2010 Executive Committee Biographies

As Vice President of E&P Technology, Dave is currently globally accountable for BP’s fieldofthefuture® Programme which has a specific focus on projects and workflows which deliver high value from visualization and analysis of real time and near real time data to manage and optimize performance of BP’s hydrocarbon assets and systems.  Dave is Chairman of Energistics, a not for profit standards body, and co-chair for the 2010 SPE Intelligent Energy Conference.

His executive leadership and operational management skills have been built on strong scientific and technical foundations in the Earth Sciences. Completing his Geology and Geophysics PhD in 1990, in 1993 Dave made the transition from post doctoral research at Cambridge University, to a “hands-on” Geologist and then Reservoir Engineer in BP. Dave has worked across the entire value chain from frontier exploration in Vietnam, through implementation of new developments and operations of producing assets in the North Sea, to reactivation of old fields in Venezuela. Until recently he was head of IT for BP Exploration & Production.

In 2000, while leading a program to implement web enabled transactional HR (e-HR) for 100,000 employees across the BP Group he helped propel Exult Inc. from a small start-up company to a significant flotation on the NASDAQ. 

In 2001, Dave was made General Manager accountable for New Developments in the North Sea. From 2002 to the end of 2006, he was Vice President for the Bruce, Keith and Rhum production assets and then Vice President of Strategy for BP North Sea.

From early 2007 to mid 2008 Dave was CIO for BP Exploration & Production, leading an IT team of more than 600 staff & contractors operating across 20 countries, contacting and enabling every aspect of the E&P business.

Brady Murphy is Vice President, Europe/West Africa Region, for Halliburton. He is responsible for the region’s management and strategic leadership.

Most recently, Mr. Murphy was Vice President of Sperry Drilling Services, a global leader in drilling and formation evaluation services for the oil and gas industry. In this capacity, he was responsible for the direction, performance and all general management activities for this Halliburton product service line.

Previously, Mr. Murphy was the Halliburton Energy Services Group (ESG) Vice President of Supply Chain and Management Systems, with responsibility for global manufacturing operations, procurement and logistics, and quality management systems. He started his career in field engineering and, during his tenure with Halliburton, has held various technology, business development and operations positions. These include Country Manager, China; Global Product Sales and Formation Evaluation Manufacturing Director positions, Fort Worth and Houston, Texas; and Division Vice President of Manufacturing for Halliburton’s ESG.

Mr. Murphy earned his bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from Pennsylvania State University. He is an active member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and Society of Professional Well Log Analysts. He served on the board of directors for WellDynamics, a Shell/ Halliburton Joint Venture company, prior to and through the acquisition into Halliburton. He has also served on advisory boards for the SPE International Association of Drilling Contractors and Penn State’s Quality and Manufacturing

Program Industrial Advisory Board. He is currently Co-Chairman of the 2010 SPE Intelligent Energy Conference and Exhibition.

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Helen Ratcliffe is a Managing Consultant with PIPC Ltd and is based in Aberdeen, Scotland.
 
Formed in 1992 by an entrepreneurial group of professionals keen to revolutionalise the management consultancy industry, PIPC has earned an enviable reputation for delivering some of the largest and most successful programmes in corporate history.

Helen has over 20 years of experience in upstream oil and gas and has been instrumental in the development of the digital oilfield concept which matured into Integrated Operations and is now pervasive across the industry. Helen is one of the few individuals to have successfully delivered multiple projects from inception through to operation for several international operators.

She has held several positions in the industry as a geoscientist, technical applications team leader, project and programme manager and consultant and has a strong track record of delivering services and leading international mixed teams of clients, consultants and contractors.

Helen’s contribution to the Society of Petroleum Engineers Intelligent Energy Conferences is long standing and valuable; she was on the founding committee of Intelligent Energy '06, again on the Programme committee for Intelligent Energy '08 and is now the programme chair for Intelligent Energy 2010.

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Richard Ames began his career as a geologist for Amoco in 1981 after receiving BS and MS Degrees in Geology from Duke University and The University of Georgia respectively. Through the 1980s, he served in a variety of exploration and production roles in the US and internationally, working in New Orleans, Houston and The Hague.

In 1990, Ames started working on the Former Soviet Union evaluating exploration and production opportunities in West Siberia and the Caspian Sea. Based in Moscow from 1994-1996, he was Director of Business Development responsible for expanding Amoco’s upstream portfolio in Russia.

Returning to Houston in 1997, Ames was appointed Vice President of Amoco Eurasia Petroleum Company and was responsible for upstream activities in Russia and Kazakhstan. Following the BP-Amoco merger, Ames served as Director of IT for BP Alaska and Director of Projects for BP’s worldwide IT organization.

