IOGP AGM: Members endorse new MC and approve special resolutions

IOGP member representatives gathered in London on 31 May for the Association’s 43rd Annual General Meeting (AGM). The session attracted participants from 13 countries on four continents.

During the course of a busy agenda, the AGM, led by Management Committee (MC) Chair Monika Hausenblas of Shell, featured two external presentations (also covered in this Highlights) and votes on endorsing the results of the February 2017 MC ballot and on a series of special resolutions to revise IOGP’s Articles of Association. Among these were measures to expand the MC – in terms of numbers and composition – to more accurately reflect the profile of the Association’s membership.

All were unanimously approved.

As a result, IOGP’s MC now consists of BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Eni, ExxonMobil, Shell, Statoil, Total and Baker Hughes. In addition to Monika as Chair, the officers are Fawaz Bitar of BP and Craig May of Chevron as Vice-Chairs. And in future, MC membership could include smaller member companies and or national oil companies. Moreover, the MC will be able to act more quickly than previously in approving or rejecting applications – and so be more responsive in an era of quickly-changing geopolitics.

As has become customary, the AGM also provided the opportunity for an update on developments and achievements since the previous meeting − in this case the Milan Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) in November 2016.

As Monika explained, the AGM updates were in the context of ‘how the Association is putting into practice the refreshed strategy that we agreed to last year’:

• Broadening the Association’s advocacy role;
• Enhanced engagement with, and implementation of, common standards within the industry;
• More effective promotion and distribution of IOGP reports and recommended practices.

Presentations from IOGP Executive Director Gordon Ballard, Safety & Security Director Chris Hawkes, Technical Director John Campbell and Deputy EU Director Christian Schwarck are all available on the Members’ area of IOGP’s website.

Monika also provided information on the Association’s next universal gathering, an EGM in Houston, Texas on 8−9 November 2017. ‘Aside from being America’s oil and gas capital, it’s a city that is fairly accessible from almost anywhere in the world which should make travel as easy as possible for participants,’ she said.