Andy Samuel, Chief Executive of the UK's new offshore industry regulatory body, the Oil and Gas Authority, has made his first senior appointments to the nascent body.
Samuel has appointed the first three of six directors to his leadership team:
Simon Toole, currently Head of Offshore Licensing, Exploration and Development in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will become Director of Licensing & Legal. Simon will lead the OGA’s onshore exploration and production activity, industry-wide licensing and dispute resolution.
Stuart Payne has been appointed as Director of Change & Organizational Development, and will lead the design and ongoing development of the OGA organization with responsibility for managing human resources.
Ian McKenzie has been appointed as Chief Implementation Officer, and will lead the finance, procurement, internal audit and IT activities that will establish the OGA as an efficient and focused arms-length organization.
Three further directors will be appointed in the coming months: a Director of Offshore E&P, a Director of Policy, Performance and Economics, and a Director of Technology and Projects. An internal and external search and selection process for these exciting and critical roles is now underway.
Samuel said: “I’m delighted to announce these important appointments which are central to the development and success of the Oil and Gas Authority. I will continue to build on the expertise and strengths of the existing team, ensuring we have the capability and capacity to drive a focused strategy that maximizes economic recovery of oil and gas resources in the UK.
“The fall in the global oil price has brought into sharp focus the urgent need for Industry and Government to take proactive and sustainable action. Since becoming Chief Executive in early January, I am pleased to see a strong partnership continuing to develop between Industry and Government. In late February I will outline my early findings on the commission requested by the Secretary of State and seek to prioritize action and focus delivery.”
The clauses in the Infrastructure Bill, which will enshrine the principle of Maximizing Economic Recovery in legislation, successfully passed through the House of Commons on 26 January.