Wednesday 5 March 2003

UKOOA Announces Restructuring to Create New Shape for the Future

The UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) has announced the outcome of its change management project aimed at creating an organisation fit to serve the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry as it faces the new challenges posed by the UKCS maturity.

The project has taken a year to complete and was initiated by a study in early 2002 undertaken by management consultants Booz Allen Hamilton.

Crucial to the new shape of the organisation is a realisation that the considerable input made by the membership to UKOOAs current operations is unsustainable. Members face the challenge of creating greater capital efficiency and the demands of pan-industry and co-operative work will need to be significantly streamlined.

Bruce Dingwall, UKOOAs President launched the new organisational structure to all UKOOAs staff at a meeting in London today.

He launched UKOOAs New Mission which is:

Through co-operative solutions across industry, government and all stakeholders, to strengthen the long-term health of the UK offshore oil and gas industry.

Raising the Game will provide UKOOA with:

A representative organisation that is appropriate for taking the industry forward through the more mature lifecycles of the UKCS;

A clear structure to deliver the mission and strategy focused on key areas;

Improved working methods and processes to speed the establishment of policy positions;

A structure that delivers 2003 objectives and is flexible enough to handle anticipated future activity;

Visibility of technical work and ensures link to strategic priorities, providing real benefit;

Visibility of prime contact points in key areas for membership, regulators, ILT, Pilot and other key external stakeholders;

A consistent and continuous centre of excellence and knowledge, despite high rate of membership representative turnover.

Bruce Dingwall said, It is very rare these days to announce a restructuring that has more jobs available in the new structure than in the old. This reflects the need for the organisation to be able to take much of the burden of crucial pan-industry work off the members and to release significant resource by introducing sharper working methods.

Appointments to all posts in the new organisation will be made over the next few weeks.

Mr Dingwall continued, The most important point about our new structure is that all stakeholders in our industry will have five clearly defined points of entry into the organisation. The Director General and four Policy Directors will provide access to industry positions on policy and dialogue on key issues for regulators, legislators and other key audiences alike.

The new organisation will be much fleeter of foot and all stakeholders will benefit from this.

It has been a long process as is only natural in an organisation representing 30 diverse interests and I would like to thank the staff for their forbearance. I hope many of them will find roles that excite them and encourage them to play a crucial role with UKOOA for many years to come.

For more information, please call 020 7802 2400.