Navigating Complex Terrains in the Oil and Gas Sector

Integrated Corporate Affairs Management

Situation

The Federal Government and representatives from impacted Indigenous nations across BC and Alberta were immersed in critical discussions about potential Indigenous equity and revenue sharing in a major project. Amidst these deliberations, signals that a sale process might be imminent were evidenced by the government seeking investment banking advice. The Indigenous Client held a strong bidding position, backed by early-stage agreements with several of impacted nations and represented an 50/50 partnership between an Indigenous coalition and a reputable operator.

Closer examination revealed the Client was grappling with staffing and funding shortfalls, exposing vulnerabilities at a crucial stage ahead of a potential sale by the government. The signed Indigenous nations, whose support was critical to the Client’s success, faced a period of uncertainty requiring continuous support to ensure their confidence through the sale process.

Against this backdrop, the Client was under pressure to establish its preeminence by demonstrating the most stable and comprehensive Indigenous relationships, a critical factor that the government and other parties were expected to consider in the upcoming divestiture process.

Role

Integrated Corporate Affairs

Solutions

Support the Client in the successful bid of a major pipeline project by offering both strategy development and tactics implementation in the following areas:

Indigenous Relations – crafted key engagement frameworks and targeted network mapping to support both signed and unsigned impacted nations advocacy.
Corporate Management – maintained support in day-to-day operations and risk management for board and executive members.
Government Relations – Supported strategy and execution of subsidiary government positioning campaigns.
Communications and Public Relations – established a three-tier strategy to align with organizational goals to effectively elevate client presence to internal and external stakeholders. Created new website and communications assets.
Competition Analysis – gathered online and offline intelligence of other viable bidders to identify and navigate the competition landscape.

Outcome

Operationalized highest engagement rate amongst bidders (59) with board, impacted Indigenous representatives, member committees, governments, and community consultation sessions.
Generated 108% increase in number of binding agreements with impacted nations.
Established measured key messages to align with target demographic industry and geopolitical connection.