Richard Prokopanko
Director, Government Relations
Rio Tinto Alcan Inc
Vancouver, British Columbia
Richard Prokopanko has over 20 years of experience in natural resource management and public engagement. Most recently, he has served as Director of Corporate Affairs for ALCAN (BC) since 1997. In that capacity, he coordinated ALCAN’s first-ever sustainability report in 1999. In 2004, Mr. Prokopanko worked with Canadian Business for Social Responsibility and other corporate organizations to host a forum on the business case for sustainability and business partnerships with First Nations.
In 2006, Mr. Prokopanko served as a founding director of the “30 Days of Sustainability Society” – an initiative to enhance awareness and understanding of the importance of sustainable lifestyles. He previously worked for the BC Ministry of Forests in 1980s, and served as Ministerial Assistant to British Columbia Minister of Forests. He went on to work as a Policy Analyst in the section of Policy, Planning and International Affairs for Natural Resources Canada, and served on Parliament Hill as Chief of Parliamentary Affairs and as Executive Assistant to the Federal Minister of Forests. Mr. Prokopanko received the Natural Resources Canada Departmental Merit Award for his work on Canada’s first report on ‘Criteria and Indicators for the Sustainable Development of Canada’s Forests.’ He is also a recipient of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal for outstanding community service.
Mr. Prokopanko holds a B.Sc. in Forestry from University of British Columbia (1982) and a B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Manitoba (1978).
© 2013