Oil and gas veteran John Warrender has been appointed chief executive of Decom North Sea.
The membership organisation for the oil and gas decommissioning sector announced today that Mr Warrender will start in post on August 1.
Mr Warrender has more than 30 years of domestic and international experience in the sector including in the strategic development of complex decommissioning programmes in the North Sea.
Most recently he has been an independent advisor to the industry but he has spent more than 20 years with ConocoPhillips in a range of leadership roles, including as general manager for upstream gas assets in the UKCS.
He was also on the board of Repsol Sinopec as managing director for its subsidiary during a critical transformative phase for that company.
Mr Warrender said: “My experience within the decommissioning sector, coupled with a track record in strategy development and performance management, government and stakeholder relations, and board governance, give me a strong sense of the role Decom North Sea must play in the future of the industry.
“As such, I look forward to commencing my role as chief executive next month, working with our members and strategic partners to achieve our objectives.”
Nigel Lees, Chairman of Decom North Sea’s board of directors, added: “An influential link between the oil and gas community, industry regulators, government entities and other industry bodies, John is a true integrator – and only through a joined-up approach can we hope to realise our collective ambition to reduce the cost of decommissioning in the North Sea.
“He has the ability to ensure Decom North Sea meets the diverse needs of our members, whilst enhancing collaboration with key stakeholders and the wider energy industry.”
Decom North Sea has grown since its inception in 2010 to more than 350 members drawn from operators, major contractors, service specialists and technology developers.
With decommissioning spend being forecast at £17 billion over the next decade, it plays a vital role in solution development, cross sector learning and supply-chain capability.
The group works with a number of strategic partners including the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Oil & Gas UK.