NOIA: New CEO, Charlene Johnson

“On behalf of the Board of Directors and Noia staff, I am very pleased today to announce Charlene Johnson as the new CEO of Noia,” said Andrew Bell, chair of Noia’s Board of Directors. “For forty years, Noia has played a vital role in the support and growth of the oil & gas sector. With a promising future ahead for the industry, Charlene will guide Noia through the next exciting phase of exploration and development. Her strategic thinking, proven leadership skills and ability to build collaborative partnerships will make her an excellent ambassador for you, our members.” 

As seen in her biography below, Charlene has more than 11 years of experience representing not only her own constituents as a Member of the House of Assembly but all residents of the province as a cabinet minister for seven of those years.  This experience honed her ability to forge and manage complex relationships with a wide range of stakeholders and to represent their best interests. These skills are critical to speaking on behalf of Noia’s core membership – the supply and service sector – as well as working with all parties – including operators, the regulator, trade associations, educational institutions and government bodies – to advance the timely development of the industry.

“While these have been challenging times in the oil & gas industry, the prospects for our offshore look very bright and with greater collaboration with industry stakeholders, opportunities abound,” said Charlene Johnson. “I am both excited and enthusiastic to work with the Noia membership to spearhead that collaboration in order to advance our shared goals. Working together we will be well positioned to face the current and future challenges and poised to take advantage of the many potential opportunities both at home and abroad.”

“Not only is Charlene a demonstrated leader, but her experience as a cabinet minister, participating in cabinet discussions and on numerous cabinet committees, along with her roles as Minister of Environment and parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, enabled her to gain significant knowledge of the oil & gas industry, including legislation and policy, as well as the environmental assessment process,” added Bell. “We look forward to Charlene’s contributions to Noia and to the industry as we look ahead to the future.”

Charlene Johnson will assume her duties as Noia CEO effective January 9, 2018.

Charlene Johnson Biography

Charlene Johnson was a Member of the House of Assembly, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, from 2003 to 2014. As a senior cabinet minister, during her tenure she led a number of high profile departments, including Finance and Human Resource Secretariat, President of Treasury Board; Innovation, Business and Rural Development; Child, Youth and Family Services; and Environment and Conservation. She was also the minister responsible for the Status of Women and parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources. Prior to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Charlene worked as a policy analyst for the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board. 

Originally from Gull Island, NL, Charlene has spent the past three-plus years in Brunei. During her time overseas, she completed a Diploma in Business Administration, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland and will receive her Master of Business Administration (with Distinction) from that school on December 3, 2017. This complements her Bachelor of Science in forest engineering from the University of New Brunswick (2000) and Master of Applied Science in environmental engineering from Memorial University (2001).