Then & Now: From students to subject-matter experts, meet Nick and Matthew from our head office
At Cenovus Energy, we prioritize learning and development to support employees throughout their career. Aligning with the “3E model” which encourages learning through experience, exposure, and education, many of our staff explore different career paths while staying with us, growing into new roles, or trying out new fields of expertise across our many operating areas and assets.
Nick Bickford and Matthew Cundall both joined Cenovus as students, and with almost two decades of combined experience between them, they are still with the company. Learn more about how they got their start ‘then’ and where they are ‘now’.
Nick Bickford, Senior Financial Analyst
Nick started at Cenovus in 2016 through our Student Program. As a student with our Finance team in St. John’s, Nick handled tasks like verifying invoices and preparing cash flow forecasts. After graduating from university, he joined our New Grad Program where he completed three 12-month rotations in various finance departments and completed his Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation.
Over the years, Nick has held several finance-based roles throughout the company and completed a stint with our Sustainability team before transitioning to the role of Senior Financial Analyst on our Natural Gas Trade, Supply & Logistics Finance team.
Throughout his time with Cenovus, mentorship has played a large role in Nick’s development. While completing his CPA, he was paired with a mentor at Cenovus, and when he completed the CPA Program, he returned the favour by becoming a mentor himself. “I also recently took over as Program Manager for the CPA Program, which has allowed me to both develop my leadership skills and give back to a program that gave me my start at the company.”
Nick has taken advantage of the company’s many learning and development programs, including our Emerging Leaders Program, which offers a variety of tools and workshops to develop the leaders of today and the future. Nick also utilized our Employee Educational Assistance Program, which helped him complete his Master of Business Administration at the University of Calgary.
Matthew Cundall, Senior Reservoir Engineer
In 2013, Matthew Cundall began his student journey with Cenovus, joining our Exploration team in Calgary where he assisted with the evaluation and staged development of our Montney and Duvernay resource plays (underground rock layers containing oil and gas).
After completing two student work terms with Cenovus, Matthew returned as an engineer-in-training and a participant in our New Grad Program. The program provided him with a comprehensive understanding of various engineering disciplines early in his career. Following the program, he joined the Corporate Reservoir Engineering team. In his most recent role, Matthew is a Senior Reservoir Engineer with our Conventional Heavy Oil team where his responsibilities include overseeing reservoir management and well performance optimization.
“Starting as a student, Cenovus has been instrumental in my growth,” Matthew shares. “The New Grad and leadership development programs have provided me with opportunities to develop my technical expertise, navigate complex challenges and work on impactful projects.”
Nick and Matthew have evolved from students to up-and-coming experts in their fields through continuous learning and development at Cenovus. Their journeys are examples of our commitment to employee growth, supporting staff at every stage of their careers.
LAST UPDATED: OCTOBER 2024