More than 600 people working in North Sea oil and gas came together last night to celebrate achievement in the face of adversity and the best examples of how the industry is collaborating to ensure the future of the region.
The 2015 Oil & Gas UK awards took place at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre attended by indsutry veterans including Sir Ian Wood and Total’s Philippe Guys.
The industry body’s chief executive Deirdre Michie said this year’s event was “notable” marking both “50 years of progress in exploration and production in the UK” but was also an important “tuning point” for how the sector does business.
She said:“Over the last five decades, ground breaking, highly skilled people have pushed the boundaries of technology to overcome the engineering challenges of operating in one of the most hostile basins in the world.
“Our 2015 Awards highlight and share the examples of success in the last year, which are so important in inspiring our drive for improvement in the future.
“We all know that we’re gathering this year in markedly different circumstances to the last time we met. We also know it’s really important to take time to celebrate the great people and achievements that have made this industry a national treasure that we are all very proud of.
“Whilst we look back with pride on our achievements over the past year, we also look forward with courage and – together – tackle the challenges we face head on.”
The event was hosted by the BBC’s James Naughtie, presenter of Radio 4’s the Today Programme, author and Chancellor of Stirling University.
The evening also included a speech from Paul Goodfellow, Upstream Director, UK and Ireland, at Shell UK, who reflected on the industry’s 50 year heritage, highlighting the need to continue to challenge and push the boundaries of global oil and gas development and bring skilled people and new technologies together.
In an addition to the annual awards scheme, OGUK teamed up with the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) to celebrate examples of how firms are working together to maximise economic recovery (MER) in the UK North Sea.
Michie added: “We are pleased that this year we have an additional, very relevant, entry in the Awards line-up – The MER UK Award.
“I am delighted that we are working with Andy Samuel, chief executive of the OGA and his team to showcase this new award, as co-operation is also the cornerstone of the tripartite approach to maximising economic recovery being taken by industry, Treasury and the OGA.”
Mr Samuel, who presented the MER UK Awards on the evening, said: “We were delighted to have a very strong field for the inaugural MER UK Awards – with many great examples of companies pioneering new, more collaborative ways of working.
“I hope that recognising and sharing the positive behaviours of the award winners will encourage other companies to adopt these good practices and drive cultural change across the UKCS.”
The winners across the seven categories were:
- Apprentice of the Year – Greig McKendry, Wood Group PSN
- Graduate of the Year – Graeme Allan, BP
- Mentor of the Year – Russell Morrice, BP
- Investment in People (SME) – ActivityMix
- Investment in People (Large Enterprise) – Amec Foster Wheeler
- Business Innovation (SME) – SeaEnergy PLC
- Business Innovation (Large Enterprise) – Nexen Petroleum UK Ltd
- MER UK Awards – Nexen Petroleum UK; Northern North Sea Operational Gas Group (including TAQA, CNR International, EnQuest, Dana Petroleum, Fairfield Energy, BP, Shell UK and Esso); Centrica; and Total E&P UK and DONG Energy.
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