Natural Resources >> CEO Interviews >> April 6, 1998
CHARLES E. CHILDERS is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
of Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. Two elements have been
constant during Mr. Childers' tenure: change and growth. After joining
PCS in 1987, Mr. Childers led the Company through its privatization,
changing it from a provincial crown to a profitable, globally
competitive corporation. Since PCS began trading publicly, both net
sales and net income have grown more that ten-fold and return to
shareholders exceeded 550 percent. So exceptional was the growth that
PCS was awarded the number two position in Canadian Business magazine's
1997 rating of Canada's top 500 companies according to sales growth.
For his leadership, Mr. Childers received an award for Outstanding
Stock-Price and Operating Performance from Share Price Growth 100, the
largest and most respected stock-price improvement organization in North
America. He has been ranked among North America's elite CE'Os by Chief
Executive magazine and has earned the Wall Street Transcript's Gold
Award for CEOs in the fertilizer industry. Mr. Childers' commitment to
the fertilizer industry extends back more than 40 years. After
graduating from the University of Illinois with a degree in Mining
Engineering in 1955, he gained experience in many key areas of the
industry. Mr. Childers rose through the ranks of mining executives and
worked as Vice President of Potash Operations and Vice President of
Expansion and Development for IMC before joining RCS. Mr. Childers also
served in the United States Army for two years, achieving the rank of
First Lieutenant in Military Intelligence. Over the course of his
career, Mr. Childers has established himself as a respected decision-
maker for the fertilizer industry. He is past-president of the
International Fertilizer Industry Association, the world's largest
fertilizer organization that includes more than 400 industry members in
82 countries. Mr. Childers has contributed to the fertilizer industry
in many capacities and has served as a member of the Board of Directors
and Chair of the Potash & Phosphate Institute, the Foundation for
Agronomic Research, The Fertilizer Institute and Canpotex. He is also
Vice Chairman of the Fertilizer Industry Advisory Committee to the Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Mr. Childers has
made commitments to his community as well as the fertilizer industry.
He serves on the Business Advisory Council to the University of
Saskatchewan's College of Commerce and is a director at large for Junior
Achievement of Canada. He and his wife Norma live in Saskatoon. They
have two children, Joel and Katrina, and four grandchildren. Profile
Corporation of Saskatchewan, and tell us what is the company doing
today?
Mr. Childers: PCS is a former Crown corporation
