I am honoured and delighted to have been nominated as a candidate for President-Elect of the PESGB, which plays a pivotal role in promoting responsibility, innovation, education and knowledge sharing within our industry and in wider society. This becomes even more important as we continue to go through the Big Crew change, in uncertain times, with ever increasing scrutiny. It was a pleasure to be part of PETEX last year and see so much energy, resilience and pride within the PESGB community.  It is great to see how the Outreach events have engaged with the public (including my son who loved Why Dinosaurs Matter).  The training courses are first class and are used by my team.

After completing my MSC in Petroleum Geology at Aberdeen University and my PhD at Oxford University, I have been very lucky to follow a career in the oil industry that has taken me to many different hydrocarbon provinces. My 22 years at Shell and BG Group provided an opportunity to live and work in five different countries from Venezuela to the Russian Far East. My favourite place almost certainly has to be Brazil, where I was VP Exploration for BG Group. Now at Echo Energy, I am engaged at the other side of the spectrum, working for an exciting small AIM listed company based in London with assets in Argentina.

Coming from an oil and gas household, as my wife is also a geoscientist, I am certainly aware of the need for the industry to continually be flexible to retain expertise and talent across all experience levels. The PESGB can facilitate knowledge transfer and ways of working across ages, disciplines and companies.

I am passionate about our industry, which has been a tremendous force for good, recognising that we have an important, relevant and responsible part to play in society moving forward. I am keen that the PESGB is relevant in this area and works with others to provide a positive voice for what we do by sensitively taking part in the energy debate.

Considering these challenges my vision for the PESGB is to continue to maintain our relevance to:

• Members through knowledge sharing both technical and in flexible work patterns.
• Industry by the promotion of global exploration.
• Society by being an advocate of the positive role of what we do within the evolving energy landscape.

I would endeavour to maintain the very high standard of events and learning opportunities whilst ensuring that the PESGB is relevant for members, industry and society. I would be honoured and excited to play a leadership role for the PESGB on behalf of all members.