PROFILE By Vawn Himmelsbach An American abroad
U.S. ex-pat David Brinley has worked all over the world and now finds himself as general counsel of Shell Canada in Calgary.
Whether it's the environment or native land claims, Shell Canada Ltd.'s general counsel has his hands full — especially as the previously publicly traded company became part of Royal Dutch Shell and is now undergoing a recession-related restructuring. For David Brinley, an American
ex-pat who's lived all over the world and currently calls Canada home, it's a job with plenty of challenges, but also plenty of rewards. Brinley moved to Calgary three years ago with his fam- ily and is accountable for Shell's legal work in Canada. This includes advis- ing senior management and managing a legal team of 53. In the energy sector, some com-
panies focus on only one area, such as exploration or retail. Shell, how- ever, is involved in every aspect of the energy continuum, from the upstream to the downstream. One example of an upstream operation is the uniquely Canadian oilsands, more like min- ing than the traditional oil extrac- tion method of drilling. Downstream operations include refineries and gas stations. The upstream is concentrated mainly in Alberta and the downstream
If you're general counsel in the U.S., a lot of your
time is spent looking at those 6,000 lawsuits you've got going. The Canadian environment enables me and my organization to focus more on the positive aspects of business.
DAVID BRINLEY, Shell Canada Ltd.
INHOUSE OCTOBER 2009 •
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