- Imperial Oil (TSX:IMO) announced that its board of directors has approved the appointment of John Whelan as president, effective April 1st, 2025
- This follows the decision by chairman, president, and chief executive officer Brad Corson to retire after 42 years of service
- Whelan will assume the role of chairman, president, and CEO at the conclusion of the company’s annual meeting of shareholders on May 8th, 2025
- Imperial Oil stock (TSX:IMO) opened trading at C$100.45
Imperial Oil (TSX:IMO) announced that its board of directors has approved the appointment of John Whelan (pictured below) as president, effective April 1st, 2025.
This follows the decision by chairman, president, and chief executive officer Brad Corson (pictured above) to retire after 42 years of service. Whelan will assume the role of chairman, president, and CEO at the conclusion of the company’s annual meeting of shareholders on May 8th, 2025.
Brad Corson’s legacy
Brad Corson, a native of Woodstock, Illinois, began his career with ExxonMobil in 1983 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Over the years, he has held various technical, operations, commercial, and managerial assignments around the world. Prior to his appointment at Imperial, he served as vice president of Exxon Mobil Corporation, overseeing global upstream acquisition and divestment programs, including strategic acquisitions in the Permian Basin, Papua New Guinea, Mozambique, and Brazil.
Corson was appointed chairman, president, and CEO of Imperial on January 1st, 2020. During his tenure, he steered the company through the challenges of the global pandemic, achieving repeated records for upstream production and exceptional downstream performance. His leadership delivered significant shareholder value through unprecedented share price appreciation, record share repurchases, and dividend growth.
John Whelan’s appointment
John Whelan, a native of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Memorial University of Newfoundland. He began his career with ExxonMobil in 1988 in Drayton Valley, Alberta, and has held various technical, project, operations, commercial, and management positions in Canada, the United States, and Norway.
Whelan returned to Canada in 2013 and served as Imperial’s vice president of Upstream production. In March 2017, he was appointed senior vice president, Upstream, leading the organization through a period of record growth, including increased production and reliability at Kearl, the company’s oil sands mining operation. Currently, he is ExxonMobil Upstream’s senior vice president, responsible for the company’s conventional and heavy oil global business line, leading global business units across the USA, Canada, Europe, Caspian, Middle East, and Asia Pacific regions.
Leadership Insights
“Brad steered the company through the challenges of the global pandemic, with the organization emerging to deliver the strongest financial years in company history,” said lead director, David Cornhill in a media release. “Importantly, Brad has also positioned the company and its employees for future competitive success with strategic projects, including growth projects at Kearl and Cold Lake, the Strathcona renewable diesel facility, and Low Carbon Solutions business, and as a founding member of the Pathways Alliance initiative to reduce emissions from oil sands operations.”
“John brings extensive experience at both Imperial and on global ExxonMobil portfolios to successfully deliver exceptional operational performance and enhanced competitiveness, which will build on this strong momentum and continue to grow shareholder value going forward, and we welcome him back to Imperial,” Cornhill added.
Changing of the oil / guard
This leadership transition marks a significant milestone for Imperial Oil Limited. With John Whelan at the helm, the company is in a position to continue its trajectory of growth and innovation, building on the strong foundation laid by Brad Corson.
Imperial Oil is one of Canada’s largest integrated oil companies.
Imperial Oil stock (TSX:IMO) opened trading 0.53 per cent lower at C$100.45 and has risen 22.37 per cent since this time last year.
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(Top image: Chairman, president and chief executive officer, Brad Corson, has declared his plans to retire from Imperial after 42 years of service and following an orderly transition. Source: Imperial Oil.)
