The future of Canadian energy won’t be defined by a single forecast, tool, or decision.
That was the clear takeaway from CMG’s FutureFlow 2025 panel, where sector leaders discussed how they’re preparing for what comes next.
Sebastien Morin, COO of Gran Tierra Energy, described it as continuous improvement.
“That’s how we stay ahead of it,” he said. “And it’s incremental change. I don’t think there’s a gold nugget for everything. Everything is incremental.”
Energy leaders are focused on creating the conditions their teams need to adapt. That includes building capability, investing in the right tools, and strengthening the structures that support smart decision-making.
Flexibility is what will carry organizations through uncertainty.
This is an approach that aligns with a report on the Upstream Oil and Gas Investment Outlook from the International Energy Forum, noting that organizations must remain agile in order to adapt to shifting market demands and future policy changes.
At FutureFlow 2025, panelists explained how they’re putting these principles to practice.
Watch the full panel discussion on what energy leaders are doing differently now
Build capability to balance fundamentals and tech
Being adaptable in the future only works if teams have the capability to execute as conditions shift and evolve.
Brian Hamm, president and CEO of McDaniel, encourages his team to strike a balance between strengthening technical fundamentals, while expanding comfort with and use of emerging tools.
“If I was talking to a younger engineer, they’re all gung-ho to take on the new technologies,” he said. “They’re writing their own code now in their own jobs.”
Hamm says that while their enthusiasm is valuable, he encourages them to focus on technical fundamentals early in their careers and not lose sight of what’s happening in the reservoir. Those physical conditions are what they’re ultimately working to model and improve.
On the other hand, Hamm said more seasoned professionals sometimes need a nudge when it comes to tech adoption.
“For some of the more experienced guys, I would highly encourage them to look into these various technologies and see how they can help your day out … it behooves you to start to embrace some of these technologies so that you’re still relevant 10 years from now.”
Watch the full panel discussion on what energy leaders are doing differently now
Break down silos and partner with purpose
Pramod Jain, CEO of CMG, said that preparing for what’s next requires breaking down silos across both technology, and teams.
He noted that CMG’s growth strategy and future planning includes an intentional push to connect surface and subsurface workflows and create more unified solutions for customers.
“For us, reservoir simulation, that’s how we started … but we also understand that it doesn’t matter if you’re just solving for one part of the business, and if you’re not doing it right for the other part, you’re not helping to solve the silo. So when we talk about technologies like IPSM or CoFlow … that’s breaking the silos between subsurface and surface,” he said.
Jain added that effective partnerships are just as important as technology development.
“We want to remain open as a platform, as an ecosystem … not everything should be built by one company. We should be partnering with other technology companies. We should be partnering with customers … Let’s all work together, take our superpowers and then solve the problem, because ultimately, that’s what matters.”
Watch the full panel discussion on what energy leaders are doing differently now
Make space to plan, and use tech to support it
Strategic planning doesn’t happen by accident. In fast-moving technical environments, it has to be intentional, continuous, and these days, it tends to be supported by new tech as well.
Kim Chiu, President of SCR Cold Lake at Strathcona Resources, sets aside time for planning despite daily operational pressures.
“Take that time once or twice a month to stop,” he said. “Because there’s always problems, and there’s always fires that you’re putting out. But give yourself that head space to think about things in a slightly different way.”
What he focuses on in planning sessions is aligning his projects and teams with measurable priorities, whether the target at that time is cash flow, efficiency, or performance.
Morin agreed you need to take time to make better decisions, and noted that new tech like AI is also helping to streamline planning processes.
He turns to external insights from tech-driven vendors and partners to inform his team on what’s coming next and how to deal with it, noting they “make our engineers better, make our ability to learn quicker.”
The FutureFlow 2025 discussion made it clear that no single technology, forecast or plan will define the sector’s future. What will make the difference is how companies build teams, structure decisions, and stay open to partnerships.
By building capability, breaking down silos, and planning with intent, energy leaders are already turning uncertainty into opportunity.
Watch the full panel discussion on what energy leaders are doing differently now
To continue reading, explore how energy teams are working differently, how leadership approaches are shifting, and how energy companies are applying new technologies.
