Statoil’s UK business gets new MD

Norway’s oil major Statoil has appointed Hedda Felin as the new managing director of Statoil Production UK.

Statoil said that she succeeds Tove Stuhr Sjøblom who left the company. As the new head of the company’s Aberdeen office, Felin will be responsible for Statoil’s upstream development and production activities in the UK and Ireland.

Hedda Felin said: “Statoil is one of the largest investors on the UK Continental Shelf currently, with the major Mariner project entering its final development stages. It is a privilege to head up our very capable Aberdeen organization in this important phase of increased activity.

“UK and Ireland are key parts of our international growth portfolio, and I look forward to working with our partners and suppliers in the exciting years ahead.”

Felin comes from the position of vice president for safety and sustainability in Statoil’s business area for global exploration. Previously she served different leadership roles in Statoil, including HR manager in exploration and leader of efficiency projects in Statoil’s energy and retail department.

Before joining Statoil, Felin was a management consultant and project leader with international experience from West Africa, China, and France.

On the UKCS, Statoil is the operator of the Mariner field, which is under development and expected to start production in 2018. Statoil UK is also the operator of the UK part of Utgard, a cross-border field recently sanctioned for development.

Statoil’s team in Aberdeen also manages the company’s interests in partner-operated fields; Corrib in Ireland and Alba and Jupiter on the UKCS, and supports the company’s Hywind Scotland project, the world’s first floating wind farm under development off the coast of Peterhead.

Statoil established its office in Aberdeen in 2013 and has now grown its organization to around 140. In May, the company moved into its new operations center for the UKCS, Statoil House, at the Prime Four Business Park, Kingswells, four miles west of Aberdeen city center.