Page 16 - Suncor 360 - September 2014 - English

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FEATURE
SEPTEMBER 2014
360

Suncor, you’ve changed

Five years ago – on Aug. 1, 2009 – Suncor and Petro-Canada came
together in the energy industry’s biggest merger in Canadian history.

For our people, the change was huge.

“Every one of us has had to change along “Since the merger, my world has “All in all, I believe

the way to meld our system, processes, expanded. In my current role, I’m involved Petro-Canada had a positive

approaches and ways of thinking,” says with an integrated, multi-faceted team of inluence on Suncor, and vice
Steve Williams, president and CEO. “It people from Oil Sands, Edmonton reinery versa,” says Doug, who now works in Oil

hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been and Calgary’s Supply & Trading group. Sands & In Situ as director, maintenance
worth it.
When challenges arise, we work as a team planning & scheduling. “As we’ve grown

to come up with solutions.
together as the new company, the ‘cross
“I irmly believe the merger, and how well pollination’ has been very beneicial.”
the two companies came together since “Collaboration is a big part of the way we

that momentous announcement, have set deal with change and challenges. Working The best of both worlds
us up for success.”
together to igure out what’s best for This notion of cross-pollination resonates

Suncor – for me, that’s the essence
with Nick Dudley-Smith, director of vendor
We spoke to a few folks from across our of adaptability.”
audit, Finance. He sees it not only as a

operations to get a sense of how the positive outcome of the merger but a key
merger affected them personally as well Putting change in perspective
reason Suncor is so robust and adaptable
as how they feel Suncor adapted.
While the merger represented huge change in a complex, ever-changing industry.
for the two companies, Doug Fingland says
Opening the door to opportunity
the change he saw was manageable.
Nick was marketing manager of Petro-
For many individuals aboard the new Canada’s car wash network when the two
company, the merger created opportunities “My own role and responsibilities didn’t
companies merged. In his view, the coming
that were good not only for Suncor but for really change that much,” says Doug, who together of different perspectives and ways
themselves as well.
was acting maintenance director at
of working was tremendously beneicial.
Petro-Canada’s lubricant facility at the time
Rita Clark, production co-ordinator,
of the merger.
“During my 20 years with Petro-Canada,
Edmonton reinery, saw the merger as I’d gained a lot of expertise in the retail
positive from the very outset.and her “One of the biggest challenges for me was
side of the business, but I’d reached a
optimism made adapting to the adapting to a different set of maintenance point with little opportunity for continued
changes easy.
and reliability standards. Petro-Canada’s
personal growth.
people also had to get used to the idea of
“For some people the prospect of change centralized functions like Supply Chain and “The merger provided options to take

was unsettling, but I approached it with a Finance. How Suncor did certain things, what I’d learned and apply it in a new
positive outlook. I was happy to see two who you had to talk to, how the context. Oil Sands is a whole different

big Canadian companies coming together, information lowed – these were quite world, but that world was full of
and I knew an upside would be more different from what we were used to.
opportunities. I never thought I’d end up in

opportunities to grow professionally.
Finance, but it’s proving to be a realm

where my background and skill set really
add value.