Introductory section of a 35-minute presentation written by Giles for Shell Global Solutions International, for a summit of senior managers and CEOs in Shell.

Title slide:

Operations, Technology and People: Refining the Challenge

Slide 2: AGENDA

The challenges that face global society – all of us – at the beginning of this millennium are extraordinary. And they reflect directly on the very exciting and demanding work we all do, and still have to do, at the forefront of the oil producing and refining industry.

I don’t think I need to spell out the overarching challenge in more than simple terms. Hydrocarbon fossil fuels remain the means of both sustaining and promoting society’s infrastructure, the bedrock of progress. All the indications are that this will be the case for at least another 25 years. The developed world needs it to sustain industrial and commercial momentum; the up and coming countries of the world demand it to leap frog their ambitions; the poorest countries of the world need it to provide the infrastructure to survive and to move out of dire poverty and depravation.

Meanwhile, general consumer awareness and scientific agreement about the realities of global warming and climate change has incrementally affected this dynamic during the last ten years. The consequent pressure on the whole petro-chemical industry to ensure sustainability, to develop new and cleaner technologies at all parts of the stream, to maximize resources, optimize performance and so on, has greatly increased. And it will continue to do so.

No longer is there a simple equation at play here – one that in halcyon days involved the use of technology and skill to deliver energy to meet demand and make a profit. As upwards of a billion people in both the developed and developing world plug into the global information highway, aspirations soar; social divides and injustices become more apparent, prejudices deepen and lead to conflict; information, disinformation and comment overwhelm. This affects us all profoundly. At individual and at corporate level we all have to pick our way through a maelstrom seeking order, profit, prosperity, and the means to secure our futures.

Markedly in the last ten years, the exploitation and refining of hydrocarbon fossil fuels has become a highly complex activity operating in a gladiatorial arena. To meet conflicting demands requires political will and capability; the understanding and appropriate management of change; and the embedding of a new mindset that must involve a far higher level of integrated thinking and action than ever before. At industry level we need to be concerted and visionary in our drive. We need to share the benefits of appropriate technology and increase the resource of technical skills to take us forward. At corporate level – upstream and downstream – we need to unleash the potential of our workforce and recruit leaders. We need to sustain good margins in order to invest in future developments and maintain competitive advantage.

The harsh reality is that, as a matter of increasing urgency, we must find solutions to complex and sometimes contradictory challenges. The good news – given the achievements we are already making – is that we can….

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Giles Emerson,
Words Professional Writing Services,
Southcot, Livesey Road, LUDLOW, Shropshire SY8 1EZ

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