Operations Manager, WellGear

Andrew Black

Andy is the Operations Manager for WellGear in the UK with 14 years’ experience in Hydraulic Workover Operations globally. He has been heavily involved in several significant abandonment and decommissioning operations over the years including the Brents, Kinsale, Thistle and Casablanca. Andy has a passion for continually improving and highlighting the advantages of HWO to the industry which stems from his hands on approach and mechanical engineering background.

CEO and Founder, Aspect

Andrew McCallum

Andrew is Founder and CEO of Aspect, a 100% employee-owned consultancy delivering communication, marketing, and engagement strategies for leaders in energy and decarbonisation in the UK and internationally. Prior to founding the company, Andrew was a corporate affairs executive with Centrica, British Gas, The AA, One.Tel, Goldfish, BAA, Gatwick Airport, and Dana Petroleum, part of the Korea National Oil Corporation. In listed, blue-chip environments, with private equity shareholders, in government and regulators, and with sovereign shareholders, Andrew has managed significant transactions, transformations and crises. He is a trusted c-suite advisor, spokesperson, and mentor.

Business Development Manager, CUT UK

Bruce Sinclair

Bruce Sinclair is the Business Development Manager for CUT UK. With 20 year’s experience in the Oil + Gas industry, Bruce joined CUT nearly 7 years ago. CUT are diamond wire cutting specialists.

While working for CUT, Bruce has helped CUT treble their revenue, completed world-record breaking cuts, and expanded their business into every continent in the world.

2025 will be a record year for CUT, having already surpassed their best ever year, won more new clients than ever before, and completed projects in more countries than ever before.

Bruce is happy to jump back on the tools when need be and recently went to the exotic destination of Pembroke in Wales for a pile cutting job. Bruce was delighted that the job went perfectly, maintaining CUTs 100% project success rate.

Bruce’s focus is on maintaining CUTs position as the global experts in their field.  

Business Adviser – HSE & Operations, Offshore Energies UK

Caitlin Smith

Caitlin Smith joined Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) in 2022 and is now a Business Advisor in the HSE and Operations team. Caitlin is responsible for supporting workgroups and forums lead by the Decommissioning teams and provides Business Advisor support across all functions of the business. As well as this, she supports the creation of industry guidelines. Her previous roles at OEUK include Business Adviser within the Strategy and Market Intelligence team and Decommissioning Intern within the HSE and Operations team.

Prior to this role, Caitlin most recently completed her university studies achieving a BA (Hons) in Management from Robert Gordon University (RGU). During her academic career, Caitlin joined OEUK on a year-long industry placement from RGU in 2022 and joined permanently as Business Advisor in May 2024.

Environment Manager, Offshore Energies UK

Caroline Brown

Caroline Brown is the Environment Manager at Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), where she has spent the past five years leading work on environmental policy, compliance, and sustainability across the UK’s offshore energy sector. A Chartered Environmentalist with over two decades of industry experience, Caroline brings both technical expertise and strategic insight to her role. 

Operations & Compliance Manager, Spirit Energy

Ceri Wheaton

Ceri Wheaton is Operations & Compliance Manager at Spirit Energy, where she leads the safe and regulatory-compliant execution of decommissioning activities across assets in the North Sea and East Irish Sea. With 18 years of experience in the oil and gas industry – and more than a decade specialising in decommissioning – Ceri has played a key role in delivering complex, large-scale projects in collaboration with multiple operators.

Her career began with a strong environmental focus, underpinned by a master’s degree in marine sciences, which led to her initial role as an Environmental Advisor in the energy sector. Over time, her remit has expanded to encompass regulatory compliance and operational leadership, particularly in managing the transition of assets from late-life production through to decommissioning.

Decommissioning Delivery Manager, Woodside

Chris See

Chris See is Woodside’s Decommissioning Delivery Manager, bringing over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. His career spans diverse global locations, including the Perth Basin and North West Western Australia, offshore China, onshore USA, and the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. He has held project-focused roles across engineering design, construction, commissioning, and start-up, as well as serving as Asset Manager for Non-Operated assets.

