Measuring Our Commitment

In 2010, we continued the roll-out and consolidation of our community involvement strategy called ReachOut — Giving, Matching, Helping — which focuses on:

  • developing strategic partnerships that benefit the community and support our business objectives.
  • promoting a better understanding of the breadth and value of our community contributions.
  • building employee engagement and stronger communities through volunteering.
Community Investment
(Cdn$ millions)

Giving

Through grants and donations, Nexen invested $11.4 million in 2010.

A key component of our funding program is the support we provide post-secondary institutions linked to our operating areas. This includes our endowed gift of $1.5 million over five years to establish the Nexen Chair in Catalytic Reaction Engineering at the University of Alberta in 2010 and the Yemen Scholarship Program, a post-secondary scholarship initiative that has awarded a total of 130 scholarships to Yemeni students since its inception.

Nexen’s support goes beyond education. For example, in Nigeria, we’re investing in several community projects aimed at advancing health care, children’s aid and environmental protection. Projects include:

  • Contributing to equipment upgrades for the Lagos University Teaching Hospital’s pediatric unit.
  • The Nigerian Montane Forest Project, a biodiversity and conservation research project for post-graduate students that employs more than 20 local people.
  • The Street Child Care and Welfare Initiative, a charitable organization aimed at providing education, counselling, rehabilitation and temporary accommodation for homeless children living in Lagos.

Nexen’s investments in Nigeria are expected to increase significantly as production – scheduled to begin in 2012 – gets underway.

Employee Matching

In 2010, Nexen employees in Canada, the U.S. and the UK made a charitable contribution of $883,000 — the largest employee contribution to date — which was matched by Nexen.

Volunteering

Our volunteer program features three ways for employees to become more involved in their communities:

  • Volunteer grants – Employees who volunteer a minimum of 40 hours of their personal time with a recognized charitable and/or amateur sports organization are eligible to apply for a grant to be paid to that organization, up to a total of $1,250 annually.
  • Volunteer days – Employees are provided with up to two paid days leave annually to volunteer with local charities or other recognized community organizations.
  • Volunteer team-building initiatives – Employees are encouraged to organize team building events with their colleagues, building professional relationships while they volunteer.

In 2010, a total of 180 employees applied for $146,000 in volunteer grants and our employees contributed 13,000 hours to their communities.