The PESGB is delighted to welcome a mix of familiar and new faces on the PETEX 2016 Technical  Committee.

The PESGB would like to thank the committee members for volunteering their time to ensure the success of PETEX, and the companies who have released them to serve in this way.

Neil Frewin, BG Group
Technical Co-chair – Exploration
Neil Frewin of BG Group returns to the PETEX Technical Committee this time in the capacity of Technical Co-chair focusing on Exploration. Having worked overseas for some years, he is looking forward to supporting the PESGB both as a member of the PETEX Organising and Technical Committees, and contributing in other ways to the work of the PESGB.  His experience in global exploration will bring a wealth of experience to the wider reach that PETEX now has.

Mike Branston, Schlumberger
Technical Co-chair – Technology
Mike Branston of Schlumberger returns to the PETEX Technical Committee this time in the capacity of Technical Co-chair focusing on Technology.  He comments that although he has been involved in many conferences around the world in his career, he always enjoys coming back to PETEX.  “It was an honour to be asked to contribute to the technical committee this year” he said, “and I am looking forward to building on what was achieved in 2014, whilst maintaining that unique PETEX atmosphere”.  The Committee is very grateful to be able to call on his fifteen years as a geophysicist, with both Schlumberger (WesternGeco) and NORSAR prior to 2010.  Mike holds a BSc and PhD in Geophysics and was awarded Chartered Geologist status by the Geological Society of London in 2006.

Richard Knight, Shell
Dr Richard Knight has  worked in the Industry for over 26 years, mainly for Shell Exploration, and variously based in Australia, Oman, Malaysia, Scotland and The Netherlands.  For the last 15 years he has worked extensively on New Business Development in sub-Saharan Africa, Russia, the wider CIS, and more recently Europe.  By training, he is a Devonian palynologist/conodontologist, but has worked in a wide variety of established ventures, held assets and new Frontiers, the latter spanning the Arctic, complex Onshore fold trust belts, to Deepwater settings.

Tim Sears, BP
Returning to the committee for 2016 is Tim Sears of BP, where he works in the Advanced Seismic Imaging flagship based in Sunbury.  He is currently a Senior Seismic Analyst working on various projects in BP’s portfolio, and with technical expert roles within processing and analysis CoPs.  His interests include a broad range of geophysics with focus on more quantitative geophysics, including processing, modelling, inversion and FWI.  Tim’s interests come from varied current and past experiences working for WesternGeco, BG Group and BP, and through a PhD in FWI, and he brings these together with PETEX2014 experience to his role on the committee.

Tim Bunting, Seabed Geosolutions
Tim Bunting has worked for Schlumberger for 25 years holding various technical roles involved in seismic acquisition and processing. He recently joined Seabed Geosolutions as the regional geophysicist for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Tim started working offshore as a field geophysicist and while having a broad technical experience he still has a strong interests in acquisition related topics.

Chris Leppard, Statoil
Chris Leppard of Statoil UK is new to the Technical Committee for PETEX 2016. Chris joined the Norsk Hydro Research Centre in 2005 after completing his PhD in Tectonostratigraphic Evolution of Rift Systems. After four years of working on international projects while at the same time providing input into developing innovate 3D seismic volume interpretation software in collaboration with ffA Chris moved full time to exploration, working near field exploration in the Norwegian North Sea. Following a five year period based in Canada working on East Coast Canada exploration Chris returned to Statoil UK and has worked both the UK North Sea and NE Atlantic Margin.

Alwyn Vear, Woodside
Alwyn Vear is Manager Geoscience and Exploration for Woodside Energy (UK) Ltd. Woodside, based in Perth, Western Australia, recently established a new exploration office in London, where Alwyn manages a team of geoscientists looking after some of the company’s Northern Atlantic and Latin American assets as well as supporting Woodside’s global New Ventures growth plans. A geologist with over 30 years’ experience in petroleum exploration at both BP and Woodside, Alwyn has worked in many countries and basins throughout his career including the UK North Sea, Ireland, Egypt, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, Peru, Mauritania and Australia. He is new to the Technical Committee and will be calling on his industry contacts to help build an exciting speaker programme for PETEX 2016.

Jamie Knibbs, Premier Oil
Jamie Knibbs joins the 2016 technical committee from Premier Oil where he manages the company’s exploration activities in Mexico. Before Premier, he worked at Hess, Stratic Energy and Shell. With a history of roles in new ventures, Jamie provides the committee with good knowledge of exploration trends across Africa and the Americas. He comments, “I’m delighted to be part of the 2016 technical committee. PETEX’s strength is in fostering industry-wide collaboration and inspiring new ideas. If ever there is a time for that, it is now!”

Isabelle Thollet, ExxonMobil
Isabelle studied geology at Ecole Nationale Superieure de Geologie in Nancy, France and geophysics at Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre in Strasbourg also in France and after that, she joined ExxonMobil (in 2009). She started working in Hanover, Germany in production and then spent two years in Houston, where she worked Brazil offshore (Exploration) and West Texas (Production), before moving to the UK in 2012. Isabelle currently works in exploration focusing on Europe new opportunities. She says ‘I am proud to be part of the technical committee of PETEX 2016 as I haven’t been involved in this conference before and I am hoping to learn from the professionals previously involved and bring in new ideas. It is exciting to get to meet and work with people from various companies to organize the largest E&P conference and exhibition in the UK’.

James Churchill, BG Group
Since joining the oil and gas industry James Churchill has worked for a number of companies, following completion of his BSc in Geology at the University of Liverpool and an MSc in Petroleum Geology at the University of Aberdeen, including CGG Robertson, Ichron – part of the RPS Group, and currently BG Group.  These roles have taken James all over the globe, having worked on most of the world’s petroleum basins at some point.  At his core James is a sedimentologist and Subject Matter Expert for Clastic Reservoir Quality, although is he currently broadening his skills as a development geologist on a North Sea asset.  In recent years James has been closely involved in university-based research so joins the Technical Committee for the first time and is convening the Petroleum Geoscience Collaboration Showcase alongside PETEX, following presenting at the conference in 2014.  Although this year’s PETEX occurs at a challenging time for our industry James is confident PETEX 2016 will be as vibrant, engaging and informative as ever.

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Petroleum Geoscience Collaboration Showcase : Convenors

Nick Schofield – Chair
University of Aberdeen

James Churchill
BG Group

Jonathan Craig
ENI

Neil Grant
ConocoPhilips

Katie Ireland
BG Group

Jenny Omma
Rocktype

Douglas Paton
University of Leeds

Simone Silcock
Statoil

Ian Sharp
University of Bergen

Helen Smyth
Halliburton-Landmark

Tom Weight
Statoil