In 1977, a youthful eastern transplant began pounding the pavement and knocking on doors in the Calgary oilpatch, armed with an honours degree in mechanical engineering and a steely resolve.

The tenacious go-getter spent six months on the job-hunting trail before finally landing a position as a field engineer with Petro-Canada. That perseverance has paid off in spades for both Sendall and Petro-Canada.

Today, Sendall is the company's senior vice-president of North American natural gas, having spent all but two years of her career in the 'patch with Petro-Canada, one of Canada's largest oil and gas companies. She ranks as one of the most influential executives on the Canadian oil and gas scene and is one of few women who carry clout in the male-dominated industry.

In March, Sendall's sphere of influence broadened when she was appointed chairman of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), the first woman to hold that prestigious title.

Dave Olecko, Business Edge
Petro-Canada VP Kathy Sendall hopes to improve knowledge about the oilpatch as chair of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

And, judging by her impressive resume and lofty aspirations, you probably haven't heard the last of Kathy Sendall. Not by a country mile.

1. What was your childhood dream?

"I really wanted to be an opera singer, but I concluded that I was never going to be good enough. I did the same things most kids do, Brownies and Girl Guides and ballet. And I took singing lessons and piano lessons."

2. Who had the greatest influence on you as a youth?

"My mother (Dorothea) was a very major influence on my life. In my case, through most of my teenage years I was quite ill and I was hospitalized for most of the time. My mother was the steady rock through that time. I often tell people that I don't recall waking up a single morning or going to sleep a single night when she wasn't there, and that was the better part of five years. She made the commute every single day during that time from Mississauga to downtown Toronto. She really taught me a lot about self-sacrifice, about loving, about giving, about perseverance, about determination and all those kinds of things."

3. When you were taking mechanical engineering at Queen's University, where did you think that would lead in terms of a career?

"I've often said that I've made most of the decisions in my life by default. I don't know that I had a specific goal in mind. I always thought I would end up in manufacturing some place or in a power plant. That's the career path that I thought was most likely for me."

4. How did you wind up in the oil and gas industry?

(Laughing) Again, it was a little bit by default. My husband (Rich Sendall, now a senior manager with Suncor Energy) is also a mechanical engineer. We were married when we were in university, he came out to Alberta to deliver a paper at the U of A (University of Alberta) and I came with him. While he was here, he thought he'd check out a couple of job opportunities and he ended up accepting a job offer from Petro-Canada. We moved to Alberta and for the first six months here I couldn't find a job. I pounded the pavement looking, and ended up being hired as well by Petro-Canada. I put in hundreds of applications. It was a very discouraging time."

5. How did you cope?

Kathy Sendall

"I have to admit, it was a bit depressing. I had moved a long way away from home and we were fairly penniless at that point. I really wondered if I was going to be able to build a career in this industry. But I went into a very interesting job with Petro-Canada. I've seized opportunities along the way and this industry has afforded me a most interesting and rewarding career."

6. With the oil and gas industry even more of a male domain in those days than now, do you think you'd have landed a job more quickly if you'd have cut your hair and tried to impersonate a male?

"That's a difficult question. There's no doubt that the industry 25 years ago was even more male dominated than it is today. A female engineer was a bit of an oddity, or an anomaly. Maybe it would have been a bit smoother."

7. Do you and your husband talk shop a lot at home?

"No, not at all. In fact, it was something that we resolved a long time ago. We concluded early on that we could become very boring people very quickly if we talked about our work. For a time, we were working in the same business 12 hours a day, living in the same apartment 12 hours a day and talking only about work things. So we made a pact that we wouldn't talk about work. And we don't. We've been married 30 years this summer and we seem to have a lot of topics of conversation without having to talk about how we spend our working hours. I don't know if I can tell you exactly what his job title is."

8. What are your recollections of your early years with Petro-Canada and how the business grew on you?

"One of my earliest roles was working on the Arctic pilot project, which was a project looking at liquefying natural gas in the Arctic islands and shipping it south. For a young engineer, that was a very interesting and exciting project. For a relatively new graduate, we were given an awful lot of responsibility and an awful lot of room to spread our wings. That's pretty exciting stuff. Then, I worked in construction for Nova (Gas Transmission Ltd.) for a couple of years. That was one of the more rewarding jobs you could have because you could actually see tangible evidence of your accomplishment in terms of something physical standing there at the end of the day that wasn't there the day before. Then, I worked in the offshore (oil and gas business). I've often said that if you've worked on offshore mega-projects, the saltwater gets into your blood and never really ever leaves. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in terms of the scale and the risk levels. I've also had operations jobs where you really get to understand how the money gets made in this business. So I have been very blessed to have had the opportunity to work in a number of different areas. I have a huge breadth of experience and I'm not sure I would have gotten that in any other industry."

