Graham Nasby - short biography

Graham Nasby P.Eng., PMP, CAP, CISSP, CISM, GICSP is an industry-recognized leader in the SCADA, OT and industrial automation sectors for his efforts in automated control system design, standards development, alarm management, cybersecurity best practices and operational efficiency. Through his work with the ISA, CSA, ANSI and IEC, Graham has co-authored international standards on SCADA systems, systems design, cybersecurity, industrial automation, alarm management and HMI systems. With over two decades of multi-industry engineering experience, spanning water/wastewater utilities, rail transport, pharmaceutical, nanotechnology, and process industries, Graham brings a deep blend of technical acumen, hands-on design and deployment, leadership, and strategic systems expertise to his clients. His background includes operations, capital projects, construction, program development, and developing long term technology roadmaps. As a technical and thought leader, Graham is a frequent author of industry articles and invited speaker at industry events. To date he has authored more than 51 papers, co-authored 45 international standards, and given 70+ presentations at conferences and industry events. Graham is currently co-chair of the ISA112 SCADA Systems Management standards committee, a member of the CSA P125 standards committee, and actively involved with several industry associations. Graham also teaches a evening course on engineering law and ethics at McMaster University's faulty of engineering. Graham and his wife live in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Graham Nasby - chatty biography

I grew up in a medium-sized Canadian city called Guelph. Located near the Canada's famous Great Lakes in the province of Ontario, it meant a childhood that was full of outdoor activities and trips. Summers were spent at the family cottage on a small lake near Lake Nipissing and at a boys' camp in Georgian Bay called Camp Hurontario. When I was older, my family and I cruised the islands of Georgian Bay on well-worn 31-foot sailboat that was the source of many adventures and stories. It was during these summers that I learned about swimming, canoeing, back country camping, and most importantly, sailing. Childhood sailing experiences included everything from small dinghies to full-sized keel boats that you can sleep on. Though I have to admit I'm not the greatest sailor, I still sail to this day.

After many years of working out of town, I am now very fortunate to be able to both live and work in my hometown. The year 2010 was a year of change for me. It meant switching jobs to find something a little closer to home and taking the leap into home ownership. Since then, I've been a proud owner a 1870s red brick Victorian-era house in downtown Guelph. The work to fix up the place and breathe some life into its many gardens is a seemingly never-ending process. Who knew that home ownership would be so much work!

Introduction to the world of work

Over the years I've worked in various jobs. I remember being my first job well. I was 9 years old, and my dad said he had found some work for me: For $2/hour I was hired to pull out old fiberglass insulation out of the basement of a house down the street. It was awful. I was itchy for week afterwards. Litle did I know it was my dad's way of teaching that I should always ask more questions before agreeing to take on a job. Thanks dad (argh!). Even 40+ years after that terrible "job", I still get itchy whenever I think of it. It was awful. The next job my dad found was much better: drywall sanding - my life was already improving!

When I was a teenager, I ran a small business installing electrical systems in boats. Then I was off to university for engineering school, where I worked in the school's IT department for 8 years while doing a part-time engineering degree. That is when I was not helping people renovate houses, installing network cabling, or creating websites to make ends meet.

In 2004 with my engineering degree in hand, I somehow graduated into what I would quickly learn was a terrible job market. While we used to have recruiters regularly come to campus when first started at university, few companies were hiring in the mid-2000's. So instead, I started a small software development company and did programming for hire: websites, databases, php/python, C/C++, microcontrollers, etc.. It paid the bills.

Engineering Career Begins

After about a year of writing software - and after talking to a lot of people - I landed a job at a structural engineering firm in Guelph (RWDI) where I learned how to do wind loading studies for buildings. My programming skills came in handy: A major part of my job was to help automate the myriad calculations involved. It was truely a "big data" situation, before that term was even coined by industry. Lots of databases, spreadsheets, VBA code, web services, math libraries, scripting, and more scripting, all wrapped together with big helping of secret sauce. It was really hard. However, as a perk, I got to know a few folks from the model shop for their boundary layer wind tunnel really well. They wer really fun to hang out this. They even gave me some of the old no-longer-needed scaled "red building models" from the wind tunnel that I treasure to this day.

