Refining Tomorrow’s Leaders

Through its 90-year history, Irving Oil employees in Canada and the United States have taken advantage of a variety of internal and external training programs. These range from traditional job training and developmental opportunities to highly technical and mandatory annual training required by industry regulation. Many employees also have taken advantage of coaching and mentoring support, which is not required but offers support to ensure employee success. These programs enabled the energy company’s employees to expand their skills and equipped them to take on leadership positions as the company grows.

Some employees refer to their workplace as Irving University, and while the company does not have a corporate university, the term was coined due to the opportunities available to employees interested in taking on new roles and advancing their careers. The company’s long-standing commitment to developing its workforce is one reason it maintains high retention rates. More than 37 percent of its Canadian and U.S. employees have remained with the company for a decade or longer. Its overall attrition rate is less than 1 percent per year.

Industry Movement Shifts Education

In early 2010, Irving Oil saw the need for a more formal, academically focused leadership experience to build greater business and financial capabilities in its employees. This need was spurred by the fact that the oil industry is changing. More volatile markets are making it increasingly difficult for refiners to be successful. Irving Oil understood that to remain successful, it needed to place an emphasis on performance — not just ensuring the company’s physical assets were performing at their best, but also strengthening leadership, improving employees’ business acumen and developing stronger professional capabilities.

After identifying the need to cultivate existing employee talents and invest in the future, the human resources team took its commitment to leadership development a step further. With support from company executives, including newly installed President Mike Ashar, who joined Irving Oil in 2008, a formal partnership with the University of New Brunswick — Saint John Campus (UNBSJ) launched a joint executive MBA program (EMBA).