New boss takes helm of Decom North Sea

Decom North Sea (DNS), the representative body for the offshore decommissioning industry, which promotes and facilitates collaboration and cost reduction, has today announced the appointment of a new chief executive.

Roger Esson brings over 20 years’ highly relevant experience as DNS continues to play a critical part in the development of the UK decommissioning sector, DNS said in a statement. Having held a variety of leadership positions within companies ranging from SMEs to tier 1 contactors, his previous roles have included time with Stork Technical Services and Amec Foster Wheeler’s decommissioning division.

He has played an active role in the execution of several of the UK’s most significant decommissioning projects – including the MCP01, North West Hutton and Brent Delta installations – and is widely recognised for his stewardship of the oil and gas sector, not least through his participation on a number of industry boards and forums, DNS added.

Commenting on the appointment, DNS chairman Callum Falconer said: “We are exceptionally pleased to welcome Roger to this position. Decom North Sea has no doubt that his combination of knowledge and experience will prove invaluable in addressing the challenges inherent in this fledgling industry – ensuring that our members, as well as those in the wider oil and gas industry and beyond, have the ability to grasp the opportunities within decommissioning.

“On behalf of Decom North Sea, sincere thanks go to interim chief executive, Karen Seath, and the wider operational team for the work they have undertaken during the past six months. They have successfully built upon our key objective to deliver value to our members, whilst working collaboratively with our strategic partners to ensure that an effective and sustainable supply chain addresses the requirements of this emerging sector.”

Roger Esson added: “I am delighted to join Decom North Sea and look forward to applying my knowledge and experience to the role. This is a challenging time for the North Sea industry and it is vital that we focus upon helping our members understand and prepare for the opportunities that are available.

“For example, DNS has long recognised the critical effect late life asset management has upon the success of the decommissioning process – as well as the vast number of opportunities it presents. With our members’ requirements firmly at the forefront of our minds, DNS has created the Late Life Planning Portal (L2P2), a trailblazing toolkit designed to encourage the all-important sharing of knowledge and the opportunities available within this phase.”