In his current role, Chris leads the delivery of complex decommissioning projects, prioritising safety, environmental stewardship, and regulatory compliance. He works closely with industry partners and stakeholders to shape Woodside’s long-term strategy for sustainable decommissioning. His portfolio encompasses a broad geographic footprint—from the North West Shelf and North West Cape of Western Australia to the Otway Basin along Victoria’s southern coastline.

Decommissioning Technical Manager, Claxton

Craig Baxter

Craig has worked on and offshore across the energy sector lifecycle in exploration, production, maintenance, and decommissioning. As Decommissioning Technical Manager at Claxton, he is responsible for providing technical support across all business functions and locations. While focusing on continuity of product and service quality throughout Claxton Decommissioning projects Craig is also responsible for developing the decommissioning technology roadmap. This drives Claxton’s focus on developing technical solutions for energy sector decommissioning activities that target operational efficiencies alongside a reduction in associated energy consumption while maintaining and improving safety and reliability.

CEO, Offshore Energies UK

David Whitehouse

David joined Offshore Energies UK on 1 January 2023 as Chief Executive.

David is an established industry leader with 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He has extensive knowledge of the North Sea sector, and most recently spent 7 years as the Managing Director of CNR International. David is respected across the sector for his strategic and hands-on leadership in the North Sea and around the world, including the USA, Netherlands, and Philippines.

His passion for energy, engineering and innovation is built on a PhD in Theoretical Chemistry from Cambridge University and a degree in Chemistry from Manchester University. He is currently studying at the University of Aberdeen for a Masters in Renewable Engineering.

Decommissioning, Projects & Engineering Director, TAQA

David Wilson

David Wilson is Decommissioning & Projects Director for TAQA UK. David joined TAQA in 2020 where he previously held the role of Technical Director. During his 30-year career in the oil and gas industry, David has held several senior roles leading engineering and project teams in the UK, China, Korea, West Africa, Norway and the United States. He has significant experience in the decommissioning arena and was involved in TAQA’s safe and successful Brae Bravo decommissioning programme from initiation to execution. David graduated with a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Robert Gordon University.

Head of Commercial, Veri Energy Limited

Donna Sutherland

Donna has worked in the energy industry for two decades with a background in commercial, business development and projects. Donna’s experience includes as part of a small team founding EnQuest’s wholly owned subsidiary Veri Energy, delivering successful subsea execution projects and, together with the Northern Producer Decommissioning project team, she won the OEUK Excellence in Decommissioning award in 2022. Donna has extensive experience in managing complex commercial partnerships and through the Veri Energy entity is leading the transformation of the Sullom Voe Terminal in Shetland into Europe’s largest energy hub. Donna is helping reshape the contractual landscape for the terminal and leading the delivery of the critical value chain elements to produce green hydrogen-based fuels and supply decarbonisation solutions. Donna also has experience in renewables, thermal power generation, power networks, carbon and the energy regulatory landscape. Donna is a Vice President of the Scottish Energy Forum.  

Wells Manager, TAQA

Doug Noble

Doug began his career in 2001 as a Well Engineering graduate with BG-Group and worked in a variety of Well Engineering roles in the UK, Tunisia, Egypt, Oman, Bolivia and Australia. Since returning to the UK in 2015, he has been involved in several large platform and subsea well decommissioning campaigns. He joined TAQA in 2020 and is currently the Wells Manager accountable for the well decommissioning of the remaining TAQA platform and subsea wells.

Team Lead - North Sea Completions, CNR International

Fraser McGaw

Fraser McGaw is Team Lead for North Sea Subsea Plug and Abandonment at CNR International, where he has worked in the Wells department for 13 years. With 25 years in the oil and gas industry, Fraser’s career spans from apprentice to senior leadership roles across service companies, consultancy, and operator environments. This extensive experience has given him a deep understanding of both technical and commercial challenges in well operations. He is passionate about delivering complex projects, driving innovation through new methods and technologies, and mentoring the next generation of engineering professionals.

Decommissioning Division Manager, Xodus Group

Gareth Jones

Gareth is the Decommissioning Business Stream Manager (EMEA) for Xodus.

He has over 20 years of experience in working in regulatory, advisory and consultancy role having spent time working for both the Scottish Government and Energy Consultancies and has developed strong working relationships with industry bodies, key stakeholders and regulators.