In 2002, Ames returned to Moscow when he was appointed Vice President and CIO of Sidanco, where his portfolio included IT, HR and Administration. After leading the IT integration activities for the creation of TNK-BP, he was appointed Vice President and CIO of TNK-BP in 2003 and has led the IT transformation of this young and dynamic company.

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After graduating in Physics (MSc), from University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands in 1974 worked more than 30 years for Shell International EP (SIEP).
26 years were spent outside his home country the Netherlands (Malaysia, Nigeria, Syria, UK and Brunei).

As from the mid nineties involved in the development/implementation of Smart Fields/Wells. Combined the job of Chief Petroleum Engineer in Brunei (2000 – 2005) with the role as Smart Fields/Wells Champion.

Has a strong/passionate belief in the “Smart Fields” concepts, especially the “Integration” aspects are seen as a necessity to improve the performance in EP.

Was appointed as SIEP Global Smart Fields Implementation Manager, based in Rijswijk, the Netherlands in 2006.

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Randy W. Clark is President and Chief Executive Officer of Energistics, the global membership consortium that facilitates an inclusive user community for the development, deployment and maintenance of collaborative technologies using open data exchange standards for the upstream oil and natural gas industry.   Mr. Clark has more than thirty years of experience in the oil and gas industry in a variety of different roles and positions with industry companies, including ten years with Baker Hughes in Houston. Prior to joining Energistics, Mr. Clark was Senior Vice President of cc-hubwoo/Trade-Ranger, the world’s largest electronic marketplace for the procurement of indirect goods. Additionally, Mr. Clark has been active in many global standards development efforts, such as ebXML, UN/CEFACT, CEN/ISSS, OASIS, ANSI, ISO and is a past-chair of the Petroleum Industry Data eXchange (PIDX), the e-commerce subcommittee of the American Petroleum Institute.

Mr. Clark holds Bachelor of Science and MBA degrees.  He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the American Society of Association Executives, the Standards Engineering Society and the Product Development and Management Association, from which he holds a professional certification in New Product Development. His broad range of experience has included oil and gas production facility design and project management, purchasing management, business process re-engineering, new product development, data and information standards development and e-business strategy and development. Mr. Clark is based in the company headquarters in Houston.

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As Vice President of Engineering and Technology for GE Oil & Gas, Mohammad has global responsibility for the design and delivery of all new products, from technology development to requisition execution and upgrades, spanning Turbomachinery, Balance of Plant, Pipeline Inspection, Drilling & Production and Subsea products.
 
Mohammad’s global operational and executive leadership has been built on a strong technical foundation in GE Aviation, where he began his career as a design engineer.  He expanded his responsibilities to both commercial and military engines and was previously team leader for the GE90, the most powerful commercial engine certified to date.

A 25-year veteran GE engineer, Mohammad has led many teams in engineering and supply chain globally. He moved to GE Oil & Gas in 2006 and leverages his Aviation experience and domain knowledge to increase the industry’s technology depth and innovation.

Mohammad obtained a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering from Old Dominion University and a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

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Mike Hauser is currently Manager, i-field, for Chevron Global Upstream, based in Houston.  i-field is Chevron’s approach to the digital, or intelligent, field.  In this role, he is responsible for strategic alignment and governance needed in the integration of a portfolio of implementation projects, integrating process enhancement, change management & enabling technologies.  The projects are aimed at providing business solutions to assets and business units desiring to be more effective in real-time decision making within asset management.  Prior to this, Mike has held various positions in Chevron’s North America Production Company and Energy Technology Company for 30 years.

Mike graduated from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1978 with a BS degree in Geological Engineering.  He began his career that same year with Chevron Production in Taft, California.

He spent the first 12 years of his career in Chevron’s Western Region in the San Joaquin Valley and Alaska.  During this time, he held various positions of increasing responsibility including Staff Production Engineer, Area Engineer, and Project Manager.

In 1990, Mike transferred to the Gulf of Mexico in New Orleans as Manager of Property Enhancement.  He remained in New Orleans for 7 years moving on to Operations Manager – South Timbalier, Diversity Team Leader, and Gulf of Mexico IT Manager.

In 1997, he moved to Houston to assume the position of Central Profit Center Manager, and then MidContinent Business Unit Asset Support Manager.  In these roles, he was responsible for operations across seven states from Alaska & the Rockies to South Texas & the Gulf Coast.

