• North Africa Course Review
• London Field Trip Review
• Stonehaven Field Trip Review
• exploHUB
• Climate Change
• Esta Report
• PESGB Young Professionals
• East Greenland

Plus much more inside

President’s Page- Henry Allen

I often wonder if it is right that, at least in the UK, probably everywhere, so much depends on voluntary labour? It can be argued that there are plenty of people who are meant to be paid to make
things happen in our society, from midwives to power engineers to politicians. But then I see strong local communities which look good and feel good because everyone looks after each other to the extent that they often refuse payment for what they do for someone else, knowing that in due course that help will be reciprocated. Let’s face it, that’s the way society was meant to work and paying this money stuff has just caused us to lose sight of it.
So it’s obviously important that we help each other and I believe this should also be translated into the business environment. Besides selling what they are there for, businesses should at their own cost, help other organisations or the people that serve their industry or wider community. They should do this not because it is good “Public Relations” or “Corporate Social Responsibility” but
because they want to in the knowledge that their contribution will make things better, and in the end that will come back to them in the form of goodwill, more effective people, and better business.
PESGB is surely a fine example? I hope that no-one would disagree that its existence is beneficial to the oil & gas industry and while thankfully it is run on a day-to-day basis by an excellent team
of professional staff, it wouldn’t exist without the support of people from across the oil and gas industry who volunteer to sit on Council and SIGs and conference or course organising committees.
But it doesn’t stop there, because they couldn’t do that without the support of their employers, who allow their staff time and often also incidental costs in order that they can fulfil their role for the
Society. Once again, I must thank them for that. I am troubled though, to have found at least one major multinational oil company apparently does not take this view and has refused to allow staff
to stand for nomination.
Which takes me to the point of this musing. It is time for us all to start looking for candidates for vacancies in next year’s Council and I urge you all to look at yourself and those around you for
potential talent. Its rewarding, needed, and great fun. And above all please talk to the management in your organisation and lobby for their support and make sure they can see the long term value to their Company of making this small but important contribution.