Gareth has a wide and in depth decommissioning experience base having undertaken the planning and support for over 40 decommissioning projects covering floating, fixed platform (both NUI and crewed), derogation and non-derogation assets and subsea systems.

He has also undertaken the assessment of decommissioning projects in both renewables and oil and gas sectors including onshore assets and these have been on a range of geographic locations including UK, Europe, Middle East and APAC.

Gareth has developed and grown a very successful decommissioning consultancy offering with a multi-disciplinary global team within Xodus which supports the planning, conceptual engineering, permitting and regulatory compliance, waste management and project close out for a wide range of clients including TAQA, Harbour Energy, BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Cooper Energy, Spirit Energy, EnQuest, CNRI, Dana Petroleum, NOC, ADNOC, Qatar Energy, Neo, SSE, Equitix and Equinor and in the UK this team has supported the delivery of over 60% of all decommissioning programmes approved by the UK Government in each of the last three years.

Gareth has been an active member of the Decommissioning Steering Committee and is also the current Chair or Decom Mission. He also supports the Emerging professional in Late-Life And Decommissioning Group which is helping inspire and support the development of new and transitioning talent into the decommissioning sector across Renewables, Oil & Gas and Nuclear.

Commercial Director, AF Offshore Decom

Graeme Fergusson

Graeme Fergusson joined AF Offshore Decom in 2022 and has held the position of Commercial Director ever since, where he’s responsible for business development, tenders & contracts, as well as all new initiatives, including the recent establishment of the Joint Venture with Three60 Energy.    Graeme has been involved in the oil & gas industry for over 20 years and specifically decommissioning for over a decade, both on the operator and contractor sides of the fence in Senior Leadership roles.

P&A Engineering Manager, Harbour Energy

Greig Hunter

Greig has over 30 years of experience in the Oil and Gas industry in both offshore and onshore roles. He moved into an onshore engineering role in 2005 with North Sea operators including Talisman Energy, ConocoPhillips and most recently Harbour Energy. Greig holds a MSc in Drilling and Well Engineering from The Robert Gordon University and has industry experience predominantly in well intervention and P&A activities. He moved into P&A engineering in 2013 progressing to P&A Rig Superintendent, and is now the P&A Engineering Manager with Harbour Energy based in Aberdeen.

Greig is a regular contributor to external P&A forums such as NZTC P&A Technology Development Collaboration and the Wells Decommissioning Steering Group, advocating for technology development and strategic alignment in well decommissioning.

Director Environment & Asia Pacific, IOGP

Harvey Johnstone

Harvey Johnstone assumed the role of Environment Director in 2021, bringing to the role 34 years of experience in both government and private sector roles.

Harvey spent 14 years with the Western Australian Government’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). His roles with the DEP spanned air quality monitoring, and Management of Industry Licensing, Pollution Management and Contaminated Sites. He was instrumental in the advent of many regulatory changes including, load-based licencing, small industry regulation and the drafting of WA’s Contaminated Sites legislation.

Harvey left the DEP to join BP’s Remediation Management Function in Perth, overseeing soil and groundwater liabilities across the in the western and southern parts of Australia, extending into Southeast Asia and the Middle East where he oversaw large remediation projects. He also acted as Environment Advisor to BP Upstream NOJVs in Australia. Harvey has extensive experience in decommissioning planning and operations, particularly onshore decommissioning and asset retirement obligations and was a part of the Decommissioning Due Diligence team for BP’s Onshore assets. Harvey has managed projects and issues in many countries including Australia, Canada, China, Iraq, Oman, Vietnam, Singapore, UK, and USA. Harvey has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Western Australia and a Certificate in Governance Practice from the Governance Institute,

Decommissioning Manager, CNOOC International

Innes Jordan

Innes is a Chartered Project Manager with extensive experience delivering complex late-life and decommissioning projects across the UK North Sea. Currently leading CNOOC International’s decommissioning portfolio, he is responsible for planning and executing the safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible retirement of multiple offshore assets.

With a background in subsea engineering and over 20 years in the energy sector, Innes has managed projects spanning well P&A, subsea infrastructure removal and FPSO decommissioning.  Passionate about driving collaboration and innovation, he champions approaches that balance safety, sustainability and cost efficiency across the decommissioning lifecycle.

