Gwyn Morgan
Gwyn Morgan | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 4, 1945 Carstairs, Alberta, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Engineer, Executive |
| Years active | 1967–2013 |
| Known for | Former president of Alberta Energy Company; inaugural president of EnCana Corporation; chairman of SNC-Lavalin |
| Spouse | Patricia Trottier |
Gwyn Morgan (born November 4, 1945) is a Canadian engineer and former executive in the oil industry who has since retired. He began his career at the Alberta Energy Company (AEC) in 1975 and was appointed its second president in 1994. In 2002, Morgan played a pivotal role in merging AEC with PanCanadian Petroleum, resulting in the creation of EnCana Corporation, where he held the position of inaugural president until December 31, 2005. Between 2007 and 2013, he served as chairman of SNC-Lavalin.
Early life
Morgan was born in Carstairs, Alberta, and spent his early years on a family farm. He pursued petroleum engineering studies at the University of Alberta, completing his degree in 1967.
Career
Morgan's professional journey started as a reservoir engineer with the Alberta Oil and Gas Conservation Board. In 1969, he joined the Canadian branch of Northern Natural Gas Company, advancing to manager of operations and engineering by 1973. Two years later, he became part of AEC, an enterprise established by the Alberta government in 1973.
By the end of the 1990s, Morgan had become recognized as a prominent leader within Canada’s energy industry. Following the merger of AEC and PanCanadian Petroleum in 2002, he founded and led EnCana Corporation as CEO. This merger was regarded as one of the most important deals in Canadian energy history. The initial leadership team at EnCana was predominantly composed of former AEC executives, effectively constituting an "AEC takeover."
As of September 2005, EnCana had risen to become the leading company on the Toronto Stock Exchange—the first time an energy company held this spot since 1980—and was ranked ninth on The Globe and Mail’s "The Power 25." This reflected its status as North America’s largest natural gas operator during a period of rising commodity prices following Hurricane Katrina. Under Morgan’s stewardship, EnCana emerged as the continent’s foremost independent producer of oil and natural gas, boasting a market capitalization close to $60 billion at the time of his departure.
Morgan joined the board of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. in 2005 and held the chairman role from 2007 until 2013. Additionally, he was Vice-Chairman of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (now known as the Business Council of Canada), representing chief executives from Canada’s leading corporations.
His governance experience also includes positions with Industry Training Authority, Noblegen Inc., Institute of the Americas, Fraser Institute, Manning Centre, American Petroleum Institute, Accenture Energy Advisory Board, Rio Tinto Alcan, Lafarge North America, and HSBC Bank Canada (1996–2012).
Awards and honours
In 2005, Morgan was honored as Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year and was inducted as a Fellow into the Canadian Academy of Engineering that same year. Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades for business leadership from institutions such as the University of Alberta and University of Western Ontario. He is also a member of the Alberta Business Hall of Fame.
Public appointment commission controversy
In 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Morgan to lead the Public Appointments Commission. His nomination sparked criticism due to previous remarks connecting refugees with criminal activity and his affiliation with the Conservative Party. Critics questioned whether these factors might compromise the commission’s objective to reduce partisan patronage. The commission was eventually dissolved amid ongoing controversy.
Canadian Air Force
Morgan held the position of Honorary Colonel for the 410 Tactical Fighter Squadron within the Canadian Air Force.
Personal life
Morgan is married to Patricia Trottier and lives on Vancouver Island, close to Victoria, British Columbia. He has one daughter from an earlier marriage.