As I flicked through the pages of the event preview brochure for OE2013 a few days ago - armed with my highlighter and deciding which conference sessions and events to attend, what struck me most was the outward and internationally dynamic nature of what is on offer and what is clearly of importance to our industry.
Everyone seems to be talking about Mozambique. This former Portuguese colony in the East of Africa is the focus of a topical luncheon at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston this month and is the destination for a forthcoming trade mission for Aberdeen's Africa Business Centre.
I have met the events of recent weeks in North Africa with great interest and a large degree of disheartenment. As former senior intelligence analyst for the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region, assessing these kinds of attacks was part of my daily work.
I do love the James Bond moments that happen with my job, and while they don't occur as readily as they did in my former role in our Intelligence Department, every so often I find myself in awe of my colleagues, individuals and organisations that I am lucky enough to work with.
It was with great interest that I read the article by Les Linklater in September's edition of Energy. While the organisation for which he works, Step Change in Safety, is primarily focused on making the UK the safest place in which to work in the worldwide oil and gas industry, the theme of the article - working towards a change in industry culture - resonated with me, and also my CEO, Andrew Kain.