In 2024, Innes accepted the OEUK Excellence in Decommissioning – Operator Award on behalf of CNOOC International, recognising the team’s leadership in delivering safe and efficient decommissioning outcomes.

Professor of Applied Marine Biology & Ecology, The University of Edinburgh & Mara Consultants Ltd

J Murray Roberts

Murray Roberts leads the Changing Oceans research group (University of Edinburgh) and is a founding director of Mara Consultants Ltd. He studies deep-sea structural habitats like cold-water corals and sponges, to optimise their long-term management. Since 1997 his work on cold-water has taken him to sites off the UK, Norway, Ireland, the SE United States, Cape Verde and the S Pacifc. Among his external roles he was a contributing author to the 2014 and 2019 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Reports and co-lead editor of a 2014 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity report on ocean acidification. He led the 1st INSITE Phase Data Initiative and was a partner in the ANChor project examining ecological connectivity between North Sea platforms. Roberts co-leads a deep-sea ecosystem restoration workpackage as part of the European REDRESS consortium. He is a member of the Scottish Science Advisory Council to government.

Operations Manager - Decommissioning, James Fisher Decommissioning

Jack Ironside

Jack Ironside, Operations Manager for Decommissioning at James Fisher Decommissioning / James Fisher Offshore. Jack joined James Fisher as a Lead Technician (on/offshore) in 2021, since then he has worked as an Offshore Supervisor, Workshop Supervisor and Technical Project Engineer before moving into Operations Management in October 2024.

Well Engineer, Shell U.K. Limited

James Denholm

James is a Front End Design Engineer with Shell, who has over a decade of experience in well P&A and has worked on projects within the UK, Dutch and Norwegian sectors. Currently working for the Shallow Water / Land Team, he has most recently been executing reservoir abandonment scope on UK subsea wells, which has involved extensive investigation into novel barrier technologies, including bismuth, expanders and resins. James is an appointed a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in P&A for Shell and was part of the rewrite workgroup for the latest revision of the OEUK Decommissioning Guidelines.

Decommissioning Compliance and Strategy Manager, bp

Joe Leask

Joe leads three decommissioning projects in the North Sea region and also bp’s annual global provisioning exercise looking after a $12 billion+ cost estimate for decommissioning. Joe has been involved in the decommissioning industry for 13 years holding various roles in operators, the supply chain and an industry trade association.    

CEO, Kent

John Gilley

John is the CEO of Kent and has been an executive member of the board of directors since 2005.  He has been instrumental in the growth of the previous Kentech company and their acquisition of SNC-Lavalin’s O&G division. John is an inspiring leader who has not only set a clear vision for the Kent business but is determined to promote a culture that ensures that vision is not only achieved but exceeded. 

With a degree in mechanical engineering and more than 25 years of industry experience in locations all over the globe, John has excelled in roles both at project and corporate levels, primarily in planning, EPC and strategy and management. John joined the former Kentech business in 2001. 

Principle Decommissioning Adviser, ExxonMobil

John Gillies

John Gillies began his career with ExxonMobil in 1991 and has since held a variety of engineering, offshore operations, capital project, and decommissioning leadership roles across both UK and international assignments.

In 2012, John was seconded to Shell, where he assumed a leadership role on the Brent Decommissioning Project. Since then, his focus has been primarily on decommissioning.

In 2021, John was appointed Decommissioning Principal at ExxonMobil. In this role, he is part of a small team of subject matter experts responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s global decommissioning portfolio.

Supply Chain & People Director, Offshore Energies UK

Katy Heidenreich

Katy Heidenreich is the Supply Chain & People Director at Offshore Energies UK. She has responsibility for championing the world-class capabilities of the UK supply chain and the industry’s highly skilled workforce.

Katy focuses on helping the sector maximise its opportunity to deliver as much of the UK’s energy needs as possible and drive the technology and innovation required to deliver net zero targets.

Katy Heidenreich brings more than 28 years of industry experience to the role, mainly from Schlumberger Oilfield Services where she has worked across a variety of technical, commercial and senior management roles in the UK, Norway and Azerbaijan.

Manager Subsurface, Drilling and Wells, Offshore Norge

Magnus Svensson

Biography to follow shortly!

