Al Caputo

After almost 40 years in HR and close to two decades at West Fraser, Al Caputo is preparing to step away at the end of the year to retire. The vice-president of human resources says he stayed on longer than originally planned to make sure the transition is solid. …Caputo’s start in HR was not automatic. Graduating from university in 1984 with a commerce degree from the University of Alberta, majoring in marketing and human resources, he entered a brutal recession with “no jobs” on offer. …Eventually Caputo landed an assistant HR role at a mill in Quesnel, B.C., backing up the HR manager. …Caputo has been based at West Fraser’s corporate office in Vancouver for roughly the past seven years. The company operates in a high‑risk industry, with around 10,000 employees across Canada, the US and Europe. The company runs about 50 manufacturing facilities, roughly split between Canada and the US.