SEG Forum

Exploration Frontiers: Geography, Technology, and Business Models

Monday, 19 September, 9 a.m.
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center − Lila Cockrell Theatre

With oil prices hovering around US$100 per barrel, exploration for new hydrocarbon reserves is gaining momentum, but oil companies face significant challenges in finding exploration opportunities that have the potential to meaningfully grow reserves. Exploration has always been tempered by the element of risk, especially in true frontier plays. The Forum will examine our industry's current thinking about the new frontiers in exploration. What geographic areas are most promising for new reserves? What new or developing technologies are most critical for managing the risks of frontier exploration? What new business models with partners, suppliers, and host governments are required to enable investment in frontier exploration?

Don't miss this opportunity to listen and interact with the panel.

	Tim Dodson is a UK citizen and has 30 years of industry experience, 25 years with Statoil. He has a MSc in geology from the University of Keele in the UK. Dodson started his career in the oil and gas industry in 1980 with an oil and gas service company and worked for five years in South America and the Middle East. He joined Statoil's Exploration and Production Norway unit in 1985. He has held various management positions within exploration, production and technology and HR, vice president Exploration Southern North Sea, vice president Technology Arena, Exploration. From 2004–2008, Dodson held the position as senior vice president for Exploration in Norway. In 2008, he was appointed as senior vice president for Global Exploration in Statoil's business area for international operations. In January 2011, Dodson became the executive vice president for the Exploration business area in Statoil and a member of Statoil's Corporate Executive Committee.
	Susan M. Cunningham has more than 25 years of in­dustry experience. She joined Noble Energy as a senior vice president in April 2001 and is responsible for exploration worldwide. Previously, she was Texaco's vice president of worldwide exploration from April 2000 to March 2001. Employed by Statoil from 1997-1999, she advanced from exploration manager for deepwater Gulf of Mexico to vice president. Cunningham began her career in 1980 in Calgary as a geologist at Amoco Canada. From 1981-1994, she served in various positions including general manager−Denmark, where she was country manager based in Copenhagen. She is currently chairman of the Offshore Technology Conference and was elected to the Board of Cliffs Natural Resources in 2005. Cunningham earned a BSc in geology and physical geography from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.
	David Lawrence is executive vice president−Exploration and Commercial for Shell. His responsibilities include discovering new oil and natural gas, new business development, natural gas monetization, and wind energy. Lawrence started out in research for Shell and has worked across the business including lead positions in Producer Finance, Corporate Strategy, Investor Relations, and Global Exploration. Prior to receiving his PhD from Yale University in 1984, he was a teacher, explored for uranium, and mapped for the U.S. Geological Survey.
	Carl Trowell was elected president of WesternGeco in May 2009. Before assuming his current role, he held a variety of management positions for Schlumberger in Europe, Asia and the UK, including region manager for Schlumberger's operations in the North Sea. Most recently, Trowell served as vice president Strategic Marketing. He began his career as a petroleum engineer with Shell in 1995 and came to Schlumberger in 1998, where he was new ventures manager for Geco-Prakla, a heritage WesternGeco company. Trowell also has served in marketing and business development positions in IPM. He has a PhD in earth sciences from University of Cambridge, a BSc degree in geology from Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, and an MBA from London Open University.
	Hank Hamilton, moderator, is currently the chairman of TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company ASA (TGS). He began his career as a geophysicist with Shell Offshore in 1981 before moving to Schlumberger's GECO in 1987, where he ultimately held the position of vice president and general manager for all seismic product lines in North and South America. Hamilton joined TGS as its CEO in 1995 and remained in the position following the 1998 merger with Nopec International that created the initial public listing for TGS. He continued as CEO of TGS through June 2009, when he was elected to his current role of chairman. He served on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Geophysical Contractors (IAGC) from 1993-2011 and currently serves on the boards of the SEG Foundation and Odfjell Offshore, Ltd., in addition to TGS.