Wells Superintendent, EnQuest

Malcolm Coutie

Held mechanical engineering roles onshore before taking joining Halliburton in 2000, progressing to senior MLWD engineer and then onshore co-ordinator. He joined ADTI in 2008, progressing through training scheme while working on various appraisal wells and subsea development. Joined EnQuest in 2012 and, after some appraisal well planning and ops was, as Kraken Wells Team Lead, responsible for collaborative well planning for the 25-well subsea development, including rig and key vendor selection. From 2015 he was part of the Kraken drilling team, responsible for supporting and managing rig operations and ensuring short and long term plans integrated with the goals of the wider project and the company in a challenging oil-price environment. From 2018 he has held the well superintendent role, looking initially after Thistle and Heather slot recovery / P&A then Magnus infill drilling and workovers before managing the recently completed Thistle main rig P&A and CPU conductor recovery.

Energy Operations Director, Offshore Energies UK

Mark Wilson

Mark Wilson is the Energy Operations Director, for Offshore Energies UK and supports HSE & operational arrangements for the UK offshore assets. This role also includes the OEUK resilience lead focussing on security of supply aspects in relation to the Ukraine crisis.

Having spent the first part of his career with the British Army as a mechanical engineer, Mark joined ConocoPhillips and for seven years he held HSE and operational roles both on and offshore, including as an Offshore Installation Manager.

He then moved to EnQuest as the HSE Director, which also included being the COVID-19 lead, the Group enterprise risk co-ordinator, and emission management focal point.

Mark is the Vice-chair and Sustainability/ Energy Ambassador for the Aberdeen and Grampian Branch of the Institute of Directors, holds an MBA and is a Chartered Engineer.

Director of Energy Transition, Decommissioning & Projects, Spirit Energy

Matt Browell-Hook

Matt is Spirit Energy’s Energy Transition, Decommissioning and Projects Director, having joined the company in September 2023 as Energy Transition Director. He acts as the cluster lead for Spirit’s Carbon Capture and Storage project, Morecambe Net Zero (MNZ) Peak Cluster.

An Engineer at heart with a wealth of experience spanning more than 20 years in the energy sector, Matt joined Spirit Energy from Costain where he held the position of Energy Director leading Costain’s energy portfolio from strategic advisory to programme delivery.

Prior to this Matt spent time at Kent as Market Director and 14 years at Atkins, beginning his career here as a Mechanical Design Engineer and progressing into a number of management roles.

Matt has developed in his career through project, operations and business roles in construction, asset management and heavy industry through the energy industry.

He has been involved in and ran an increasingly diverse portfolio of projects and challenges which have seen him move from hydrocarbons to energy transition, CCS and renewables which Matt firmly believes holds the key to our global energy future.

Managing Director, Xenos

Matt Fish

Matt Fish began his offshore career with Versabar, contributing to the development of the heavy-lift vessel Bottom Feeder and later managing operations for its successor, the VB-10000. He played a key role in major decommissioning and salvage projects, including the recovery of the 700-foot car carrier Golden Ray in Georgia. In recent years, Matt co-founded Xenos Marine with Kevin Teichman of T&T Salvage, focusing on heavy-lift, salvage, and decommissioning operations across the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Under his leadership, Xenos Marine acquired and refurbished the TX-10000 (formerly the VB-10000) to restore U.S. offshore heavy-lift capability. Throughout his career, Matt has combined operational leadership with technical expertise in asset management, vessel refits, and team development. His commitment to advancing domestic heavy-lift, salvage and decommissioning capacity continues to strengthen the nation’s offshore infrastructure and project execution.

Senior Decommissioning Advisor, OKEA ASA

Mike Bishop

Mike has been working for over 42 years in the oil and gas industry in various companies and roles. He has worked on new build greenfield projects to major modification projects and also large maintenance contracts. Mike has also been asset manager for a subsea tie-back field.

For the last 15 years Mike’s focus has been on decommissioning which started at Repsol and the last three years in OKEA. He is currently the chairman of the Offshore Norge Decommissioning Network and has been involved in this role for many years.

