Sunday 23 November 2003

UKOOA Appoints Malcolm Webb as Chief Executive

The UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA), the representative body for offshore oil and gas exploration and production companies in the UK, announces the appointment of Malcolm Webb as Chief Executive Officer from 1 February 2004.

Malcolm Webb joins UKOOA from the UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA), where he has been Director General since April 2001.

His appointment comes at a time of fundamental change at UKOOA. A new membership representative structure has been put in place and senior management recruited to strengthen the UKOOA team to prepare for the next phase of the North Seas development as it moves through maturity.

A graduate of Liverpool University, Malcolm Webb is a qualified Solicitor with an extensive knowledge of both the upstream and downstream oil industry, gained first as a lawyer and then in a series of management roles in the UK and abroad.

Commenting on his new role with UKOOA, Malcolm Webb said:

I feel I'm coming home. The upstream is where I spent the first and very formative years of my career in the oil industry. I am delighted now to return to my roots and I am greatly looking forward to taking on this exciting new role and the challenges which accompany it.

These are not just interesting times for UKOOA, as it takes up a more executive function on behalf of its members, but also for the Industry as a whole.

Maturity in the UK continental shelf is changing the structure of the upstream sector, altering the dynamics between the established players and the new wave of independents now moving into the North Sea and building their asset portfolios here.

UKOOA needs to ensure that it reflects this new diversity of interest. As companies look to improve their competitiveness so UKOOA must also ensure that its activities remain focused on industry priorities and on providing added value for its members.

For more information, please call 020 7802 2400.