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If Scott Thomson's career has been defined by one thing, it's change. The highly driven executive thrives on challenge, and has managed to keep himself engaged by working in wildly divergent industries.

"I love learning and I love to stretch myself to learn new skills," says Mr. Thomson. "I was doing well at Goldman Sachs, but left to go to BCE Inc. with no background in telecom. I left telecom to go to oil and gas, without ever having been a chief financial officer."

Mr. Thomson arrived at Talisman in July, after spending five years at BCE as vice-president of corporate development. Prior to that he held senior positions at Goldman and RBC Dominion Securities.

"I have a kind of a history for doing these things to learn new skills," says Mr. Thomson, who earned an MBA at the University of Chicago after obtaining a bachelor's degree from Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. "I'm a big believer in continuing to push yourself. Life is short and it's only when you are engaged that you're learning."

He's not only focused on work, however. He co-founded the Reading Zone, a project that combined basketball and hands-on academic instruction to help children with dyslexia overcome challenges. He's a current member of Social Venture Partners, which provides non-profit organizations with both capital and strategic advice.

His other charitable initiative is a little more personal. After a university friend told him about a family friend in Nigeria who was unable to attend medical school because of a series of personal tragedies, Mr. Thomson stepped up to fund the young man's education. "Being able to support a student through his university studies was pretty neat."