Suncor’s chief climate officer Martha Hall Findlay to retire after less than a year on the job

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The chief climate officer of Suncor Energy Inc. SU-T, Martha Hall Findlay, will retire at the end of November after less than a year on the job, a surprise move by an executive who has been a passionate voice in favour of bringing greenhouse gas emissions from Alberta’s oil sands to net zero.

Ms. Hall Findlay assumed her role at the Calgary-based oil sands producer in February, the first appointment of its kind in Canada’s energy sector. Last year she was instrumental in the development of the Pathways Alliance, a group of companies that covers about 95 per cent of oil sands production. The alliance has pledged to get to net zero by 2050.

Arlene Strom, Suncor’s chief sustainability officer and general counsel, will take over Ms. Hall Findlay’s Pathways work.

“There is much more to do, but the Pathways team is an extraordinary group of people who are more than up to the task,” Ms. Hall Findlay told The Globe and Mail, adding that she will be “happily cheering them on from the sidelines.”

“Its work is so critically important to the future of this industry – and, frankly, the country,” she said.

Ms. Hall Findlay acknowledged that the past few months have been “interesting” for Suncor. In April, Florida-based activist shareholder Elliott Investment Management LP launched a campaign to oust several directors at the company and explore a sale of its Petro-Canada gas station chain. And Suncor’s chief executive, Mark Little, resigned in July.

When Ms. Hall Findlay came to Suncor, she committed to staying for five years. Her choice to retire before that time was up was a deeply personal one, she said – a result of a recent breast cancer diagnosis, a double mastectomy and the loss of her younger sister to cancer, all during the pandemic and while working full time.

All that, she said, has given her cause to reflect, and a desire to focus on family and health.

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Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, said Ms. Hall Findlay’s departure will be a major loss not just for Suncor, but also for the Pathways Initiative, where she “added insight and gravitas.”

“She was a very important voice and a very important part of the Pathways Initiative, and believed passionately in its potential and what it meant for Alberta,” Ms. Yedlin said.

“I think it’s caught everybody by surprise, and everybody’s quite sad for sure. She’s made a huge difference.”

Ms. Hall Findlay first joined Suncor in 2020 as its chief sustainability officer. She played a key role in supporting the strategic direction of the company’s economic, environmental and social performance goals, and in developing Suncor’s plans to thrive in a low-emissions world.

She has been lauded many times for her work at the company. In 2021, she was named Canadian Climate Champion by the British High Commission and the Canada Climate Law Initiative. This year, she was named one of Canada’s Clean50, a recognition given to people and groups who show leadership in environmental sustainability. The Energy Council, an international network of energy executives, named her a top global female oil-and-gas executive.

Before she joined Suncor, she was president and CEO of the Canada West Foundation, a Calgary-based think tank. And prior to that she was a Liberal MP for Willowdale, Ont., a role that left her with strong connections in Ottawa.

Gary Mar, a former Alberta MLA who took over as president and CEO of the Canada West Foundation after Ms. Hall Findlay’s departure, said he was always impressed with her ability to work across the aisle – particularly on politically thorny issues like the debate around federal Bill C-69, which overhauled Canada’s environmental assessment laws.

“She has always been a strong advocate for Canadian energy and the ability to reconcile that with goals of reducing GHGs associated with production,” he said Tuesday.

“She took what she started with the Canada West Foundation, and took that with her to Suncor. She’s somebody that I admire a great deal.”