Douglas Freel graduated from Queen's University in 1986 with a degree in electrical engineering. He started his career with Schlumberger, working on drilling rigs throughout South America (Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, and Trinidad) for 9 years. Upon returning to Canada, he earned an MBA from the University of Toronto in 1995. Douglas then joined ARC Financial, a private equity firm in Calgary, where he managed investments in Oilfield Services, including his final deal with a Canadian solar panel manufacturer, overseeing investments just shy of $1 billion CAD. Since retiring in 2023, Douglas continues to serve on three industrial and one non-profit board, acting as Chair for three of them.

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He is married to Brigette and has three adult children.  His outside interests include sailing, hiking, and motorcycling