Three senior executives have been let go from the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the first shakeup at the oil sector lobby group since it came under the direction of new chief executive Lisa Baiton a month ago.
In an e-mail to CAPP employees obtained by The Globe and Mail, Ms. Baiton said the three executives had departed the organization.
CAPP would not confirm details of the departures, saying only there had been “personnel changes.” But according to the staff e-mail, it included two vice-presidents – of Canada operations and climate, and of oil sands and fiscal policy – as well as CAPP’s general counsel.
A source told The Globe that the three were laid off last week. The Globe is not identifying the source as they were not permitted to speak publicly about the situation.
Profiles of all three executives – Terry Abel, Ben Brunnen and Tamsin Henry – have been deleted from the CAPP website.
The leadership overhaul comes at a time of significant change in the global energy sector. As governments and the industry sets targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, investors are placing more emphasis on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues – particularly when it comes to fossil-fuel companies.
CAPP spokesperson Jay Averill said in an e-mail the organization was “grateful for the contributions of those who spent years serving our members and the natural gas and oil industry.”
“In this new era of ESG-minded energy development, CAPP is focusing on realizing our industry’s potential as a global energy supplier of choice,” he said.
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CAPP did not grant The Globe an interview with Ms. Baiton, who took over the reins of the organization on May 2 from former president and CEO Tim McMillan. He held the role for eight years after a stint as minister of energy in Saskatchewan.
Ms. Baiton said in her e-mail that there would soon be an employee town hall meeting to outline the interim organizational structure “with a goal to finalizing that structure following the midsummer strategy session with the executive committee of the board.”
Ms. Baiton came to CAPP from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, where she led its global public affairs activities across more than 50 countries.
Prior to that, she was a vice-president of government relations for Environics Communications, worked for the Canadian Bankers Association and was a policy maker in three Canadian governments.
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Emma Graney