Associate Director - Decommissioning, Kent

Neil Cuthbert

Neil Cuthbert is a chartered civil engineer specialising in decommissioning and currently serves as Associate Director – Decommissioning at Kent. With varied experience in the offshore sector founded in structural integrity, Neil has led a wide array of engineering and consultancy projects focused on complex end-of-life asset challenges. He has delivered studies for decommissioning oil & gas and offshore wind support structures, leveraging expertise in integrity assessment, risk management and structural engineering for ageing platforms. Neil is also a recognised voice in the decommissioning community, contributing to industry forums and speaker sessions on the transition of offshore assets from late life to decommissioning. Neil is chair of the Supply Chain Decommissioning Network and sits on the OEUK Decommissioning Forum Steering Committee. Neil has also recently joined a newly formed working group targeting late life and decommissioning with RenewableUK.

Chair, Aberdeen Area Committee, IMechE

Nick Graves

Nick Graves is the Chair of the Aberdeen Area Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

He is semi-retired but works part time for JFD Global, supporting various diving engineering design projects.
He worked for many years for both Proserv and Claxton Engineering on development of subsea decommissioning tooling and technologies, most recently as project manager and lead engineer on the initial development phase of joint Claxton/NDC/NZTC underwater laser cutting project including underwater cutting trials at Loch Kishorn.

In his spare time, he is a trustee and hands on volunteer restoring the historically significant 1805/1830’s beam engine (Boulton & Watt and others) at Garlogie Mill near Westhill, Aberdeen.

Decommissioning Manager, Perenco UK

Oliver Felmingham

Oliver Felmingham is the Decommissioning Manager at Perenco UK. Oliver joined Perenco as a Graduate Process Engineer from Loughborough University in 2013. During his time at Perenco Oliver has worked in the Projects team as a discipline engineer, Project Engineer & Engineering Manager before moving into Decommissioning in 2024.

Director of Decommissioning & Supply Chain, North Sea Transition Authority

Pauline Innes

Pauline Innes joined the NSTA in 2019 as Head of Decommissioning, leading the work to ensure decommissioning is carried out in a manner that is cost effective and supports the country’s net-zero target. She has a background in the public sector, working for the Scottish Government in social and economic policy before joining BEIS in 2015 to work in decommissioning.

Well Abandonment Superintendent, Well-Saffe Solutions

Pete Savage

I started as a graduate Drilling Engineer with SantaFe in 2001, transitioning to ADTI through merger/acquisition. During this time, I gained substantial practical rig site experience in the North Sea & Kuwait.

I spent nine years as a Drilling Engineer, culminating as Senior Engineer at RWE Dea in Norfolk, overseeing all wells on the Clipper South Platform.

I then worked offshore for 10 years as a contract Drilling/Abandonment Supervisor before moving onshore for family reasons. Since 2021, I’ve worked onshore as a Well Abandonment Superintendent.

I’ve supervised multiple P&A scopes offshore, including Beatrice Bravo & Charlie (Talisman), Schooner (DNO), and Hannay subsea wells (Repsol). As Superintendent, I led the Anglia Platform P&A campaign (Ithaca) and the rig ops phase of the Buchan subsea campaign (Repsol).

Currently, I’m working with Ithaca on planning a multi-year subsea P&A campaign.

Interdisciplinary Director for Energy Transition and Professor in Geoscience and Energy Transition, The University of Aberdeen

Professor John Underhill

John Underhill is Aberdeen University’s Interdisciplinary Director for Energy Transition and Professor in Geoscience and Energy Transition in their School of Geosciences. He is the academic executive director of the UK’s GeoNetZero* Centre of Doctoral Training (CDT). His research interests focus upon the role of geoscience in the energy transition and use of methods and data in providing the best solutions and outcomes to deliver low-carbon net zero goals. Before taking up an academic career that has seen him hold posts at Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt and Aberdeen Universities, John worked as an Exploration Geoscientist for Shell and has also undertaken sabbaticals with bp in Glasgow and Norsk Hydro in Bergen. John helped lead Heriot-Watt’s efforts to set up the Lyell Centre for Earth and Marine Science and Technology and was the University’s Chief Scientist. He was a board member of the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE) for three years and their President in 2011-12. John was the Chair of the National Energy Skills Accelerator (NESA), a collaboration between Aberdeen University, Robert Gordon University *RGU), North-East Scotland College, Skills development Scotland and Energy Transition Zone (ETZ) in 2022-23. An unusual fact is that he also was a professional football referee who officiated in the top-flight matches in Scotland and Europe between 1994-2008.

