August 7, 2024 – Effective August 1, Arjan Arenja is the new chair of the board of directors of Ontario’s Electrical Safety Authority, succeeding outgoing chair Christopher Hopper.

“We would like to thank Christopher for his nine years of leadership and service on the ESA board of directors,” said Arenja. “As the first chair who was a licensed electrical contractor, he provided exceptional insights, advice, and oversight in helping to transform the ESA into a modern regulator in the pursuit of an Ontario free of electrical harm.”

Arenja was first elected to ESA’s board in March 2019 by the Ontario government. He is a licensed professional engineer with Professional Engineers Ontario, and has held senior management roles in various organizations, including EXP, Royal Group Technologies, and Bruce Power.

At ESA, Arenja has served as chair of the Audit and Investment and People, Culture and Governance committees. At Engineers Canada, he served as chair of the Human Resources, CEO Search, and Finance, Audit and Risk committees.

As an administrative authority acting on behalf of the Government of Ontario, ESA is responsible for administering specific regulations related to the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, the licensing of electrical contractors and master electricians, electricity distribution system safety, and electrical product safety.