Eric Axford

Former Executive Vice-President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Suncor Energy Inc.

Eric is a former c-suite executive with Suncor Energy, where he spent over 23 years in diverse operational, commercial, and functional leadership roles across the corporation. He has a particular passion and expertise in sustainability, public policy and stakeholder relations and was Suncor’s first Chief Sustainability Officer. For many years Eric was also Chair of the Suncor Energy Foundation and represented Suncor on the Board of Governors of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, World Economic Forum and other industry groups. He was also a founding Director of Evok Innovations, a clean-tech venture capital fund based in Vancouver. Prior to joining Suncor, Eric spent 7 years in various policy roles with the Alberta Department of Energy, including 3 years directly in the Office of the Minister.

Now retired from Suncor, Eric devotes considerable time and energy to his family and his many other academic, community and creative interests. Eric is a long-time Board member of Wood’s Homes, a leading Canadian mental health agency serving kids and families for over 100 years. He is also on the Board of the Ottawa-based Public Policy Forum and the Advisory Council of the Alberta School of Business (Edmonton). Eric has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alberta and Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from the University of Calgary.