Director of the National Decommissioning Centre, University of Aberdeen

Professor Richard Neilson

Richard has been involved in decommissioning research since 2008 and is currently Director of the National Decommissioning Centre (NDC) a partnership between the Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC) and the University of Aberdeen. He leads the framing of the research focus for the centre which has Chevron, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Claxton and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult as partners.

Head of Decommissioning, Offshore Energies UK

Ricky Thomson

Richard (Ricky) Thomson joined OEUK in April 2022 and is currently Head of Decommissioning. He leads the OEUK’s focus on decommissioning, taking an action-orientated approach to communicating the voice of the UK’s offshore energies decommissioning sector.

Ricky joined OEUK from Houston where he was Project Manager / Decommissioning Manager for OXY Gulf of Mexico as well as a consultant for OXY’s Low Carbon Venture / Enhanced Oil Recovery work.  He has 20 years’ experience in the energy sector in multiple leadership, management, and technical roles for both operating and contracting companies worldwide. Ricky has worked in a multitude of global locations including Middle East, United Kingdom, Australia, America and South East Asia.

Ricky is a Chartered Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and recently held the post of Chairman of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in Texas. He is also a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). 

Project Manager, DOF Subsea

Ross Stevens

Ross Stevens is a Chartered Civil Engineer with extensive experience in project management across onshore and offshore environments. His career includes key roles at leading engineering firms such as Fugro and Balfour Beatty, prior to joining DOF Subsea in 2023. At DOF Subsea, Ross has successfully managed complex construction and decommissioning projects, including the Knarr and Gaupe decommissioning project in 2025. His expertise spans geotechnical engineering, subsea operations, and multidisciplinary project delivery.

Senior Project Manager, Heerema Marine Contractors Nederland S.E.

Simon Szkudlarek

Sr. Project Manager involved for almost two decades in decommissioning projects of numerous offshore platforms – predominantly for the full EPRD Scope of Work.

Managing Director, AquaTerra Group

Stephen Taylor

Stephen Taylor is Managing Director of AquaTerra Group, a specialist provider of integrated services and innovative technologies to the energy sector. A qualified Mechanical Engineer, he joined AquaTerra in 2016 and rose through technical leadership roles before becoming Managing Director in January 2023. That same year, he led a management buyout to become the majority shareholder.

Stephen has been instrumental in expanding AquaTerra’s footprint in the offshore decommissioning space, securing, and safely delivering major EPRD contracts on North Sea assets including Heather Alpha and Cormorant Alpha. His strategic focus on decommissioning, brownfield, marine, and renewables has driven significant diversification, whilst positioning the company as a key player in decommissioning and late-life asset management.

Under his leadership, AquaTerra has also expanded internationally, opening a new office in Guyana, while continuing to strengthen its presence in the North Sea.

Head of Safety & Compliance, Kishorn Port Ltd

Steve Welham

Steve is Head of Safety & Compliance at Kishorn Port Ltd, specialising in operational and technical safety, compliance and business continuity.  With a background in offshore emergency response and over 15 years of practical experience in operational safety, he has recently overseen safe operations and compliance with legislative requirements and regulatory licensing whilst the Port facilitated the decommissioning of the Northern Producer platform.

Prior to this, he worked in operational safety roles onboard FPSOs across the UK, West Africa, Brazil, Mexico, North America and New Zealand where he was known for revitalising the organisation’s emergency response planning and organisation. Steve holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Integrated Emergency Management from FIOR, accredited by the University of Stirling.

Outside of work, he enjoys Formula One and restoring his classic car. Steve’s passion is to continue developing in and contributing to the safe and responsible decommissioning of oil and gas assets whilst building for the future of renewables construction.

Chief Operations Officer, OPRED

Teresa Munro

Teresa Munro is Chief Operations Officer at the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED), part of the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). She leads regulatory oversight of offshore oil and gas activities on the UK Continental Shelf, with responsibility for environmental compliance, decommissioning, and financial securities. A chartered chemical engineer, Teresa brings 28 years of industry experience including managing multi-discipline teams and of strategic leadership roles. She has extensive practical knowledge in the planning and execution of development and decommissioning projects. Teresa’s teams play a critical role in ensuring responsible environmental stewardship across offshore energy operations, supporting the UK’s energy transition while safeguarding marine ecosystems. She is passionate about collaborative regulation and innovation in offshore environmental management.

