The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) has been the showcase for leading-edge technology for offshore drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection for over half a century. For every new bit of kit or advanced technology that awaits on the show floor, there is an equal amount of learning and information sharing happening in the program’s technical sessions, highlighted by the 2-day Executive Dialogue Series.
The series is a new initiative aimed at engaging in a thoughtful discussion around corporate shifts, offshore resource development, emerging technologies, and the future of the offshore energy sector.
Executives will discuss innovations, transformations, new technologies, real-life applications of new technologies, post-pandemic priorities and strategies, and other topics. It all kicks off Monday, 16 August, with an afternoon session with OTC Board of Directors member Galen Cobb hosting a talk featuring Daryl Wilson, executive director of the Hydrogen Council.
Immediately following the initial Executive Dialogue session, OTC Board member Brian Miller will moderate another session with David Callender, president and chief executive of the Memorial Hermann Health System, who will speak on four leadership lessons learned from the healthcare industry’s response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic
The third dialogue of the day finds Barbara Thompson, Baker Hughes early engagement manager, Americas, moderating a presentation from Kenton Prindle, head of data science and geoscience for Studio X, a Shell-owned collective of scientists, designers, developers, and entrepreneurs creating new products that reimagine exploration.
Tuesday’s docket of dialogues range in scope from future workforce concerns to the emerging energy transition. OTC Vice Chairperson Paul Jones moderates a talk from Katie Mehnert, chief executive of ALLY Energy, who specializes in accelerating connections, careers, and skills for an equitable energy transition, and giving professionals a community to find everything they need to be successful in their careers.
The digitalization of the energy business is the focus of a talk from Bill Vass, vice president of engineering from AWS, and moderated by OTC Board member Dan McConnell. Vass will speak to how edge-to-cloud technologies like high-performance computing, autonomous systems, IoT, and robotics are accelerating the path to full-scale renewables and net-zero carbon emissions for AWS customers in the energy and industrial sectors.
Decarbonizing the energy system and achieving net-zero emissions are urgent challenges, requiring unprecedented investments, commitment, and broad collaborative interactions. An essential component of a successful strategy is to establish a future energy system that will require power generation from diverse sources, primarily renewable power and nuclear power. OTC Board member Y. Doreen Chin moderates a talk from Peter Green, deputy laboratory director, science and technology at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where the current and future status of renewable technologies, including the future energy system, will be discussed.
Guyana has emerged on the global oil scene as a potential powerhouse given the number of quality offshore discoveries made by the likes of ExxonMobil, Hess, and others. But where does the development of these resources and the nation’s emerging oil industry fit in the context of net-zero emissions? Guyana Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo addresses this question and more during an Executive Dialogue moderated by OTC board member Cindy Yeilding.
Wrapping up the series is a talk on adaptive ecosystems in the era of electrification. The transition to a clean energy ecosystem has begun and will accelerate. Strategies around building a pipeline of talent given that this next generation will be looking for mission-centric engagement and action by their company will be discussed by Esther Morales, executive director of the Clean Energy Leadership Institute, and Damian Bednarz, external affairs director at EnBW. OTC Board member Sandeep Khurana moderates.
Register for the Offshore Technology Conference coming up next week, 16–19 August in Houston.
