SPE Aberdeen Section Names New Chairman

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Aberdeen Section Board has elected Ian Phillips, chief executive of the Oil and Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC), as its new chairman.

Phillips assumes the position from Shankar Bhukya, who has stepped down ahead of a move to Singapore.

Ian Phillips, an MBA qualified Chartered Petroleum Engineer, has held positions including chairman, treasurer and Continuing Education committee chair with the SPE Aberdeen Section. In addition, he has served as the North Sea Regional Director on the SPE International Board. Most recently, he has been the director on the SPE Aberdeen board and held responsibility for the Section’s Offshore Achievement Awards.

Prior to his current full-time role of chief executive of the Oil and Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC), Phillips has held a number of positions in the UK oil and gas industry, including vice president of project development at Ramco Energy and project director at BP. Latterly, his career has focused on innovation in carbon capture and storage with roles including founding director of CO2DeepStore and business development director at Pale Blue Dot Energy.

Commenting on his appointment, Phillips said: “I have been a member of SPE for nearly thirty years and I am honoured to have been selected as chairman of the Aberdeen Section.

“The oil and gas industry has experienced huge change in recent months. The survival of the North Sea industry depends on effective collaboration, technology innovation and knowledge sharing. To support this, SPE provides opportunities for professionals to network, learn and realise their technical and professional potential.

“The focus of my work at OGIC is bridging the gap between industry needs in the UKCS and the knowledge pool of Scottish universities. I believe this background will be extremely beneficial to the Section’s activities moving forward.

“I’m looking forward to working with the SPE Aberdeen board and committees to ensure our Section continues to be known as one of the most effective in the world.”