Building Alignment Across Canada’s Fuels Sector: Gurpreet Bhatia’s Cross-Committee Leadership 

For more than three decades, Gurpreet Bhatia has watched Canada’s fuels sector evolve through shifting regulations, operational challenges, market changes, and an evolving energy landscape. One thing has remained constant: the importance of collaboration.

As Director, Energy Roadmap Business Development at Federated Co-operatives Limited, Gurpreet brings a broad industry perspective to his work across Canadian Fuels Association committees, including the Strategic Planning Group (SPG), National Fuels Committee (NFC), National Climate and Fuel Committee (NCFC), Auto Oil, and the Clean Fuel Regulations (CFR) working group. Recognized as CFA’s 2026 Committee Member of the Year, he is known for bringing diverse viewpoints together to advance practical solutions for the sector.

For Gurpreet, collaboration starts with recognizing that organizations operate from different structures, mandates, and market realities.

“We have lots of diversity in structure, diversity in ownership, diversity in how we go to market with products,” he said. “The challenge is really around trying to find the policies that lift all boats.”

The collaboration that takes place through CFA committees exists alongside the reality that many member companies compete with one another commercially. Gurpreet sees value in bringing those different perspectives together on issues that affect the industry as a whole, helping members identify common interests while respecting the boundaries of competition.

That perspective shapes his approach in committee discussions, where differing priorities influence regulatory and operational conversations. Rather than focusing on individual positions, Gurpreet works to identify shared ground and keep discussions focused on practical solutions.

In discussions on evolving compliance requirements, members often bring different operational constraints. By encouraging open dialogue on implementation challenges and shared pressures, conversations move toward more workable outcomes.

“That broader view helps you connect the dots,” he said. “Sometimes what looks like separate issues are actually part of the same challenge.”

That ability to step back defines his approach.

“If you’re going to get anything done in these committees, it has to be for the general good,” he said. “There’s a bit of give and take.”

Colleagues describe Gurpreet as someone who listens first, often drawing out quieter perspectives before weighing in. He sees this as essential to building trust and finding alignment.

“In a lot of these discussions, people are coming from different pressures within their own organizations,” he said. “You have to understand where they’re coming from before you can find common ground.”

Working across multiple committees has also given him a broader view of how interconnected decision-making has become. Issues raised in one forum often reappear in another, from compliance feasibility to broader policy direction.

“That interconnectedness is increasingly important as the sector navigates evolving climate policy and decarbonization pathways,” he said. “If you can speak with one voice and say, ‘This is what’s good for the overall industry,’ it carries so much more weight.”

Throughout his career, Gurpreet has seen how collaboration helps the sector respond to complex challenges. From earlier regulatory shifts to today’s clean fuels discussions, he believes open dialogue and shared learning remain critical.

“One of the values I’ve found is having those connections with other industry participants,” he said. “You may hear another company is facing a challenge you’ve already solved, and suddenly there’s an opportunity to work together or share ideas.”

After 36 years in the industry, Gurpreet says those relationships remain one of the most rewarding parts of the work. Over time, he has seen companies that compete vigorously in the marketplace come together on shared industry challenges, recognizing that some issues are best addressed through a collective approach.

Reflecting on the recognition, Gurpreet said it is meaningful because it reflects contributing value beyond his own organization and across the broader industry.

“It gives me satisfaction that I am adding value to the committees,” he said. “That means a lot.”

For him, that value is ultimately about alignment, bringing perspectives together across committees and conversations to support clearer, more workable outcomes for the industry. In a sector defined by complexity and change, he sees that alignment as one of the most important forms of progress, and one that depends on continued collaboration across Canada’s fuels sector.