Following a 30-year career with SaskPower, including seven years as President and Chief Executive Officer, Mike Marsh is retiring from SaskPower effective December 31, 2021. 

Marsh began his career at the Crown in November 1991 as a plant engineer at Boundary Dam Power Station in Estevan, Saskatchewan. He held several supervisor and manager positions through the years at SaskPower, becoming the Vice-President of Transmission and Distribution in 2007, Vice-President of Operations and Chief Operations Officer in 2012, and President and CEO of SaskPower in March 2015. Prior to joining SaskPower, he worked 12 years in the construction industry in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Throughout his tenure, Marsh made significant contributions to the ongoing success of SaskPower. He led SaskPower operations through a significant period of growth and increased infrastructure investment into the electrical grid during his time on SaskPower’s Executive, and has always been a strong advocate for safety and a safe workplace for SaskPower employees, contractors, and the public. More recently, he oversaw the initiation of SaskPower’s grid modernization initiative, made great strides in both Indigenous relations and Indigenous procurement, championed advancements in customer service, led the transition towards more emissions-free power generation with eight renewable projects currently underway, and navigated SaskPower through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

SaskPower achieved PAR Gold status from the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business twice in a row, showing excellence in Indigenous Relations, and was also awarded the Sustainable Electricity Company title by the Canadian Electricity Association under Marsh’s leadership, and is only one of nine Canadian utilities to have received the designation. 

During Marsh’s time as President, SaskPower also undertook significant generation infrastructure projects, including the expansion of the Queen Elizabeth Power Station, refurbishment of the E.B. Campbell Hydro Station construction and commissioning of the Chinook Power Station in Swift Current, and the beginning of construction of Great Plains Power Station in Moose Jaw.

"I'd like to thank Mike for his 30 years of service to SaskPower, and for his leadership in navigating a rapidly evolving industry," said Don Morgan, Minister responsible for SaskPower. "Mike's expertise has been a great asset, as SaskPower acts on Saskatchewan's Prairie Resilience Climate Strategy."

“On behalf of the Board, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Mike for the three decades he’s given to SaskPower,” said SaskPower Board Chair Chief Darcy Bear. “Mike has always brought the best out in his team, and having spent most of his professional career at SaskPower, he has an invaluable knowledge of the business and a genuine concern for his employees and SaskPower’s customers. He has been able to guide SaskPower through a global pandemic, while ensuring quality service to customers and keeping employees safe. We congratulate Mike on his retirement and wish him the very best.”

Marsh received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan in 1979, and later received his Master of Business Administration from Queen’s School of Business in 1999. In 2016 he received the Electricity Human Resources Canada Leader of the Year award and in January 2018, he was named the University of Saskatchewan College of Engineering’s 42nd C.J. Mackenzie Distinguished Lecturer and was inducted to the Alumni Wall of Distinction, College of Engineering. 

Marsh currently chairs the Board of Directors for the Canadian Electricity Association (CEA), and sits as a member of multiple Boards of Directors, including the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) and Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS). 

Mike and his wife, Maureen, will remain in Saskatchewan after his retirement and look forward to spending time with their children and grandchildren in the years ahead.

The executive search to select a new President and CEO will be led by the SaskPower Board of Directors and will begin in the coming weeks.

At a glance...

• SaskPower President and CEO Mike Marsh is retiring effective December 31, 2021
• Marsh has worked at SaskPower for 30 years, including seven as President and CEO
• Marsh began his career at SaskPower as a plant engineer at Boundary Dam in Estevan
• The process to select a new President and CEO will begin in the coming weeks