The Igor years - Yes, Mad Scientists do exist!

I was in RWDI's R&D department for about a year before I got head-hunted, because I knew a (relatively obscure) controls systems programming language from a course I had taken. This led to a new job as a control systems specialist at Intlvac, a company located in Georgetown Ontario that builds custom "high vacuum&auot; equipment . Finally a job in the automated control systems engineering discipline that I studied in university!

Intlvac was a cool place to work: I got to play "mad scientist" a lot! As a high-vacuum speciality firm, Intlvac made things like ion-beam mills, evaporative coating machines, and space simulation chambers. I got to play with stuff like cryo-pumps, liquid helium cooling loops, plasma guns, microcontrolers, and this neato (scada-like) programming language called LabView. We sold a lot of stuff for the US Department of Energy - they would never would tell us what they were using our equipment, but the support questions we got from them were always fascinating. I was there for about a year, until there was a slow-down in the high-vacuum industry (yes, that is what that industry is called) and then it was time to find a new gig.

Now out on the street and having bills to pay, I picked up some spot contract work in various industries. One of these was designing SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems for the ready-mix concrete industry. Interesting stuff, but it was not steady work, so I needed to find something a little more permanent.

Pharmaceutical Years

A few years previous, I had started doing some volunteering with the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers. While at an OSPE event, I met an older gentleman who owned a pharmaceutical engineering firm. Soon after, he invited me to come work with him. I was employee No.1 for him and his four partners. It was a fun ride. I ended up spending 3 years in the pharma industry doing stuff line: automated controls design, project management, process design, and navigating the never-ending stream of pharma-related quality management paperwork. It was an interesting job, but - wow! - there was a lot of paperwork. Then the 2008-2010 housing crisis came, and pharma companies stopped spending money on capital projects. My last project wrapped up in early 2010.

This time I decided to make the best use of my time of, so I enrolled in a project management certificate program at the University of Waterloo, and I did a number of Electrical Substation design courses through EPIC. It just so happened at one of the EPIC courses, I met someone who gave me a personal introduction that led to my next job. This time in the municipal water/wastewater sector, doing - you guessed it - automated control system design and commissioning.

Consulting Engineering - part 1 (muncipal water/wastewater)

In 2010, I made the jump over the municipal water sector. I spent the next five years working for a consulting engineering firm where I did System Integration, PLC/HMI programming, and Instrumentation/Control work. Also got a chance to do a lot of power engineering design, project management, contract admin, and whatever else the firm needed help with. I also got to a bit of business development, which was a fun challenge.

Water Utility Years

After about five years in consulting, I felt it was time to go work for an end-user, specifically where I could shape the long-term development of a drinking water utility rather than jumping from project to project. So, in the fall of 2015, I joined the City of Guelph as the Water SCADA & Security Specialist in their Water Services Division. It was also a 15 minute walk from my house - talk about a great location!

While at Guelph Water, I looked after automatic control systems that keep the water service running. This included the long-term planning of upgrades, supervising improvement work, developing system standards, supervising the SCADA team, and ensuring the operations team had access to the tools they needed to do their jobs efficiently/effectively. I also got to work closely with the capital projects team, to help them coordinate all the SCADA aspects of numerous facility upgrade projects. It was a fun job.

I ended up spending 7 years with the city from 2015 to 2022. During my time at Guelph Water, I was able to document the existing system, develop a technology roadmap, create a 25-year capital renewal/investment plan for the SCADA system, and put that renewal plan in motion. It also got to try out some interesting new technologies. We built a datalogging system based on raspberry Pi's, Linux and various open source software. We did the first roll-out of WITS - Water Industry Telemetry Proocol - in North America. We also go to deploy realtime dashboards, leverage automation features of several SCADA and PLC platforms, and deploy several new IIoT technologies.

