Brad Merkel

Experience

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  Imperial Oil

  Aug 1993 - Oct 1998

  Responsible for business planning across all business lines within Imperial's refining, marketing, and chemicals portfolio.★ Coordinated 5-year strategic business reviews★ Prepared annual budgets and financial plans★ Facilitated annual business performance reviews★ Coordinated capital budgets and capital program reappraisals P&L responsibility for retail and commercial fuels businesses in Northern Ontario.★ Orchestrated turnaround from negative earnings to positive earnings in less than 18 months.★ Motivated our team of professionals, retail operators and dealers to deliver top customer service results in Canada.

  • Planning Manager, Products & Chemicals Division

    Jan 1997 - Oct 1998

  • Retail & Commercial Sales Manager, Northern Ontario

    Aug 1993 - Dec 1996
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  ExxonMobil

  Oct 1998 - Jul 2006

  Led strategy development across the global ExxonMobil fuels marketing portfolio, with a focus on restructuring or improving profitability in challenging retail markets.★ Led country retail strategies for Australia, Japan, United States, Argentina, Brazil, United Kingdom.★ Established business case and legal framework for global retail alliances with convenience store, fast food, and grocery partners★ Developed market entry strategies (Eastern Europe) and market exit strategies (Finland, Africa) Show less

  • Retail Sales Manager, South East Asia

    Aug 2003 - Jul 2006

  • Global Strategic Planning Manager

    Feb 2001 - Jul 2003

  • Advisor, Investor Relations

    Oct 1998 - Jan 2001
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  Imperial Oil

  Aug 2006 - Mar 2016

  Reporting directly to the President and Chief Executive Officer, held P&L responsibility for sales and marketing of petroleum products through multiple business units, with sales of >$15B, team of more than 400 professionals.★ Negotiated strategic supply partnerships with key national customers★ Developed strategic sales and marketing alliances with industry partners★ Grew sales by more than 20% in a flat market★ Consistent capture of efficiencies >$40M in annual cost savings★ Doubled profitability over a five year period, delivering highest ever ROI★ Divestment of 500 company-owned service stations to branded partners, generated C$2.8B Show less P&L responsibility for sales and marketing of petroleum products through multiple commercial business units, with sales of >$8B.★ Dramatically improved and sustained safety results★ Managed key business and credit risks with large industrial customers through 2008 financial crisis★ Implemented "trusted advisor" sales approach, leading to sales growth of >$400M★ Transformed company-owned heating oil, commercial fuels, and truck-stop businesses by selling assets to independent resellers under long-term branded contracts - Eliminated more than $250M in capital employed - Reduced operating expenses by more than $60M★ Turnaround in earnings from negative to consistently profitable Show less

  • Vice President, Fuels & Lubricants

    Jun 2011 - Mar 2016

  • Manager, Industrial & Wholesale Fuels

    Aug 2006 - May 2011
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  ExxonMobil

  Apr 2016 - Dec 2017

  Director, Americas, Wholesale Fuels & Asphalt

  P&L responsibility for wholesale fuels and asphalt sales (revenue > $20B) in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and America South. ★ Implemented advanced analytics to identify and capture margin improvement opportunities★ Re-structured organization to provide focused, sector-specific support★ Increased sales by 12% in a flat demand market★ Led market entry into Mexico following industry de-regulation★ Introduced new high-performance commercial diesel in Canada, Colombia, and the U.S Show less

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  LHH

  Jan 2018 - now

  Executive Coach & Business Consultant

  With over 400 offices worldwide, Lee Hecht Harrison is the world's leading integrated Talent Development Company. LHH helps organizations simplify the complexities associated with transforming their leadership and workforce so they can accelerate results with less risk. We do this by developing leaders, engaging employees, retaining critical talent, and maintaining productivity through change.

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  The Merkel Group, LLC

  Jan 2018 - now

  Founder and President

  At The Merkel Group, our clients come to us because they have BIG goals. They have made a commitment to move forward - to achieve breakthrough performance in their business, and to improve their effectiveness as a leader.Our Mission is to help our clients discover options, develop strategies, and implement changes that will lead to exceptional results. In fact, we fully expect our clients to set and achieve goals that they previously thought were unattainable. Our Unique ApproachWe know that in order to achieve maximum impact in your business, you need everyone on your team to align on a powerful agenda, AND you need your team to execute with the right leadership behaviors.That’s why we combine the best elements of strategy consulting and leadership coaching into our process. Each engagement is tailored to meet the specific needs of your company and your leadership situation. Let us help you align strategy and leadership to drive exceptional results in your business. Show less