feature advancing academic excellence in safety and risk for alberta students

Throughout his more than 35-year career, Chevron Canada President Chris Mazerolle has managed risk—across differing regulatory, geographic and social environments. Understanding risk exposure, communicating risk to others, and assessing if mitigations are effective, has been integral to his career as a petroleum engineer.

During a recent opportunity as a guest lecturer at the University of Alberta, Mazerolle shared his passion for risk management with the next generation of engineers at his alma mater.

“Our ability to understand and mitigate risk is what enables us to do the difficult,” said Mazerolle to fourth-year students at the David and Joan Lynch School of Engineering Safety and Risk Management. “As engineers who are solving complex and multidimensional problems, risk management is foundational to your work, and critical for society.”

Since 2018, Chevron Canada, together with the Chevron Corporation’s University Partnership Program, have invested over $600,000 to the University of Alberta’s David and Joan Lynch School of Engineering Safety and Risk Management to incorporate safety and risk management training into program offerings.

To date, over 6,500 students have completed two core courses within the program: Leadership in Risk Management (ENGG 404) and Methodologies and Tools in Risk Management (ENGG 406). Chevron Canada has been actively involved in the Industry Executive Board at the David and Joan Lynch School of Engineering Safety and Risk Management since the start of its partnership with the school, contributing to program curriculum.

“Thanks to Chevron, the David and Joan Lynch School of Engineering Safety and Risk Management can focus our efforts on ensuring that every engineer, across all disciplines, has a solid foundation in safety and risk management,” said Chris Coles, Director for the David and Joan Lynch School of Engineering Safety and Risk Management “And thanks to the Chevron Scholarship in Engineering, high-performing engineering students have the support they need as they finish their degrees.”

Sharing hands-on experience with students was one more opportunity for Chevron Canada to emphasize the importance of risk management as a part of its partnership with the University of Alberta.

“We are especially grateful for the presentation. . . where Chris drew on his extensive experience to share insights into how engineers are effective in risk management,” said Coles. “Chevron Canada has had a strong track record of support for the Lynch School. We are thankful to have such a great partner.”

For Chevron Canada, managing risk is part of our day-to-day work.

Through our Operational Excellence Management System, we identify critical risks associated with workforce safety and health, process safety, reliability and integrity, environment, efficiency, security and stakeholders. Understanding our risks helps guide the design, management and review of safeguards.

“Our aim is to be the company most respected for its people, partnership and performance, and to do that, we consider the end user and the critical risks across our business every day,” said Mazerolle. “Mitigating risk allows us to achieve the best outcomes for our people, our company and our society.”

At Chevron Canada, we do difficult everyday as we provide the affordable, reliable, ever-cleaner energy needed to power the world forward.