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MAT KAVANAGH
Senior Manager – Industrial Waste Solutions
at Amrize Canada Inc.
MAT KAVANAGH is a forward-thinking environmental leader
operating at the critical intersection of environmental regulation, circular economy business development, and sustainable
industrial infrastructure. With over 14 years of multidisciplinary
experience across the oil and gas, contaminated sites consulting,
mining, and construction sectors in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and
British Columbia, Mat has built a reputation for turning complex environmental liabilities into high-value commercial opportunities. His career began as a project technician conducting
environmental assessments and site reclamation in Alberta, an
early experience that solidi昀椀ed his core professional conviction:
proactive environmental management is vastly more e昀昀ective
and sustainable than reactive cleanup.
Since relocating to British Columbia in 2016, Mat has
advanced through increasingly complex environmental
leadership roles. He has overseen regulatory compliance across
extensive mining, concrete, asphalt, and cement operations
spanning BC, Washington, and Oregon, consistently identifying
novel pathways to recover land昀椀ll waste, monetize inactive
industrial assets, and remove regulatory hurdles through
technical innovation. Holding a Bachelor of Applied Technology
in Environmental Site Remediation, a Master of Science in
Environment and Management, a Professional Agrologist (P.Ag.)
designation through the BC Institute of Agrologists, and executive
training from the Ivey School of Business, Mat combines rigorous
scienti昀椀c knowledge with strong commercial execution.
As Senior Manager of Industrial Waste Solutions at Amrize,
Mat led the design, development, and commissioning of BC’s
昀椀rst zero-discharge contaminated soil washing facility—a $25
million investment that marks Amrize’s 昀椀rst facility of its kind
in North America. By establishing a fully closed-loop system
that captures, treats, and recirculates process water, Mat
eliminated major environmental discharge risks, streamlined
regulatory approvals, and provided the local construction sector
with a sustainable alternative that diverts millions of tonnes
of contaminated soil from land昀椀lls annually while recovering reusable aggregates without new mining operations. In
addition to managing Amrize’s soil acceptance network across
BC—which handles over one million tonnes of material each
year—Mat established the Cassidy Biosolids Growing Medium
program, diverting 100% of Capital Regional District biosolids
from land昀椀lls to create a reclamation product generating over
$5 million annually.
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SITE REPORTS
HAS SERVED as a mentor for agrologists.
Mat holds a masters degree in environment and
management.
In 2023 he was named Rock to Road’s Top 10 Under 40.
Beyond his operational mandates, Mat is a dedicated advocate for
industry-wide policy advancement and professional development.
He serves as a Board Director for both the Environmental Managers
Association of BC and the BC Environmental Industry Association,
actively mentoring emerging professionals through the BC Institute of
Agrologists and presenting nationally on circular economy practices.
Through his work with the BC Stone Sand and Gravel Association, Mat
spearheaded regulatory updates to BC Ministry of Environment Protocol
19, reducing unnecessary testing requirements to deliver over $1 million
in annual savings for Amrize and more than $5 million in savings
across the broader industry. Relentlessly positive, entrepreneurial, and
collaborative, Mat exempli昀椀es the next generation of industrial leaders
who are transforming environmental challenges into sustainable,
competitive advantages.
