and as a director of the Canadian Electricity Association. She was also named a director of DHX Media Inc., a publicly listed company focusing on children and youth programming.
