A lifelong Albertan, Lorne Gould grew up on a 5,000-acre grain farm, so he knows how important a service like STARS is, especially for those who live, work and play in rural or remote areas. As vice president of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) at ConocoPhillips Canada, Lorne leads by example, guided by the principle that our work is never so urgent or important that we cannot take the time to do it safely and in an environmentally responsible manner. As someone who lives and breathes safety, “rescue” is not a word Lorne wants to hear, unless it involves rallying support for the Rescue on the River fundraiser.

Lorne began his career as a roustabout, a laborer who works in the oil and gas drilling fields. He joined ConocoPhillips in 2000 as a production supervisor and in 2008 transferred to the company’s Surmont oil sands asset near Fort McMurray, where he spent 13 years in a variety of roles, including as Operations superintendent and HSE manager.

No stranger to tackling challenges and completing missions, two of Lorne’s career milestones to date involve taking important projects across the finish line. At Surmont, he led the team that prepared for and started up the Phase 2 project. Later, during his time as manager, Operations, for the company’s Montney unconventional asset near Fort St. John, BC, the team completed the construction and startup of several new well pads and the large phase expansion.

Lorne completed a certification in Safety, Health and Environment Affairs in 1994 and his fourth-class Power Engineering in 2003, both through SAIT. He also holds technical certifications in Gas Plant, Field and Pipeline Operations from Lakeland College.

When he’s not on the job, Lorne enjoys spending time in the great outdoors with his wife Leona and their dog Woodrow; backwoods camping and ice fishing are favourites. (The kids used to join in but are less likely to tag along now that they’re grown!)