The company said its board of directors and Little had mutually agreed that he would step down as chairman and CEO and step down from the board. Suncor’s executive vice president of downstream operations, Chris Smith, has been named interim CEO. The development comes a day after Occupational Health and Safety announced it is investigating the death of a 26-year-old contractor who was struck by equipment at Suncor’s base mine near Fort McMurray, Alta. Thursday’s death was the fifth workplace fatality at a Suncor site in Alberta since 2021. Suncor did not mention the incidents in its press release Friday, but discussed safety as a priority at the company. “Suncor is committed to achieving safety and operational excellence across our business, and we must recognize where we have fallen short and recognize the critical need for change,” board chairman Michael Wilson said in a statement. “We commend Mark for his professionalism and the outstanding job he has done to guide Suncor through the pandemic and drive our industry’s progressive approach to the energy transition. “We thank him for his years of service to the company and wish him every success.” Little joined the company in 2008 and served in several leadership roles in the company’s oilfield and international and offshore operations before moving to the top of Suncor’s ranks. He moved from managing director to become president of the company in late 2018 and took over as CEO a few months later. Suncor said it has formed a CEO search committee to conduct a global search to select the company’s next top executive. He said he is engaging a global executive recruiting firm to help with that process.