Mike’s positions with the Exploration & Production Technology Company began with the Chevron – Texaco merger in late 2001. His initial role was the North America Account Manager, responsible for strategic technology focus areas – providing coordination between the technology company, the strategic business units in the operating company, and the key external technology providers for Chevron.

He moved into the current i-field position in late 2002, which has steadily evolved into a process enhancement, operational transformational strategy. 

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Judson Jacobs is a Research Director in CERA’s Upstream Technology practice. In this role he studies the strategic implications of digital and oilfield technologies in the exploration and production (E&P) sector. He was the primary contributor to CERA’s Digital Oil Field of the Future (DOFF) Multiclient Study and continues to examine technology issues related to production activities in leading CERA’s DOFF Forum service. Other recent research includes how innovation is accelerating the development and improving the performance of frontier resources, the expanding role of seismic, and industry knowledge management trends. Prior to joining CERA, Mr. Jacobs worked at Mitchell Madison Group, a strategy consulting firm, where he served the energy and financial services sectors. His background in the upstream oil and gas sector includes engineering positions with Schlumberger Wireline Services and work as an exploration geologist in Anadarko Petroleum Corporation’s international division. Mr. Jacobs hold a BSE from Princeton University and an MS in Geology from Stanford University.

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Mohammed Yahya Al-Qahtani is Executive Director, Petroleum Engineering & Development of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco).  He also serves on LUKOIL Saudi Arabia Energy Ltd. (LUKSAR) Board of Directors, the Saudi Council of Engineers Board of Directors, the Arabian Geophysical & Surveying Company Ltd (ARGAS) Board of Directors.  He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Saudi Arabian Section.  He also served as a board member of the American Petroleum Institute (API).

Mohammed studied petroleum engineering at KFUPM in Saudi Arabia, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1988.  He obtained his master’s degree and Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles in 1992 and 1996 respectively.  Mohammed completed several leadership and management development programs, including the IMD Program for Executive Development, Lausanne, Switzerland, the Saudi Aramco Management Development Seminar, Washington, Economics of Oil Seminar, London and the Program for Leadership Development, Bahrain.

Mohammed began his Saudi Aramco career in 1988 and during the past 21 years he has held several management positions, which includes the manager for seawater injection, production and facilities development, reservoir management, and reservoir description and simulation departments.  In 2007, he held the position of Chairman, President & CEO of Aramco Services Company, Houston Texas, and the position of Chairman, Saudi Refining Inc., Houston Texas.  He was then appointed as Saudi Aramco’s Chief Petroleum Engineer in 2008.

On April 1, 2009 Mohammed was appointed as Executive Director, Petroleum Engineering & Development.

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Jon Stærkebye is the Director of IBM's Chemicals and Petroleum Industry in Europe, Russia & Middle East. He has had this position since 2006.

He has 29 years experiences form the Oil and gas Industry, he started his career in 1980 with Saga Petroleum as a exploration geophysicist, During his carriers in Saga ,  Mr Stærkebye had many different management positions both in the exploration and reservoir departments as well as in the IT/IS department.

Mr Stærkebye has also been with Schlumberger from 2001 to 2006 and with Geco (Schlumberger) from 1984 to 1987.Has a strong/passionate belief in the Smarter Oil and Gas concept, especially the Intersection between technology and people as well as between research/Innovation and market. He has been involved in developing solution within this area since 2001 both in collaboration with Oil and Gas companies as well as with academia. He serves a member of the board at IO Centre at the University of Trondheim, Norway (NTNU).

He holds an Bachelor of Applied Mathematics (1978) and a Cand. Real ( M.Sc)  in Geophysics (1980) from the University of Oslo, Norway.

Stærkebye is a member of EAEG, SEG and NPF

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Ihab Toma is Senior Vice President of Marketing and Planning for Transocean Ltd. Based in Geneva, Mr. Toma is responsible for marketing and planning for the company's worldwide fleet of mobile offshore drilling units. He also oversees Transocean Solutions, which offers clients a complete package for well construction and field development needs, and two company subsidiaries, Applied Drilling Technology Inc. (ADTI), and Challenger Minerals Inc. (CMI).

Before joining Transocean, Mr. Toma served in different capacities in Schlumberger, including product line President and various other oilfield services assignments with regional and global responsibilities in France, the United States, Norway, Italy, Nigeria, Algeria, Indonesia and Egypt. Mr. Toma's experience spans many functional positions, including sales and marketing, information solutions, operations, human resources, and research and development. In his multiple sales and marketing assignments, he oversaw all aspects of market analysis, planning, account management and technology introduction and utilization.

Mr. Toma holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Cairo University where he graduated in 1985.
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