Rotary Program Thursday March 5, 2009
The Rotary Program for March 5 will feature Jim Carter speaking on Carbon Capture. Jim Carter was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of Syncrude in October 1997. A mining industry veteran, Mr. Carter has contributed invaluable knowledge, experience and dedication to the achievement of Syncrude's goals. Since joining Syncrude in its first full year of operation, he has played a prominent role in a variety of initiatives aimed at enhancing safety, reliability, production, unit costs and product quality.
Mr. Carter's leadership has led to the introduction of technologies and processes at the mine face and within the plant that have led to both incremental and revolutionary advances in productivity and environmental performance. Leading by example, he has also spearheaded and implemented innovative learning initiatives and skills upgrading opportunities within the company. In the community, he has actively engaged oil sands stakeholders to assure opportunity is appropriately shared and that Syncrude's operations proceed smoothly, responsibly and efficiently.
Mr. Carter began his career with Syncrude in 1979 as Manager of Overburden Operations where he introduced the Syncrude-owned truck-and-shovel overburden removal fleet. In 1981, he was appointed Assistant General Manager of Mining. Mr. Carter was appointed General Manager of Maintenance and Operations Services in 1986 and was promoted the following year to Vice-President of Administration. Between 1989 and 1997, he served as Vice-President of Operations. Prior to joining Syncrude, Mr. Carter held progressively responsible management positions at McIntyre Mines Ltd. and the Iron Ore Company of Canada.
Mr. Carter retired from Syncrude in May of 2007 and was recently appointed to the Board of EPCOR Utilities Inc.
Mr. Carter holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Mining Engineering (1973), Technical University of Nova Scotia, and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. He is the recipient of two honorary Doctorates, from the University of Alberta (Science, 2004) and the Technical University of Nova Scotia (Engineering, 1995). In 2005, he was named Resource Person of the Year by the Alberta Chamber of Resources, was inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and received an Alberta Centennial Medal from the Province of Alberta.
In 1999, Mr. Carter was presented with the Centennial Award, the highest honour bestowed by the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta. He is also a recipient of the CIM Past President's Award and the CIM Fellowship Award.
Mr. Carter is an active supporter and advocate of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy & Petroleum (CIM) and was a founding member and Chairman of the Rocky Mountain Branch. He is a frequent speaker at regional and national conferences.
His other professional and community affiliations include: Director and Past Chairman, Mining Association of Canada;Director, Alberta Research Council; Chair Audit Committee, Alberta Research Council; Champion, Aboriginal Human Resources Development Council of Canada; Honorary Chairman, Edmonton Business Council for the Visual Arts; Past Director, Alberta Chamber of Resources; Founding Chairman of the Industry Advisory Committee, University of Alberta School of Mining and Petroleum Engineering; Member, Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta; Co-Chair, Vista-Ridge Ski Hill Association; Past Member, Board of Governors, Keyano College.
Mr. Carter resides in Edmonton with his wife, Lorraine Bray. Together, they have six adult children.