Suncor, Calgary, has selected Rich Kruger to serve as the company's next president and chief executive officer, effective Apr. 3, 2023. He also will join the board of directors.
Kruger served at Exxon Mobil Corp. for 39 years, leading Imperial Oil Ltd. as chairman, president, and chief executive officer from 2013 through 2019 before retiring from the company.
Kris Smith, who has been interim chief executive officer since July 2022, will work with Kruger on the leadership transition before assuming the role of chief financial officer and executive vice-president of corporate development at the end of Suncor's annual general meeting on May 9.
Smith, who previously served as executive vice-president, downstream, assumed the interim chief role following worker deaths that led Mark Little to step down as president and chief executive officer mid-2022 (OGJ Online, July 11, 2022).
Alister Cowan, the company’s current chief financial officer, plans to retire.