Little, 57, rose through the ranks after joining Suncor in 2008 and previously worked for Imperial Oil and its majority owner Exxon Mobil. Some Canadian energy industry executives said Suncor's recent operational issues stem from a push to automate operations as much as possible, which makes the company less nimble when things go wrong. "He (Little) is well-liked, he's a bright, brilliant guy... but he's all about procedures," said one former Suncor employee who worked with Little. The source declined to be named because he still consults in the industry. Elliott, which invests $51.5 billion in assets, has pushed to remove top executives at companies including Twitter, Marathon Petroleum and eBay. It launched 17 campaigns in 2021, and in the past year won 11 board seats and has a reputation for steering strategy from inside the boardroom. Elliott declined to comment for this story.