The winners of the Oil & Gas UK Awards 2016, sponsored by Shell U.K. Limited, were announced last night in Aberdeen. Winners were presented with their awards at an evening ceremony on Thursday 3rd November, where over 450 people from across the oil and gas industry gathered to celebrate their company and individual achievements.
Oil & Gas UK’s chief executive, Deirdre Michie, commented:
“We all know that our industry continues to face challenging times and that tough decisions have had to be made. This is why it is more important than ever that we come together and take time to celebrate the great people and achievements that have made this industry a national treasure that we are all very proud of.
“In this our tenth year of the Oil & Gas UK Awards we received an unprecedented number of nominations and the finalists are testament to the exceptional work being delivered by remarkable people across our industry.
“It is through the tenacity and determination of our industry’s workforce that over the last five decades we have pushed the boundaries of technology to meet the engineering challenges of operating in one of the most hostile basins in the world. Our 2016 Awards highlight and share the examples of success in the last year, inspiring our drive for improvement in the future.
“Whilst we look back with pride on our achievements over the past year, we also look forward, confident in the knowledge that with up to 20 billion of barrels of oil and gas still to get after, we can and will deliver a sustainable and competitive industry for the future.”
The event was hosted by the BBC’s Scotland Editor Sarah Smith: Sarah reports on every element of Scotland from its politics to its economic performance. She has also worked for Channel 4 News where her reporting on the Madrid train bombings won an International Emmy.
The evening also included a speech from Ben Taylor, Country Commercial Lead at Shell U.K. Limited, who reflected on an ever-adapting industry as it responds to oil price fluctuations, a maturing basin and most recently the decision to leave the EU.
Deirdre Michie added:
“I am pleased to say we have two new awards for 2016, the Diversity and Inclusiveness Award that recognises the contribution diverse teams and inclusive behaviours can deliver to our industry, and of course, to the bottom line of a business. We also wanted to mark our 10th anniversary of awards in a special way and I am delighted that this year we have acknowledged Jeremy Cresswell, energy editor of the Press and Journal for the contribution he has made to the oil and gas industry with the Significant Achievement Award.”
The winners across the eight categories were:
- Apprentice of the Year – Louise Jamieson, Total E&P UK
- Graduate of the Year – Sarah-Alice Davies, Shell U.K. Limited
- Mentor of the Year – Girish Rajkumar Kabra, Centrica
- Workforce Engagement (SME) – Merlin Energy Resources Ltd
- Workforce Engagement (Large Enterprise) – Nexen Petroleum UK Limited
- Business Innovation and Efficiency (SME) – Cyberhawk Innovations
- Business Innovation and Efficiency (Large Enterprise) – Centrica
- MER UK Awards – ETAP Partners: BP, Shell, Esso, JX Nippon, Zennor and Southern Wye Project Partners: ConocoPhilips, Repsol, Maersk and Ithaca
- Significant Achievement Award – Jeremy Cresswell, Energy Editor, Press and Journal
The Oil & Gas UK Award for Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by OPITO, and the Oil & Gas UK Award for Graduate of the Yearrecognise the next generation of talent in the offshore oil and gas industry.
Apprentice of the Year, Louise Jamieson, Apprentice Production Operator, Total E&P UK Ltd, is a role model to those around her, demonstrating a level of commitment and competency in a physically demanding role far surpassing expectations. Arriving at the Shetland Gas Plant during its construction phase she became a leader in delivering technical training for other apprentices and operators. This saved time and money by creating and delivering training in-house.
Sarah-Alice Davies, CWI Engineer - Design, Shell U.K. Limited, won Graduate of the Year 2016. The judges heard how she is one of the first graduates to attain two international postings at difficult, remote locations. Sarah’s competence has given her the opportunity to deliver the first shale oil to the Middle East from Jordan’s deserts and supervise rig and interventions operations in the jungles of Gabon.
The Oil & Gas UK Award for Mentor of the Year went to Girish Rajkumar Kabra, Developments Manager, Centrica. Girish understands the importance of good mentoring and its ability to transform careers, and his commitment as a mentor has helped his mentees develop to their full potential. Many are already working at senior positions on medium to major projects at young ages.
The Oil & Gas UK Award for Workforce Engagement recognises the outstanding steps taken by companies to involve their people, give them a voice in the organisation and develop an empowering culture.
SME winner Merlin Energy Resources Ltd impressed judges with its climate of openness and transparency throughout the business. This inclusive approach has paid dividends as engaged staff can devote more energy focussing on customers and their needs.
The Large Enterprise Award for Workforce Engagement was sponsored by ECITB. This award was won by Nexen Petroleum UK Ltdwho have taken inspiration from the cycling world and the philosophy behind ‘Marginal Gains Theory,’ to encourage the workforce to drive improvements and better working practices in everyday tasks. The company was inundated with over 130 ideas for demonstrating the successful take-up of this cultural change campaign by the workforce.
The Oil & Gas UK Award for Business Innovation and Efficiency champions those enterprises delivering improved performance through innovation and efficiency initiatives.
As SME winner, Cyberhawk Innovations impressed the judges with its revolutionary step in bringing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to the oil and gas sector. Last year, Cyberhawk carried out the world’s first inspection of an internal storage tank on board a Maersk FPSO in the UKCS, reducing the safety risk of industrial inspections, and minimising production downtime by avoiding shutdowns.
Centrica took the Large Enterprise Award by supporting an onshore trial of a radical new technology for well abandonment. Interwell's thermite plug seals off the well by melting both the well components and the rock formation around them to recreate the cap rock. The trial results demonstrated that this technology could reduce abandonment costs in the North Sea by more than 50 per cent.
The MER UK Awards – sponsored by the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), award those companies whose cooperative approach and positive behaviours have helped to maximise the economic recovery of oil and gas from the UKCS.
The winners on the evening were: ETAP Partners: BP, Shell, Esso, JX Nippon and Zennor for realigning the ownership interests, associated decision making process and cost sharing to best reflect the remaining value of the fields. This unique approach supported investment and value recovery activities, demonstrating that a sustainable framework can be delivered in even the most challenging circumstances. The Southern Wye Project Partners: ConocoPhilips, Repsol, Maersk and Ithaca also received an MER UK Award. Success of this greatly accelerated project, a fast-track and complex subsea tie-in, stemmed from all parties working together to overcome commercial, legal and logistical challenges. The behaviours during the project embody MER UK and demonstrated that overall value can be increased through collaboration.
The Significant Achievement Award marks our 10th anniversary of the Oil & Gas UK Awards in a special way, acknowledging the significant contribution to the oil and gas industry of Jeremy Cresswell, Energy Editor, Press and Journal, who has worked tirelessly over the years to champion our industry.