As Canada’s economy grapples with unprecedented threats, Canadian energy competitiveness has never been more important. Join Canadian Club in Toronto, February 26th, for a candid conversation with Susannah Pierce, President and Country Chair of Shell Canada and John Stackhouse, Senior Vice President, Royal Bank of Canada on the future of energy in Canada and it’s critical role in our economic resilience.
Amidst the threat of economic strain Susannah and John will discuss the path forward for a balanced energy transition, improving Canadian competitiveness, as well as getting Canadian products to international energy markets. Susannah has served as President of Shell Canada since 2021, with pivotal experience launching megaprojects including permitting for the first Keystone pipeline, securing the final investment decisions for LNG Canada and Shell’s Polaris/Atlas Carbon Capture and Sequestration project as well as founding the B.C. Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy which has become a critical part of the clean technology ecosystem in B.C. and Canada.
*For virtual attendees, please note that the live stream will begin at approximately 12:40 pm ET & the link will be provided closer to the event date*
Susannah Pierce
President and Country Chair, Shell Canada
Susannah has spent the last 20 years of her career at the intersection of environmental, social, governance interests in Canada and abroad.
Her expertise lies in bringing business, governments, communities, indigenous groups and other non-governmental actors together to support the development of energy resources from initial stages of project design through permitting and consultation to investment decision, construction, operations and decommissioning.
In her current role as Shell Canada Limited President and Country Chair she is responsible for integrating and coordinating business investment and operational performance across Shell’s lines of business in Canada including upstream, downstream, integrated gas and new energies, and is accountable for Shell’s overall reputation and stakeholder relations in the country.
While President and Country Chair, Susannah is also VP, Corporate Relations for the Americas. In this capacity she is responsible for providing strategic insight, leveraging country and regional perspectives, managing brand and reputation, strengthening stakeholder relations, delivering advocacy, and acting as a bridge between Shell and the outside world.
Prior to this role, Susannah was Shell Canada VP Emerging Energy Solutions and before that, Director of Corporate Affairs for LNG Canada, a joint venture of Shell, Petronas, Mitsubishi, PetroChina and Kogas. When the joint venture participants took a Final Investment Decision to build the facility in 2018, it was heralded as the single largest private sector investment in Canadian history.
Susannah joined the LNG Canada project as a Shell secondee after serving 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 TC Energy based in Washington, DC 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.
Prior to TC Energy, Susannah worked in the tech sector at MicroStrategy and Accenture as a sales representative and a business analyst for data intelligence and enterprise resource management systems.
Susannah has served on various for profit and non-profit boards. She is currently on the board of non-profits the Vancouver General Hospital Foundation and the Wilder Institute & Calgary Zoo. She recently joined the Advisory Board of Catalyst Canada and currently serves as Chair of the Business Council of BC, Co-Chair of Business Council of Canada Working Group on Climate Change and Energy Transition, co-Chair of the Business Council of Alberta’s Define the Decade and co-Chair of the Canada Chamber of Commerce Western Executive Council.
She also serves on the Asia Business Leaders Advisory Council, the Canadian Global Affairs Institute Advisory Council. Susannah holds a MA from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a BA from The George Washington University.
She is the proud mother of two children – Robert and Gabriela.
John Stackhouse
Senior Vice President, Office of the CEO, Royal Bank of Canada
John Stackhouse is an internationally recognized thought leader, bestselling author and one of Canada’s leading voices on climate change, innovation and economic disruption. He is senior vice-president in the Office of the CEO at Royal Bank of Canada, leading the organization’s Climate Action Institute, research and thought leadership on economic, technological and social change. Previously, he was editor-in-chief of the Globe and Mail and editor of Report on Business. He also serves as a senior fellow at the C.D. Howe Ins¬¬titute and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and sits on the national committee of the Aga Khan Foundation of Canada. His latest book, Planet Canada: How Our Expats Are Shaping the Future, explores the untapped resource of the millions of Canadians who don’t live here but exert their influence from afar.
