New boss to run Eni Norge and Goliat

Eni Norge, a Norwegian subsidiary of Eni, an Italian oil giant, has appointed Philip Hemmens to lead the company, following the recent start of production from the Goliat field in the Barents Sea, off Norway.

Eni Norge said in a statement on Friday that Philip Hemmens became the Managing Director of the company.

Hemmens takes charge after the long-awaited Goliat field in the Barents Sea, dubbed the world’s northernmost offshore development, finally began production in March this year. The Goliat, located 85 kilometers northwest of Hammerfest, offshore northern Norway, was originally planned to begin production in 2013.

Hemmens is Eni Norge’s third Management Director in the last four years after Andrea Forzoni was appointed in January 2012, and his successor Ruggero Gheller took charge in October 2014.

Both Forzoni and Gheller announced during their term that the Goliat project would start in 2013 and 2015, respectively, but neither were able to see the field start production on schedule.

Hemmens has a long career in Eni with 15 years of experience and several senior positions in his biography. He was Senior Vice President for Safety, Environment & Quality, overlooking Eni’s global HSE performance.

Furthermore, he has served as Regional Vice President for Transportation Systems, Central Asia, Managing Director of Eni Pakistan and Vice President Technical Services, Eni Lasmo. He has also acted as Chairman of the Board for several Eni companies with operations worldwide.

Hemmens is familiar with Norway and its oil industry and market through a previous engagement working on Heidrun with Conoco.

Phil Hemmens graduated with degrees in Physics and Petroleum Engineering from Imperial College, London and has a Diploma in General Management from IMD, Lausanne.