By Paul Morden, from www.theobserver.ca The Observer
Sarnia-Lambton has made a good first impression on the new general manager of Shell’s Corunna refinery.
Michele Harradence arrived from Calgary with her family a few days after she was officially slated to takeover Nov. 1. “I promised the kids Halloween in Calgary before we left,” she said.
Harradence has held several posts with Shell since 1998 but Calgary remained her family’s home base until the recent move.
She called the chance to work at Shell’s local manufacturing centre “one of our best-kept secrets,” with its waterfront, family activities and sports programs for kids. “It’s really well done here,” she said. “There’s just a great community to step into, so we’re really pleased.”
Born into an Acadian family with deep roots in the Maritimes, Harradence’s father worked for Shell and she grew up in Halifax and Toronto. She earned a mechanical engineering degree, and a varsity letter in rowing, from Queen’s University and a law degree from the University of New Brunswick. After practicing engineering and construction law in Halifax, she went to work for Shell in Calgary.
“I’ve done everything from building upgraders to working in our retail business, and everything in between it seems.”
She has also facilitated Shell’s Women’s Career Development Program in North America since 2009, chaired its 2001 Canadian employee United Way campaign and was part of this year’s Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference, chairing a group that toured communities in Nunavut.
Harradence said safety is her first priority in her new post with Shell. “I certainly hold myself personally accountable that everybody on our site goes home safely every day.” That sense of accountability extends into the community, she added. “The people who live in our community absolutely give us our licence to operate.”
Since arriving, Harradence has begun getting to know the site’s workers. “They have a lot of pride in the facility and they want to ensure it runs safely, effectively, and efficiently,” she said. “That’s my job, to support them and to make sure they have what they need to be able to do that.”
The outlook for the site remains “very positive,” Harradence said, noting a decision is expected soon on a proposal to add a small-scale liquified natural gas unit.
Chemical Valley is “an important piece” of the petrochemical industry, providing an outlet for the crude from Western Canada, she said. While resources are being developed in the west, most of the customers are in the east, Harradence said. “If you draw a circle three hours around Sarnia, you’ve probably got 20 million to 30 million people,” she said. “I’m not sure we have a good appreciation for the size and the scope of the market we have here.”
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