Oil Sands Conference & Trade Show

INDUSTRY PANEL: Oil Sands Community Alliance’s Workforce Trends in the Oil Sands Industry

Perry Berkenpas -

Executive Director

Oil Sands Community Alliance

September 16, 2021 -

12:30 pm

Additional Speakers

George Mitsopoulos, General Manager • CNOOC Intl, Long Lake Facility

Gordon Wong, Senior Director, Indigenous Relations • Imperial Oil

Natalie Castro-Gentili, Human Resources Manager • Acden Holdings

Ryan Coish, Vice President, Business Development • Fort McMurray First Nation Group of Companies

POSTPONED: This panel will be delivered virtually at a later date. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Attend OSCA’s Workforce Trends in the Oil Sands Industry session on September 16th as part of the Oil Sands Conference and Tradeshow. The session, featuring panelists from Imperial Oil, CNOOC International Ltd., Acden Holdings, Fort McMurray First Nation Group of Companies and aims to provide an understanding of workforce practices in the oil sands industry highlighting impact of COVID-19, current and future trends as well as opportunities and challenges related to skills and recruitment.

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Perry Berkenpas

Executive Director

Oil Sands Community Alliance

As executive director of the Oil Sands Community Alliance, Perry Berkenpas brings a collaborative approach to working with communities while enabling responsible growth of Canada’s oil sands. Perry Berkenpas has a passion for oil sands and the benefit the industry provides to Alberta and the Athabasca Oil Sands Area. With over 30 years’ experience in technical, operational and business leadership, Berkenpas has an in-depth understanding of the oil sands industry, having worked with ConocoPhillips for over 20 years, most recently as the Senior Vice-President of Oil Sands. Berkenpas came to OSCA after a few years of consulting, as Managing Director of THINKbeyond consultancy, helping clients improve business strategies and performance.

George Mitsopoulos, General Manager • CNOOC Intl, Long Lake Facility

General Manager

CNOOC Intl, Long Lake Facility

George Mitsopoulos is an operations leader who thrives on empowering teams to achieve results. He believes that by focusing on safety in the operation you not only improve safety performance but you improve business performance and this unlocks a team’s potential to reach exceptional performance. He is currently General Manager, Operations at CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Company) at their Long Lake Facility just south of Fort McMurray and has held positions of increasing complexity and accountability throughout his career in the oil sands and pulp and paper industry. He currently resides in Fort McMurray with his wife and two sons. He volunteers as a board member with the Alberta Chief Power Engineer Education Committee and the Keyano College Power Engineering Steering Committee. He enjoys curling, golfing, and playing ball and is a strong advocate for the Fort McMurray region.

Gordon Wong, Senior Director, Indigenous Relations • Imperial Oil

Senior Director, Indigenous Relations

Imperial Oil

Gordon Wong has 20+years of progressively more responsible management positions in public and government affairs; experience in managing large public affairs teams in challenging and complex environments in North America and Africa; significant experience working with CEO - level executives. Currently, Gordon is a Senior Director, Indigenous Relations, responsible for continuing to build respectful and positive relations with Canada’s Indigenous Peoples in those areas where the company’s operations impact the traditional lands of First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities.

Natalie Castro-Gentili, Human Resources Manager • Acden Holdings

Human Resources Manager

Acden Holdings

Natalie Castro-Gentili has 20 years of experience in the Human Resources field working with medium to large size organizations. Her broad experience includes; strategic planning, employee engagement, workforce planning and talent management, labour and employee relations, compensation and benefits, learning and development, health & wellness, safety, occupational and non-occupational disability management, human resources metric and reporting, and change management.

Ryan Coish, Vice President, Business Development • Fort McMurray First Nation Group of Companies

Vice President, Business Development

Fort McMurray First Nation Group of Companies

Ryan is VP Business Development at Fort McMurray First Nation Group of Companies and is passionate about developing strong strategic alliances provide the opportunity to build capacity, improve and grow our business. FMFN Group is known for its selection of industry-leading partners aligned with our corporate values. It takes pride in the services provided to enhance the economic sustainability that contributes to the growth of the Fort McMurray #468 First Nation.