Steve Williams

Feature News

Skills - the global currency of 21st century economies
Skills have become the global currency of 21st century economies. Without proper investment in skills, people languish on the margins of society, technological progress does not translate into economic growth, and countries can no longer compete in an increasingly knowledge-based global society.
Home Energy Management Market Will Surpass $2 Billion in by 2020
May 16, 2012 - Even as deployments of smart grid infrastructure have accelerated in recent years, the once hyped home energy management (HEM) market has struggled to gain traction.
Rethinking the role of government in cleantech
Is it time for a different tune when it comes to government involvement in cleantech, focusing more on enabling the private sector to deploy capital to assume risk in cleantech?
Is The World Ready For Your Innovation?
Our current retail system is set up to sell new products, which are used and then disposed of – very much a linear (and inefficient) process. The Closed Loop system implies that once products are used they can be reconditioned and brought back into the sales loop
Europe`s future depends on cities resilient to climate change
Around three quarters of Europeans live in cities. Most of Europe's wealth is generated in cities, and urban areas are particularly at risk due to climate change.

Steve Williams

President & Chief Operating Officer, Suncor Energy Inc., Canada

Steve's career with Suncor began in May 2002, when he was appointed executive vice president, corporate development and chief financial officer. He has also served as executive vice president, Oil Sands where he was responsible for leading Suncor's oil sands operation through its next stage of growth. He has served as Suncor's Chief Operating Officer since 2007. He was appointed President and a member of Suncor's Board of Directors on December 1, 2011.

Steve has 35 years of international energy industry experience in the areas of strategy development, company performance improvement, and refinery and chemical company management. He has also provided leadership in the areas of environment, health and safety, finance, sales and marketing, human resources, and information technology.

Before his appointment to Suncor, he was responsible for Octel Corporation's global operation. He also managed the operation of the largest refinery in the United Kingdom for Esso.

Steve is a fellow of the Institute of Chemical Engineers and is a member of the Institute of Directors. He is also co-chair of the Oil Sands Leadership Initiative (OSLI); a member of the CEO Committee of Syncrude Canada Limited; and a member of the Business Advisory Council, School of Business at the University of Alberta. In October 2010 he was appointed to the Alberta Government Oil and Gas Economics Advisory Council.

Steve holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Exeter University and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School as well as the Business Economics Program at Oxford University.

He and his wife, Mary, have two children. They have all become Canadian citizens.