Mike Fernandez served as a C-Suite executive for several large companies – including Cargill, State Farm, Conagra Brands, Cigna and US West – prior to joining Enbridge in March 2020. In those roles, he has led government relations, investor relations, sustainability, communications and in one instance co-chaired a company’s risk committee. His work at Cargill included breakthrough sustainability efforts associated with the global farming and sourcing of cocoa, cotton, palm oil and soy working in tandem with several environmental NGOs. He also served as US CEO of Burson-Marsteller (now BCW – and one of the world’s largest strategic communications firms) and as a Professor at Boston University. Early in his career, he was press secretary to a Democratic US Senator and served as assistant treasurer of the National Committee for an Effective Congress. He holds the distinction of being the first U.S. born Latino to serve as the chief communications officer for a Fortune 500 company and the youngest person to ever serve as a U.S. Senator’s press secretary.