Cody Slater founded BW Technologies in 1986, a global manufacturer of industrial and commercial gas detection devices with a product line of more than 30 unique monitors. From the Calgary headquarters, he grew the company’s operations to include offices and distribution throughout the world. His impact on one of the country’s fastest growing technology companies was well recognized through numerous awards including Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, Alberta’s Most Influential Top 50 People, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year and the Certificate of Merit for Business Excellence by Industry, Science, and Technology Canada.
Sean Stinson holds the position of President and Chief Growth Officer at Blackline Safety, where he is responsible for product sales and recurring service revenue as well as driving the company's overall strategy and direction. He oversees the teams contributing to revenue generation, including data science, user experience design, sales, client success and customer care. Prior to Blackline, Sean facilitated roles in product management, project management, engineering and engineering management at BW Technologies and Honeywell, as well as designing optics solutions for a life sciences start-up. Sean received a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Calgary in 2002.
Christine Gillies holds the position of Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Blackline Safety, where she manages the product management, marketing and communications programs and strategy for Blackline. With over 20 years of marketing experience, Christine has held leadership roles with other rapidly growing global technology and SaaS companies. Prior to joining Blackline, Christine served as Director of Product and Client marketing for Calgary software company, Benevity. Christine was also instrumental in developing technology product strategy and roadmaps during her time at SMART technologies, where she held the role of Product Line Manager, Technology Product Management. Christine earned her MBA in International Business from the University of Calgary in 2003.
Chris Curry is the Interim Chief Financial Officer at Blackline Safety Corp. He has over 20 years of experience in various accounting, finance and managerial positions in diversified industries including energy, power, midstream and private equity. He is responsible for the corporate accounting and finance functions across the globe, including tax, treasury management, financial planning & analysis, and financial reporting. Prior to joining Blackline Safety, Mr. Curry held an executive role at NorthRiver Midstream and also held financial and executive positions with Bellatrix Exploration.
Mr. Curry is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree (with distinction) from the University of Victoria. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta.
Meaghan Whitney is Chief People Officer at Blackline Safety, where she provides leadership and guidance to Blackline's human resources, health & safety, and payroll & benefits functions with her unwavering focus on culture, communication and engagement in support of our Blackline Values. With over 10 years of human resources experience, including health and safety, organizational development and instructional design, Meaghan has held a variety of roles in her career. She is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources, and is a Certified Professional of the Society of Human Resource Management.
Julie Baron is Blackline Safety’s Vice President of Marketing, overseeing demand generation, product and customer marketing, communications, brand and creative. Since joining in 2021, she has strengthened Blackline’s position in connected safety with expertise in go-to-market execution, brand strategy, and digital marketing. With over 20 years of experience, Julie has held key marketing roles at Benevity, SMART Technologies, Emerson (formerly Zedi), and Veer.
Phil Benson is Blackline Safety’s Vice President of Product, overseeing product management, industrial design, UX design, data engineering, business intelligence, and AI/ML services. With a background in designing industry-leading safety products at BW Technologies by Honeywell and interactive learning solutions at SMART Technologies, Phil brings deep expertise in developing user-centric, high-impact solutions.
At Blackline, he leads the development of a cohesive product portfolio, ensuring that every solution enhances customer confidence, usability, and brand loyalty. His team is committed to pushing the boundaries of connected safety technology, delivering innovative and data-driven solutions that protect workers in the most challenging environments.
Brian Gunter is the Vice President of Sales for North America at Blackline Safety, driving revenue growth and go-to-market execution across the region. With over 20 years of experience building and scaling sales organizations across global SaaS, industrial technology, and automation markets, Brian brings deep expertise in enterprise sales leadership, channel development, and commercial transformation. Prior to Blackline, Brian served as Senior Commercial Director at Tektronix, where he scaled a global SaaS sales organization from the ground up. He also held sales leadership roles at Honeywell International, Securus Technologies, and Hilti, leading global and regional teams across warehouse automation, SaaS, and industrial markets. Brian holds an MBA from the University of Notre Dame and a BS in Marketing from Minnesota State University–Mankato.
Rob Herring serves as Vice President, Operations at Blackline Safety. Unlike many businesses in North America, Blackline has in-sourced its manufacturing operations, using a lean philosophy. With over 20 years of operational management and supply chain experience, Rob oversees the manufacturing, supply chain and logistics departments. Rob previously held positions with local tech companies Imaging Dynamics and SMART Technologies.
Elisa Khuong is a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant, with over 10 years' experience in accounting, finance and audit in diversified industries including manufacturing, real estate and financial services. She is responsible for the general corporate accounting functions across the globe, including the day-to-day management of the Accounting teams at Wearable Technologies and Blackline Safety Europe in the UK and France. Prior to joining Blackline, Elisa was with PricewaterhouseCoopers as a manager in their audit and assurance practice.
Andrea Lamond holds the position of Vice President, Growth Operations at Blackline Safety, where she is responsible for the direction of the teams that provide information, content, tools, and processes that help salespeople sell more effectively. These teams include Sales Development, Channel Operations, Sales Engineering, Contracts Management, and Customer Care & Service. Prior to Blackline, Andrea held production and process engineering roles in oil and gas production and field operations at Encana Corporation. Andrea received a BSc in Chemical & Biological Engineering from the University of British Columbia.
Eric Palmiere is the Vice President of Business IT & Cybersecurity at Blackline Safety, where he leads the company's digital transformation, IT strategy, and cybersecurity initiatives. With over 25 years of experience and a strong background in IT leadership, Eric is dedicated to aligning technology with business goals to drive innovation and improve operational efficiency. Since joining Blackline Safety, Eric has spearheaded key technology initiatives, including infrastructure enhancements, ERP improvements, and advanced cybersecurity programs.
Simon Rich oversees the sales function for all of Europe—from business development to customer support to channel management—responsible for driving the division’s overall revenue growth. He has over 25 years of industrial safety and gas detection sales experience in progressive roles with Honeywell, Drager and ICI Chemicals.
Donnovan Simon is Vice President,Client Success at Blackline Safety, responsible for client retention, engagement, renewals, and organic growth across North America and the United Kingdom.Donnovan brings to Blackline more than 25 years of leadership experience in technology companies working in customer experience, operations, sales, technical support and more. Prior to Blackline, Donnovan held management roles at Calgary-based SMART Technologies, Nureva and Zephyr Sleep Technologies.
Brian is Vice President, Product Development at Blackline Safety, responsible for leading the Waterloo-based engineering team, spearheading new product developments, and offeringstrategic guidance to other technology leaders within the company. Brian brings over 15 years of hardware development experience from Blackberry and Apple. Most recently, he served as CTO of Swift Labs, an IoT design and engineering consulting firmacquired by Blackline in 2022.
Steven Van Swol is Vice President, Software Development. Prior to joining Blackline, Steven spent over 20 years in Public Safety and telecom at Motorola Solutions on projects including embedded devices, telecom infrastructure and interoperability; and at HERE Technologies as Director of Software Engineering leading up to the Kubernetes Platform infrastructure. He holds 10 issued patents, a BSEE from the University of Illinois and an MSEE from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He resides in the Greater Chicago area.