Senior Wells Decommissioning Engineer, bp

Tom Quick

Tom Quick is a Senior Wells Decommissioning Engineer at bp, acting as a subject matter expert and supporting decommissioning activity globally. Tom has over 18 years’ experience in drilling and decommissioning, encompassing drilling contractor, engineering contractor and operator environments. Tom acts as Co-Chair of OEUK’s Well Decommissioning Operators Network and holds a BSc in Geology from Keele University.

Partner, CMS

Valerie Allan

Valerie is a partner in CMS’s international energy disputes team, with over 25 year’s experience advising on complex offshore energy disputes and regulatory issues, at all project stages from consenting to decommissioning.

Dual qualified in England & Wales and Scotland, Valerie is recognised for her UKCS expertise – a key lawyer in Legal 500, individually ranked in Chambers and an Acritas-Start rated lawyer.

Valerie co-authored “Maximising Economic Recovery – a new approach to regulating the UK’s offshore oil & gas industry” (with Judith Aldersey-Williams, published 2023) and contributed to Gordon, Paterson and Usenmez, “UK Oil and Gas Law: Current Practice and Emerging Trends“).  She has also co-authored publications on arbitration and consequential loss. She is also a trained mediator.

“Valerie Allan has a real understanding of UKCS.  She can simplify complex legal matters and structures her advice strategically to give you a way forwards.”

Chambers Global Guide, 2025

Senior Wells Decom Engineer – Subsea, EnQuest

Vidhya Thevaryan

Vidhya is a Senior Well Abandonment, working on subsea decommissioning for EnQuest. With over eleven years of industry experience, across the UK North Sea and international locations, she has been involved with both onshore planning and offshore execution. Prior to joining EnQuest she worked across a wide variety of projects, including drilling, well interventions and well decommissioning. Her experience in decommissioning has included platform and subsea well abandonments, including vessel-based rig-less abandonment.

Head of Business Development, Relationship Management & Marketing, Boskalis Subsea Services

Vikki Thom

Meet Vikki Thom, with 2 decades of experience in client-facing roles. Starting her journey in banking, she transitioned predominately into the oil and gas sector, currently Head of BD, Relationship Management and Marketing at Boskalis Subsea Services.

Vikki is dedicated to understanding and implementing client feedback to solidify our position as a trusted subsea partner. Beyond the office, she channels her competitive spirit into golf along with spending quality family time.

With a focus on building lasting relationships, Vikki brings people together to get things done.

Group CEO, THREE60 Energy

Walter Thain

Walter is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of THREE60 Energy Group. As a senior leader with three decades of experience in the energy industry, he leads the strategic growth of the group’s service lines spanning subsurface, wells, subsea, engineering & construction, operations, and product solutions across three global hubs – UK, Norway, and Southeast Asia.

His proven leadership skills, passion for safe delivery, innovation, and dedication to addressing industry needs, has seen the group deliver a flexible, value-driven service to a growing global customer base since its inception.

This has seen the group support some of the most complex, challenging, and important projects in the energy sector from development through to late life operations and decommissioning, with a continual focus on differentiated value adding contractual models. In addition, the group is actively delivering low carbon solutions to support a sustainable future mainly in wind, CCS and nuclear.

Walter has significant experience both in the UK and International markets and has previously served as a Director on the OEUK Board, as well as Chairman of the OEUK Efficiency Task Force and is currently Co-Chairman of the OEUK Decommissioning Forum Steering Committee.

Decommissioning Project Manager, EnQuest

Will Black

Will is a chartered project professional with over 25 years’ experience working in the Oil and Gas sector,15 of those in Major Capital Projects. He has managed projects for over 10 years and transferred these skills into the decommissioning sector in 2014. Will now works in the Decommissioning Directorate within EnQuest where they take mature assets to the end of their productive life and decommission them in a safe, efficient and environmentally responsible manner. Thinking this was going to be a short assignment before returning to Capital Projects Will has never looked back! The challenge of decommissioning offshore installations in this sector is just too big to be drawn away from.