I also had the opportunity to help the next generation of our workforce, by starting two co-op/internship programs at the utility. One gave engineering and computer science students a chance to learn about and build SCADA systems. For the second, I partered with a local community college to train AutoCAD drafting students. During my time at Guelph Water, I was able to offer a total of 19 co-op work term placements for students. I'm proud to repor that most of my "graduatews" have gone on to pursue related engineering and techncial careers.

Guelph Water also gave me the opportunity to reall dig into the technical aspects of the PLC and HMI software we used at the utility. While there I was able to the development of a set of new completely programming templates and tools for our PLC hardware and HMI software platforms that resulted in a 75% labour savings for all programming/configuration work. Once that was completed, I then was able to replicate the same savings with standardized PLC Panel designs, standardized motor starter designs, and standardized field wiring/installation standards. It was an fun challenge to try out as many techniques as possible for using templates cut to down on the (expensive) custom design/programming work that plagues many complex systems.

My time at the city also gave me an opportunity to work on several water sector committees, publish papers, and to speak at a number of industry events/conferences. I also got a chance to build the business case for investment in Guelph Water's SCADA system. This meant growing the utility's annual SCADA Budget from $20K/year to $1.5 million/year, growing the team from 1 person to 5, and puting in place workflows to support two $30million/year large capital programs in the water and wastewater divisions. It was busy time but a lot of fun.

Working on the railroad

In early 2022, I was head-hunted by CN Rail to build they OT cybersecurity practice. This meant coming in as their senior manager of OT security architecture as part of the CN's Office of the CISO department. It was a challenging role. CN is an enormous organization with 25,000+ employees and annual revenues exceeding $15 billion, with operations across all of Canada and an extensive US midwest footprint from Chicago down to New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Mobile.

From my start as Senior Manager of OT Security Architecture, and later as Sr. Mgr. of OT & Network Security Architecture, I had the unique opportunity to work with people across CN's network in both Canada and the USA, and to lead teams located throughout North America. It has been quite a ride.

From helping build CN's cybersecurity roadmap, crafting the company-wide program for securing critical systems in response to the TSA security directives, leading OT & Network security teams, supporting projects, and having the opportunity to work with leaders from across the organization, it was a great place to work. It was uplifting to work for an organization that truly cares about safety and supporting its workforce so they can service the customer.

It was always a thrill having the opportunity to lead my team towards helping with a successful technology implementation and/or to roll out a significant step forward for CN's security posture. Likewise, I look back proudly at the many times I was able to share my team's knowledge and expertise when I worked on industry committees and spoke at conferences.

One personal highlight was having the opportunity in 2022 to be trained as a backup freight train conductor, as part of CN's RRCP railroader certification program. Though the training was challenging (I was one of the few to complete it that year), the training and "service protection deployments" on trains gave me a real-world understanding and respect for how critical it is that core IT/OT systems function properly and reliably to support safe and efficient operations. Each winter, I always looked forward to being sent to Canada's Vancouver area to help run trains up/down the mountains. It was tough work, but it kept me well grounded.

Return to Consulting Engineering - I'm baaaack!

"At PBX Engineering, we transform visions into reality through innovative electrical and systems engineering solutions. Since 1997, we've been designing resilient infrastructure and systems that power, connect, move, and protect communities across North America." - read more at pbxeng.com

Other Activities

In addition to my day job, I'm quite active with the International Society of Automation (www.isa.org), of which I have been a member since 2004 and active as a volunteer since 2010. They are a volunteer organization comprised some 36,000 technicians, engineers and facility owners who have common interest in industrial automation. During the past 15 years or so, I've been involved with the local section, technical divisions, standards committees, and in various volunteer leader roles at the international level. It's a great organization.

