Subsea 7 vice president joins Oil & Gas UK board

Subsea 7 vice president for North Sea & Canada has been appointed to the board of directors of Oil & Gas UK.

Oil & Gas UK, a representative organization for the UK offshore oil and gas industry, said on Thursday that Phil Simons would sit alongside industry representatives responsible for setting Oil & Gas UK policy.

According to the trade association, Simons is an industry professional with over 20 years of experience in the subsea pipelines business. He began his career in 1992 as an engineer for pipeline installation contractors and operators, European Marine Contractors, where he later became a senior project manager.

In 2004, he joined Subsea 7 in Aberdeen as a senior project manager, progressing through the business to become the VP for Canada, Mediterranean, and Russia in 2011. Simons became the COO for UK & Canada and subsequently the VP for UK & Canada in 2013, before taking up the role of VP for the North Sea & Canada in 2016.

Regarding his appointment, Simons said: “I am very pleased to join the Oil & Gas UK board at such a pivotal and demanding time in our industry’s history, and I look forward to working closely with the other members to help harness the collaboration needed to take us through the unique challenges ahead.”

Oil & Gas UK CEO, Deirdre Michie, said: “With extensive commercial and engineering experience, the appointment of Phil Simons will further strengthen Oil & Gas UK’s board at a defining period for the industry.

“We have improved our cost base by 50 percent in two years, embedding efficiency as a core value and making our industry more globally competitive. There are up to 20 billion barrels of oil and gas yet to be recovered from the UKCS if we secure the appropriate conditions for investment.”