SPE Aberdeen Officially Announces 2025 OAA Finalists

In a release sent to Rigzone on Tuesday, SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) Aberdeen Section officially announced the finalists for this year’s Offshore Achievement Awards (OAA).

The OAAs recognize outstanding achievements in the energy industry, according to SPE Aberdeen’s website, which notes that the awards “give recognition to the superlative achievements of those who go above and beyond in the energy sector”.

The OAAs will take place on March 13 at the P&J Live in Aberdeen this year, the release highlighted. It pointed out that this iteration of the OAAs will mark the 38th time the awards ceremony has taken place.

“This year’s event saw the introduction of two new awards and a record number of applicants across all award categories,” SPE Aberdeen noted in the release.

The full list of finalists for this year’s event can be seen below:

Emerging Technology

BP

Cavitas Energy

Hydrafact Ltd

Field Proven Technology

Seek Ops

TechnipFMC

Zelim

Collaboration

Bp/Weatherford

Score Group

Wood

Sustainability

ASCO

J+S Subsea

TWMA

Skills Development

3t Training Services

Aberdeenshire Council Foundation Apprenticeships

BP

Stats Group

Offshore Workplace of Choice

Bumi Armada

Harbour – Lomond Platform

Ithaca

Serica – Bruce Platform

Inclusivity Champion

Stork

Eilidh Reid, TAQA Well Completions

Weatherford

Industry Expert

Mike Smith, BP

Michael Laird, Enermech

Fraser Thomson, Oceaneering

Dr Rachel Gavey, sustain:able

Professor Jon Gluyas, The National Geothermal Centre

Young Professional

Nandini Nagra, BP

Dr Callan Noble, Fennex

Stuart Hamilton, Fugro

Hamish Adamson, Harlyn Solutions

Darrell Lines, Integrity HSE

Tanya Gill, PBS

Alex McAuley, TAQA UK

Industry Returner/Transferer

Gypsy Castillo, Harbour Energy

Shabnum Hanif, IntrospeXion

Mariana Yarnold, PBS

Laura Beaton, Wood

SPE Aberdeen noted in the release that the Significant Contribution Award will be announced on the evening of this year’s awards ceremony.

“The caliber of entries this year has been truly outstanding,” Graham Dallas, Chair of the Offshore Achievement Awards Committee, said in the release.

“Selecting just 40 finalists from 135 submissions was an immense challenge, reflecting the exceptional innovation and technical excellence that continues to define our industry,” he added.

“Each entry demonstrated remarkable commitment to advancing our sector, and I commend every organization that shared their achievements,” he continued.

George Rennie, Vice President Offshore E&M UK at Bilfinger, which is the event’s principal sponsor, said in the release, “I was honoured to be part of the judging panel for the Offshore Achievement Awards, which Bilfinger UK proudly sponsors”.

“Hosting the judging session at our Aberdeen office has been a fantastic experience, allowing us to witness first-hand the remarkable talent and innovation within the industry,” he added.

“I extend my gratitude to all the nominees for their outstanding contributions and dedication and my congratulations to the finalists,” he continued.

In a statement posted on its website in September last year, SPE Aberdeen announced the official launch of the SPE Aberdeen Offshore Achievement Awards 2025. The organization highlighted in the statement that the launch took place during its 50th year.

“We are very aware of the impact that recognition of excellence and those who achieve it can have upon an organization as we are experiencing this first hand at SPE Aberdeen after winning two prestigious Presidential Awards for Outstanding Section, in both the Community Involvement and Technical Dissemination categories by SPE International,” Dallas said in that statement.

“I highly recommend you take the time to enter the OAAs as it could really make a significant impact on your business,” he added.

“We have some new categories this year as we continually adjust and adapt to ensure relevance to the individuals and organizations that continue to innovate and inspire,” Dallas went on to state.

In that statement, SPE Aberdeen Section noted that, “to further recognize Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Inclusivity Champion Award will recognize leadership by either a company, team or individual, who has been exceptionally proactive in demonstrating diversity, equity and inclusivity in the offshore energy sector”.

The organization added in that statement that the new Offshore Workplace of Choice Award “will recognize a company that can demonstrate excellence in creating a positive culture and working environment for staff and contractors”. The award can be for any UK Continental Shelf manned fixed platform, drilling unit or floating facility, including FPSOs, the statement said.

“We are thrilled to partner with the SPE Aberdeen Offshore Achievement Awards on the inaugural ‘Offshore Workplace of Choice’ Award,” Louise Martin, Director of RigRun, said in that statement.

“From our work in the sector, we’ve seen offshore energy companies make tremendous efforts to engage with staff and contractors to improve physical, mental and social wellbeing. It will be an honor to formally recognize these outstanding contributions in March 2025,” Martin added.

That statement highlighted that the Industry Returner/Transferer Award was another new addition. It outlined that this award recognizes “the fact that careers are not always straightforward” and “celebrate[s] the positive impact of the experience and life skills of people who have returned from a career break or have moved across from another industry”.

In a statement posted on its site in March 2024, SPE Aberdeen announced the winners of the 37th OAAs. The full list of OAA 2024 winners can be seen below:

Pre-Commercial Deployment Technology Award

Mocean Energy

Post-commercial Deployment Technology Award

Sentinel Subsea

Collaboration Project Award,

The Wellgear Group

Sustainability Project Award

Peterson Energy Logistics

Skills Development Award

Score Group

Young Professional Award

Fraser Stewart - JFD Global

Exceptional SME or Exceptional Founder Award

Wellvene

Transformational Technology Award

Balmoral Group

Diversity & Inclusion Judges Award

Dushant Sharma, BP

Significant Contribution Judges Award

Steve Rae

The statement highlighted that highly commended certificates were also awarded to:

Pre-Commercial Deployment Technology Award - Clear Well Technology

Sustainability Project Award - Bumi Armada

Skills Development Award - X Academy

Exceptional SME or Exceptional Founder Award - J&S Subsea

“Congratulations to our 2024 award winners and finalists,” Dallas said in that statement.

“We received record entries this year so all the finalists and winners should be proud to be recognized within this extended pool of talent,” he added.

“As a result of the entries, it has also been wonderful to take stock of the incredible innovations and progress the sector has made as we also celebrate SPE Aberdeen’s 50th year,” he continued.

That statement highlighted that around 400 guests attended the black-tie ceremony hosted by “broadcaster, presenter, and professionally trained opera singer Wynne Evans”.

In a statement posted on industry body Offshore Energies UK’s (OEUK) website in November, OEUK highlighted that around 600 people “from across the industry” were present at the 2024 Offshore Energies UK awards ceremony in November last year, which was also held at the P&J Live in Aberdeen.

Chief Executive David Whitehouse hailed that awards ceremony in the statement, calling it “the largest awards event we’ve had for a decade with over 40 finalists inspiring us with their achievements”.

The statement noted that the OEUK Awards “recognize outstanding performance from companies, as well as high-performing individuals, for their unique contributions to the sector”.

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com