The year 2011 was exciting time for me professionally. In 2011, I gave my first talk at an international conference, and also appeared in print for the first time. The May/June 2011 issue of ISA InTech magazine included article on SCADA Standardization that I had co-wrote with a friend of mine from the City of Guelph's Water Services department. We also presented a talk about that same project at that year's 2011 ISA water/wastewater and automatic controls symposium in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. In a way it was foreshadowing, as I would later become the volunteer general chair of that symposium in 2012 and 2013. Since then, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to be involved several other conferences and publish a number of technical papers.

Learning & Teaching

Though I finished my engineering degree a long time ago, I do have to admit I still enjoy learning new things. Every day is a new day to learn something new. I know it sounds corny, but it's true.

For a while I was taking the occasional evening history course at the University of Guelph, with the hope of getting a BA in History. Last time I checked, I've got about 4-5 courses to go.

My latest student endeavour is working on a part-time Executive MBA, which I started in the fall of 2024. Delievered as one online course at a time, I'm doing the ":Innovation Leadership" EMBA program out of the University of Fredericton's School of Business. Through the courses, I was been fun to work with students (all mid-career professionals like me) from all across Canada.

Speaking of Teaching

Recently, I have been doing some teaching at both the college and university level. In 2017-2018, I was fortunate to be a guest instructor at Fleming College's municipal water operator program (aptly titled: AWSOM - Advanced Water Systems Operations & Management). Since then, I've taught hands-on evening classes at Mohawk College and Conestoga College. At the University level, I also now teach an evening course on engineering law and ethics at McMaster University. As 2025, I will have taught my McMaster law/ethics course more than a dozen times - I'm not sure why, but I still get nervous before the first class of each semester.

Music

I have been playing musical instruments since I was about five years old. My first instrument was recorder, which I played quite seriously up until I was in high school. Not familiar with recorder music from the Baroque Period (1600-1750)? The repertoire is actually quite extensive with many notable composers such as Bach, Handel, Cornelli, Telemann and Vivaldi. Two of my favourites are Cornelli's Concerto in C, and Telemann's Suite in A-minor. At fifteen I made the decision that I did not want to study Baroque/Early Music in university, so I stopped what had been my regime of practicing two hours a day. I don't play much recorder anymore, mostly because I can't seem to find the time.

When I was twelve, I picked up the clarinet and have been playing ever since. I am pretty much self-taught -- back in Grade 7, I asked school music teacher for a fingering chart and never looked back. While I was in high-school I played in the senior band, a jazz band that I directed, and a number of other ensembles. Ever since high school, I have been quite active on the community music scene and have played with various different community bands and orchestras over the years. How much I play depends on how busy work gets, but I usually try to play with at least one group.

I have been fortunate to play clarinet in a number of orchestras, concert bands, and small groups over the years. I have been playing clarinet since I was 12 years old, and still take masterclass lessons from time to time.

In addition to playing the traditional Bb and A clarinets (which are typical for orchestra), I also play a number of other members of the clarinet family. This includes Eb clarinet, Alto Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Contrabass clarinet, and Basset Horn.

In 2021-2022, I had the opportunity to perform on basset horn for the Mozart Gran Partita (Serenade No.10 in Bb, K. 361/370a) not only once, but twice. First with the North York Concert Orchestra and second with the Hart House Orchestra. Then in 2023, I had to chance to perform the Mozart Requiem on basset horn with the York Chamber Orchestra and Tapestry Chamber Choire for two sold-out performances. I am fortunate to own a matched pair of basset horns, which comes in very handy sometimes.

In past years, I have also played tenor sax in various big bands.

Some highlights of my music career have included: going on tour with the Hart House Orchestra to Germany in May 2019; playing the opening to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (on clarinet of course); performing The Planets suite by Gustov Holst (both orchestra and concert band versions); and playing the alto clarinet solo in Percy Granger's Lincolnshire Posy.

Currently, my wife and I regularly play with the Hart House Orchestra (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). I play clarinet and she plays oboe/english-horn.

Becoming a real engineer - "Real engineers drive trains, right?"

