Petrofac COO Joins OGUK Board

Industry body Oil & Gas UK (OGUK) has revealed that the chief operating officer of Petrofac’s New Energy Services business, John Pearson, has joined its board.

The appointment comes as OGUK focuses on accelerating the industry’s efforts to deliver low carbon energy to the UK, OGUK outlined. According to Petrofac’s website, Pearson has overall accountability for growing Petrofac’s global portfolio in low carbon projects including wind, hydrogen, carbon capture usage and storage, plus initiatives that convert waste to energy. 

Pearson led Petrofac’s global operations and brownfield projects business and was the company’s chief corporate development officer, responsible for driving transformation of activities including technology, engineering and the energy transition, Petrofac highlighted. Prior to this, Pearson spent 28 years in senior management roles at Amec Foster Wheeler and five years at Chevron.

Pearson is also the co-chair of the UK Oil and Gas Authority’s (OGA) Supply Chain & Exports Taskforce, which is said to bring together industry trade associations, government and regulators to highlight and strengthen the capability of the UK oil and gas service sector. Working to support the economic recovery of the UK’s oil and gas whilst supporting the UK government’s drive to net zero carbon by 2050, the taskforce is focused on doing all it can to enable industry to succeed through a series of targeted priority actions, the OGA’s website states.

“John’s expertise in leading Petrofac’s fast-expanding portfolio of new energy projects including offshore wind, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and solar will be a great asset to the OGUK board,” OGUK’s Chief Executive Deirdre Michie said in an organization statement. 

“Our industry is accelerating the transition from oil and gas toward low carbon energy alternatives as part of the North Sea Transition Deal it agreed with the government last year. The highly skilled people in our industry will be key to delivering a successful energy transition at pace, while maintaining the country’s energy security and contributing significantly to the UK economy,” Michie added in the statement.

Commenting on his new role, Pearson said, “the UK supply chain has been setting standards across the global energy stage for decades”.

“As our sector accelerates the decarbonization of existing energy infrastructure and adopts new, low-carbon technologies, the transition provides fantastic opportunities for our people and businesses alike,” he added.

“Industry bodies like OGUK do a great job of driving the conversation and collaboration needed to bring these new opportunities to life. I’m truly delighted to be joining the team and supporting these efforts,” Pearson continued.

Earlier this month, OGUK announced that it had appointed EnQuest HSEA Director Mark Wilson as its incoming Health, Safety and Environment Director. Replacing Trevor Stapleton, who is retiring in “early 2022”, Wilson will take up the position in “early 2022”, OGUK outlined.

Established in 2007, OGUK describes itself as the leading representative body for the UK offshore oil and gas industry. The OGA regulates and influences the UK oil, gas and carbon storage industries, its website highlights.

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