Industry needs to demonstrate "license to operate," says new OE2019 chair
ABERDEEN -- The energy industry has to continuously demonstrate its excellence in order to maintain a ‘license to operate’, says the newly appointed conference chair of SPE Offshore Europe 2019 Michael Borrell, senior V.P., North Sea and Russia at Total.
‘Our license to operate: breaking through to excellence’ will form the theme of the biennial conference and exhibition which will take place in Aberdeen from Sept. 3-6, 2019. Michael Borrell has been appointed conference chair and will lead a committee of international oil and gas industry leaders to develop the plenary, keynote and technical programs.
“SPE Offshore Europe 2019 will allow the industry to come together and discuss what really matters,” said Mr Borrell, SPE Offshore Europe 2019 conference chair. “It will be important to talk about keeping our costs low, pushing the boundaries of innovation and focusing on excellence in our operations.
“Offshore Europe presents a great opportunity for us to challenge ourselves in the North Sea basin. It’s a harsh and demanding environment that has seen the industry overcome the odds and achieve feats of engineering that will go down in history. But we don’t always get it right and we certainly don’t have a monopoly on good ideas. I want OE2019 to not only look at what is going well in the North Sea but also to engage with the best of what is happening around the world. It is only by sharing best practice and being open to new ideas that we can truly break through to excellence.”
Darcy Spady, 2018 SPE president, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Michael Borrell as conference chair for OE2019. Michael brings extensive leadership, operational and technical expertise from his experience working with an international operator for more than 30 years. More than ever our industry’s operations have to demonstrate levels of excellence in order to maintain a ‘license to operate’; this theme will form the cornerstone of an exciting and relevant conference program for OE2019 that will be formulated over the coming months by a global committee of industry leaders.”
Vasyl Zhygalo, portfolio director, Offshore Europe Partnership commented: “We will be launching several new features and partnerships in the coming months to deliver more content to different parts of the industry. These will include a Late Life element to the Decommissioning Zone that debuted so successfully in 2017 as well as a Start-up Village and initiatives with a focus on exploration and operator involvement.”
Approximately 36,000 people and 900 exhibitors representing 130 countries attended SPE Offshore Europe 2017.
Details on the free-to-attend conference and its plenary, keynote and technical program will be announced later this year.
Michael Borrell was appointed senior V.P., North Sea and Russia at Total in September 2017. A Cambridge University graduate in chemical engineering, he joined Total in 1985. He has worked with its affiliate companies and has held senior managerial positions in the Total group since 1995 working in regions including South-east and Central Asia, South America, Canada, Europe and the Caspian. In July 2010, he was senior V.P., Continental Europe and Central Asia. In January 2015, he was appointed senior V.P., Europe & Central Asia before taking up his current role.
