Imperial Oil CEO Brad Corson to retire this spring, replaced by industry veteran John Whelan​on February 13, 2025 at 3:42 pm

Imperial Oil CEO Brad Corson, who has led the integrated oil producer since 2020, will retire this spring and be replaced by John Whelan, the Calgary-based company announced Thursday.

One of the country’s largest oilsands producers, Imperial said Corson will retire on April 1 after 42 years working with Imperial and ExxonMobil. Imperial is almost 70 per cent owned by ExxonMobil, the largest U.S. oil and gas company.

Whelan, an engineer and native of St. John’s, started with ExxonMobil in 1988 in Drayton Valley, and has also worked in Norway and the United States.

He is ExxonMobil’s senior vice-president of conventional and heavy oil, leading global business units in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Caspian, Middle East and Asia Pacific regions. Whelan will become Imperial’s CEO and chairman on May 8.

Imperial posted net earnings of $4.79 billion last year, and its production averaged 460,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day during the fourth quarter. It is Canada’s largest refiner, with refineries in Ontario and Alberta.