Suncor Energy Inc. chief executive Mark Little has stepped down as president and chief executive officer and resigned from its board of directors just one day after the company announced its oilsands operations have suffered another workplace fatality.
Little’s departure is effective immediately, the Calgary-based energy company said in a release Friday. “Suncor is committed to achieving safety and operational excellence across our business, and we must acknowledge where we have fallen short and recognize the critical need for change,” said board chair Michael Wilson.
On Thursday, Suncor announced that a contractor had been killed at its Base Mine north of Fort McMurray, Alta., the latest in a string of workplace deaths and safety incidents that have plagued the energy giant.
Since 2014, there have been at least 12 deaths at Suncor sites, more than all of its oilsands rivals combined. READ MORE: Contract worker killed at northern Alberta Suncor site Little’s departure also comes less than three months after well-known U.S.-based activist investor Elliot Investment Management wrote a letter calling for an overhaul of Suncor’s board and management.