Michael Crothers (CNW Group/Shell Canada Limited)
By John Donovan
Printed below is a press release announcing the retirement of Michael Crothers as Shell Canada Country Chair and the appointment of his successor, Susannah Pierce.
In August 2013, The Observer newspaper and Guardian Online published an article “Strange tale of Shell’s pipeline battle, the Gardaí and £30,000 of booze”
On the instructions of Shell E&P Ireland, an Irish Company called OSSL distributed bribes to the Irish Police and other parties in an attempt to smooth the path of the highly controversial Corrib Gas Project in Ireland.
The project had run into mass protests. Some local landowners (The Rossport 5) and other protesters were jailed for their determined opposition to the pipeline. Maura Harrington, a spokesperson for a protest group Shell-to-Sea went on hunger strike while in jail. The campaign went on for several years. The protestors seemed convinced that the Irish police had been corrupted by Shell.
Directors of OSSL admitted their role in the corruption and provided evidence including a tape recording and an incriminating invoice sent to Shell.
The evidence was brought to the attention of Michael Crothers who had taken over as CEO of Shell E&P Ireland.
Neither the Irish Police nor Shell took any action against OSSL other than investigations that came to nought.
The Irish authorities took no action against Shell despite the documentary evidence.
Either the invoice was fake, in which case criminality was involved (some kind of blackmail plot), or it was genuine, in which case, criminality was involved. So how can there be an outcome where no one is guilty? What happened about the VAT? Was the alcohol smuggled across the border?
Mr Crothers played a key role in the cover-up.
In the press release, he says that his values align with Shell.
That does appear to be the case.
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Shell Canada Announces Retirement of President and Country Chair Michael Crothers and Appointment of Susannah Pierce as Successor
“I am grateful to have had a long and rewarding career with a company that aligns with my values, working alongside exceptional people who deliver extraordinary results,” said Michael Crothers, Shell Canada President and Country Chair. “We have set Shell Canada on a course for a lower-carbon future and when I pass the baton to Susannah and an excellent team, I have every confidence they will continue to lead Shell Canada into that energy future to provide cleaner energy for Canadians and the world.”
“I’m looking forward to taking on this new challenge with Shell Canada, and am confident that together, we will build on Michael’s positive legacy as we move towards a more sustainable energy future, leveraging the talents of a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization while building relationships with Indigenous Peoples and local communities,” said Susannah Pierce, incoming Shell Canada President and Country Chair. “I’m extremely proud of what LNG Canada has already accomplished, and of the relationships and partnerships we’ve built in developing an LNG industry that aspires to have the highest standards for environmental, social and corporate governance. Rest assured that I will continue to foster those relationships in my new role while building relationships in other parts of the Shell portfolio in Canada.”
Notes to Editors:
Michael Crothers biography:
Michael Crothers joined Shell Canada in 1987 as a process engineer and built broad operations, commercial and leadership experience in roles that spanned Royal Dutch Shell’s Upstream, Downstream and Integrated Gas businesses, including refining, chemicals, oil sands, supply & distribution, health, safety & environment, shales, offshore gas, and renewables. Michael has led large, complex operations, joint ventures and the development, execution, commissioning and start-up of mega projects. He has also had the privilege of working with global teams in assignments that took him to countries throughout Asia, Europe, Africa and North and South America.
After serving as Managing Director of Shell E&P Ireland, leading the Corrib gas venture, Michael returned to Canada in January 2015 to become Vice President, Unconventionals North America for Shell. Shortly thereafter, he took on the added role of Shell Canada President and Country Chair, which he has held since that time in addition to his line business responsibilities.
In 2017, Michael held the position of Executive Vice President, Oil Sands, leading Shell through the divestment of the majority of its oil sands interests. In January 2018, Michael took on leadership of Shell’s Integrated Gas business in Canada, which includes Shell’s interests in the LNG Canada project and, as Vice President Canada Integrated Gas, was core to the team that achieved the LNG Canada final investment decision in October 2018.
Michael was born and raised in Calgary and graduated in 1984 as a Chemical Engineer with distinction from the University of Alberta. He has been deeply involved in United Way and hopes to continue to support such a vital community organization. He and his wife are parents to three now-grown children and have three grandchildren.
Susannah Pierce biography:
Susannah Pierce has held senior positions in the energy and technology sectors in Canada, the United States and Europe, most recently as Director of Corporate Affairs for LNG Canada. She joined LNG Canada in 2013 as a Shell secondee and has been responsible for the project’s federal and provincial regulatory approvals, Indigenous relations and negotiations, government relations, media relations, community consultation and communications. Under her leadership, the project achieved federal and provincial environmental approvals on schedule and received unprecedented support from First Nations, communities and governments. This support underpinned LNG Canada’s Final Investment Decision in October 2018, making it the largest private sector investment in Canadian history.
Prior to joining LNG Canada, Susannah served as Vice President, Value Chain Integration, Shell Canada.
In this capacity, she was responsible for identifying new business opportunities across Shell’s multiple businesses in Canada. Prior to this position, Susannah was Vice President, Communications, Upstream International based in The Hague, where she oversaw a diverse communications and government relations team consisting of approximately 200 professionals in Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Africa, Russia/CIS and Europe.
Susannah was previously Head, Government Relations for Shell Canada, where she established the government relations practice to support Shell Canada’s upstream, downstream, and manufacturing businesses.
Prior to joining Shell in 2009, Susannah was Director, Government Affairs for TransCanada Pipelines based in Washington, D.C. and New York City, where she was responsible for driving government policy at federal and state levels in support of TransCanada’s existing power and pipeline interests, as well as new business development activities.
Susannah was named one of Vancouver magazine’s Power 50 in 2019 and on B.C. Business’s 2015 Most Influential Women in Business list. She was also recognized as a 2019 Most Influential Woman in Business by Business in Vancouver magazine.
Susannah is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and The George Washington University, and speaks English, Spanish and French. She lives in Vancouver with her two children, Robert and Gabriela.
About Shell Canada
Shell has been operating in Canada for more than 100 years and employs about 3,500 people across the country. Our business is providing energy to Canadians and people around the world, and we are one of the few truly integrated oil and gas companies in Canada. Learn more at www.shell.ca
About LNG Canada
LNG Canada represents one of the largest energy investments in the history of Canada. It is a joint venture company comprised of five global energy companies with substantial experience in liquefied natural gas (LNG) – Shell, PETRONAS, PetroChina, Mitsubishi Corporation and KOGAS. Together, the joint venture is building and operating an LNG export terminal in Kitimat, British Columbia in the traditional territory of the Haisla Nation. Learn more at www.lngcanada.ca
For further information: Shell Canada Media Relations: media-desk@shell.com; LNG Canada Media Relations: media@lngcanada.ca
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