9. What is it about the workplace environment at Petro-Canada that would explain your longevity with the company?

"One of the things I prize about Petro-Canada is the fact that it is a very respectful work environment. People here genuinely care about their co-workers, and because Petro-Canada has such a diversity of assets and operations, it gives you lots of experience that you might otherwise not have somewhere else. It's really a very exciting and very aggressive company in terms of the kinds of things that we undertake. People here work real hard, but at the same time, there's real respect for individuals and for the things that are important to people, their careers and their lives.

"I don't think you find that every place. It's been a great ride. During my career, this industry has had its ups and downs. I've seen some very good times and I've seen some very dark days. And all of them have been times of immense learning for me. For young people entering the industry, it's very important to get solid operational experience and spend time in the field to get a really good understanding of how decisions in head office affect what happens out in the field."

10. What's the major focus in your role as senior vice-president of North American natural gas?

"Essentially, this unit looks after all of our onshore operations, exclusive of oilsands in North America. We have operations in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, operations in Colorado, extensive exploration opportunities both in the Mackenzie Delta region, along the Mackenzie corridor and in Alaska. We're also pursuing an LNG (liquefied natural gas) project in Quebec. So we have three key thrusts from a strategic perspective. One is shifting a greater percentage of our production to unconventional-type gas and coalbed methane (CBM). The second element is our long-term strategic positioning in the frontiers north of 60 (60th parallel) in terms of our long-term supply of gas. And then there's the entry into the North American market with an LNG project. There's a big shift in the industry to a more unconventional world of oil and gas."

11. What did your recent appointment as the first woman to chair CAPP mean to you?

"It's a bit of a puzzling question. Right at the moment, it means a lot of work on my plate (laughing). I'd like to think that I'm the chair of CAPP because I've demonstrated the capability to be able to do that job well, not because I happen to be a woman. And I look at the fact that I'm a woman (chair) as a bit incidental in the whole thing. However, if it provides the opportunity to demonstrate to young women in particular that you can have rewarding careers in this industry, that a woman can be successful in this industry and that this is a viable career path for them to choose, then that is a benefit to this role."

12. Why are there so few women in management positions in the oil and gas industry?

"If you look across Canada, it's not unique to this industry. The statistics across Canada would indicate there certainly is not equal representation of women at either executive or board of director levels in major corporations in Canada. If you look at the number of women that are graduating with engineering degrees, which is in the range of 20 per cent, you've already got a smaller supply pool of women that could potentially go into the industry. Many women during the course of their careers make choices to pursue either careers at home, part-time careers, consulting careers or something that would be different from the mainstream (career) for climbing the ladder to an executive position. A lot of it has to do with choice, experience and supply."

13. What's your most important goal as chair of CAPP?

"The industry is under a lot of scrutiny these days and history would tell us that any time (this happens) it hasn't been a good thing. So one of the things that I would like to see happen during the course of this year is (that) nothing discriminatory happens to the industry. I would also like to continue to improve the education of both Albertans and Canadians as a whole of the benefits of this industry to the province and the country, and thereby improve things like the access to resources and the stakeholder concerns."

14. What are your thoughts about those who complain that the oil and gas companies are too profitable during this time of skyrocketing commodity prices?

"The issue of rising costs and declining reserves are starting to be understood better in various circles around North America. Costs are increasing at 15 per cent per year, in terms of input costs for things like steel, drilling rigs, etc. That's 15 per cent per year. At the same time, every dollar is spent in finding less reserves because the size of the prize is also shrinking. The incremental barrel or the incremental MCF (thousand feet of natural gas) that is being discovered and brought onstream in this basin (Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin) today is much more expensive than the stuff that is currently being produced that was found and discovered at a much lower cost. So when you look forward, you actually see industry profitability, because of the cost pressures, declining significantly. And people are starting to understand the cost side of that equation, when you take a look at the escalation in land prices and service costs. That realization is starting to hit home. Some folks in the general public - and certainly governments - are starting to understand the cost issue."

15. What is the greatest challenge facing the oil and gas industry over the next decade?

"The biggest challenge is going to be human resources. There are not enough people to capture all of the opportunities in this industry. And we hear a lot of discussion around the 'people crunch' in the oilsands, for example. But that's throughout the entire (oil and gas) industry, both the conventional industry as well as the oilsands. There are just not enough people to go around. That wall is in front of us right now. There are longer-term solutions in terms of training in trades, post-secondary education and immigration policy. But there are no quick overnight, easy fixes here. So it's going to be a bit of a scramble for a few years until that situation catches up and rectifies itself."