When I turned 40, my wife decided it was time that I became a "Real Engineer" and arranged for me be "Engineer for the Day" on a steam railway. Fortunately, there was one such steam locomotive on a small heritage narrow-gauge railway at the Muskoka Heritage Park (Huntsville, Ontario, Canada). So, at 40 years old, I finally learned how to drive a steam locomotive. Hence the photo on the right side of this page. Driving a train is (actually) a lot harder than it looks.

While on the subject of trains: When I was at CN Rail, I had the opportunity to be trained as a backup "freight train conductor". (In the winter-time, freight trains often get delayed due to weather. CN has a program where a small group of managers get qualified as backup conductors, and then sign-up for 1-2 weeks to be on-call each winter for "service protection" to help-out when needed. It's a volunteer program for me, and I enjoy it since it gets me out in the field 2-3 weeks a year. It also reminds you of the dedication of folks that do this every day as part of their job.)

For those who are not aware, most freight trains are staffed by 2 crewmembers: the engineer and the conductor. The engineer drives the train. However, it's the conductor who keeps track of the cars, paperwork, where they are going, train traffic signals, and coordinating everything with rail traffic control over the radio. It's also the conductor who has to get out of the cab to set switches, check cars, and "protect the point" of the train when reversing. Protecting the point can consist of: standing on the ground (so you can watch the back end of a train), coordinating with a yard master to watch the train with a camera, or actually riding the last car using it's ladder/platform. There are a number of other duties for a freight train conductor, but let's just say they keep you pretty busy. Actually, both roles, engineer and conductor, will keep you very busy. The two work together as a team. I personally think the conductor job is a bit more fun, but my engineer colleagues do keep reminding me that the locomotive cab is pretty comfortable when it's pouring rain outside. The engineers are the ones who get the blow the horn as well.

So, what does it take to get a freight train conductor qualification? Short answer, it's pretty involved process that usually takes at least 6 months, and upwards of 2 years. To start my training, in the summer of 2022 I had to go to Winnipeg for 5 weeks of "train school" to learn the railway operating rules and take several qualification exams. Then it was around 60 hours of web training/exams, followed by another 150 safety bulletin reviews/quizes. Then the next step was to complete about twenty 12-hour training shifts with actual train crews, followed by a 6 hour hands-on practical exam. This is what I had to do as a "backup conductor" - the folks work as freight train conductors on a full-time basis do more training than this.

I completed my freight train conductor training in February 2023. Not wanting to miss a beat, I was then assigned 8-days of backup service protection duty the following month. This included being called out to work outside during a freak March snowstorm with -35 DegC temperatures and blowing ice - it was special. Fortunately, my next deployment, which was in November 2023 was much nicer: I spent 8 days running freight trains up/down the mountains between Vancouver and Kamloops, BC. The scenery was amazing. I liked it so much, I went back out for a second helping in Dec 2023. As a backup conductor of last resort (only used if the regular crews were not available, or had hit the legal maximum work hours), I spent 8 days helping run trains up/down the mountains and in the port area. While I was at CN, I always looked forward to each time I got a chance to work on the trains. Well, at least the little boy in me always was!

Having fun

I enjoy getting out of the city whenever possible. I still get up to the family cottage and try to travel whenever I can. On the water I still sail dinghies, and next summer I am considering joining a community sailing club that is nearby. Other hobbies include European history, English/French literature, canoeing, sailing, mountain biking, going to the opera, and chasing a little white ball (golf).

My latest hobby is keelboat sailing. After dreaming about it for many, many years, I took the plunge and bought at 30 ft cruising sailboat. Over the coming summers, I am looking forward to getting used to it. And, yes, that includes flying that big beautiful sail called the Spinnaker!

Photos: headshot - larger | headshot2 - larger | engineering - larger | process plant - larger | process plant2 - larger | speaking - larger | steam locomotive - larger | diesel locomotive - larger | informal overalls - larger | teaching - larger | formal headshot - larger | UofG mid-career award - larger |