Martha Hall Findlay, Suncor Energy’s 1st ‘chief climate officer,’ to retire from role
Global News
Suncor Energy Inc.'s first-ever chief climate officer is departing her role at the end of November.
Suncor Energy Inc.’s first-ever chief climate officer is departing her role at the end of November, but Martha Hall Findlay says she feels “far more optimistic” than she once did that Canada’s oil and gas sector can be part of the climate change solution.
Hall Findlay joined Suncor in 2020 as chief sustainability officer, and was named the company’s chief climate officer — the first appointment of its kind by a Canadian energy company — in February of this year.
While at the company, Hall Findlay played a key role in the development of the Pathways Alliance, a consortium of major oilsands companies that have together pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions from production by 2050.
Her tenure also coincided with a rocky period for the Calgary-based energy giant, one that saw the company targeted by U.S.-based activist investor Elliott Investment Management for a string of recent operational difficulties and workplace safety incidents. Suncor’s former chief executive Mark Little resigned in July.
READ MORE: Suncor reaches deal with activist investor Elliott Investment Management
But while Hall Findlay acknowledged it has been an “interesting” time to be part of the Suncor executive team, she said she is retiring because of a string of personal challenges over the past two years — challenges that have included a breast cancer diagnosis, a double mastectomy, and the death of her sister.
“Pathways has been my heart and soul for the last two years. I never took time off,” Hall Findlay said in an interview Wednesday. “It’s been awesome, but I’m not going to lie — I’m exhausted.”
Before joining Suncor, Hall Findlay served as the Liberal Member of Parliament for the Toronto riding of Willowdale, Ont., from 2008 to 2011. She then moved to Calgary to become president and chief executive of the Canada West Foundation, a Calgary-based think tank.
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