16. What's your view of the Kyoto accord, the political wrangling over Canada's position in terms of Kyoto and the issue of greenhouse gas emissions?

"I'm not sure at this point in time that the government of Canada has established a position. There's certainly been lots of discussion of the merits and lack thereof of the Kyoto Accord. This industry has done a tremendous job in terms of addressing some of the issues with respect to climate change, (particularly) if you take a look at the reduction of energy intensity of this industry and the CO2 production per barrel the last number of years.

"The fact is that energy and economic growth are inextricably linked to each other and we don't yet have the answer as to how you produce energy without having some kind of emissions associated with it. So when I hear certain words that are being used around technology as being a long-term solution both on the supply and demand side, my heart rejoices because I do think in the long term those are the kinds of things that will make the difference. It will be the application of technology and technological innovation that will allow us to produce energy in a less emissions-intensive or energy-intensive way."

17. What trait has had the most to do with your success?

"I really like people and I get a big charge out of building strong teams and strong people. And so I've always focused on surrounding myself with people who have a lot of potential and helping them reach that potential. That makes a big difference, because no one does it on their own."

18. Is becoming a CEO your ultimate career goal?

"I would answer the question in this way. Certainly, my boss (CEO Ron Brenneman) is doing a great job and I don't think he's imminently going to step aside. He's great to work for. He's a very focused individual, he's very analytical, he's got a good understanding of the business and he's got a very sharp mind. In the abstract, would a CEO's job be an interesting job? I think it would be an opportunity to be able to put together everything that you have learned in your career in sort of one role. And that would be a very energizing thing."

19. How would you describe your leadership style?

"One of the guys that works for me one day called it push-push-hug. He had read about that style being ascribed to someone else and he thought it fit me because he said I push and I push and I push. But I'm always watching for when I'm at the point of pushing too hard, and then I reel people in and give them a hug. I have high expectations of people and I push them very hard, but I also keep a very close watch on how they're doing."

20. If you took a year off from work, how would you spend the time?

"I'd find the time to work out every day, which is really hard for me these days. I would want to run a marathon. I had to give that (marathon training) up a couple of years ago because my knees were trashed.

Long-distance running is great because it's uninterrupted think time. From that standpoint, I miss running. I would also spend some time travelling and spend some time at my house on the West Coast. I would also devote time to some of the not-for-profit things that I do now."

Kathy Sendall

* Titles: Senior vice-president, North American natural gas, Petro-Canada; chair, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP).

* Born/raised: Toronto/Vancouver, Toronto.

* Education: Queen's University, bachelor of science, mechanical engineering (honours); University of Western Ontario Business School, executive program.

* Career: Sendall began her career in the oil and gas industry in 1978 with Petro-Canada and has been with the company ever since, with the exception of a two-year stint with Nova Gas Transmission. She has been senior vice-president of North American natural gas since 2002. Her career with Petro-Canada has also included a stint as senior vice-president of engineering and technology.

* Trail blazing: Sendall was appointed chair of CAPP in March, becoming the first woman to hold that post.

* Accolades: Sendall was honoured in 1998 as the YWCA Woman of Distinction for business, labour, the professions and entrepreneurs.

* Oil In the family: Husband Rich Sendall is a senior manager with Suncor Energy.

* Last business book read: Now, Discover Your Strengths, by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton.

* Prized possession: Lexus SC 430.

Petro-Canada

* Brass: Ron Brenneman, president/CEO; Harry Roberts, executive VP, chief financial officer; Peter Kallos, executive VP, international; Boris Jackman, executive VP, downstream; Kathy Sendall, senior VP, North American natural gas; Brant Sangster, senior VP, oilsands.

* Profile: Petro-Canada is an integrated oil and gas company with a diverse portfolio of activities in North American natural gas, Alberta oilsands, East Coast oil, international exploration and production, and refining and marketing.

* Stats: Petro-Canada boasted upstream production of 425,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2005, plans $3.4 billion in capital expenditures this year and employs 5,000 people.

* Recent Stock Price (TSX:PCA): $51.10 (52-week range, $35.53-$59.40).

* Web Watch: www.petro-canada.ca

* Head Office: 150 6th Ave. S.W., P.O. Box 2844, Calgary, T2P 3E3.

* Phone/Fax: 403-296-8000/ 296-3030.

(Gyle Konotopetz can be reached at gyle@businessedge.ca)