Letter from the Publisher (March-April 2020)

Innovators in the oil and gas industry are consistently pushing out technology that improves production and helps thousands of employees perform better at work, whether it’s in accounting, engineering, oilfield production or at the executive level. NAPE Summit in February had several technology companies exhibiting what they do best and showcasing new features of their software lineup. It was exciting to see technology platforms embracing machine learning, data analytics and integrating IoT in many applications. OILMAN was on the ground interviewing several companies. Olivier “OT” Thierry with Quorum Software had an interesting perspective on what college graduates and employees entering the industry should focus on in the near future. He mentioned since we’re in a technology push, employees need to understand data science and analytics. You can listen to his interview and interviews with Opportune and LongPoint Minerals in this issue.

Not only is the industry cyclical, as we know, it’s also diverse. Around the world, many cultures, backgrounds, women and men, share the same market dynamics that play out in the United States. Some locations better off and some more difficult than others, but as a whole, the industry embraces diversity of ideas, people, culture and gender. Our feature in this issue dives into women in energy technology written by Rebecca Ponton, author of Breaking the Gas Ceiling. It’s a great read filled with mini profiles of women doing fantastic things in the industry. There are several articles with the same theme, one from Mark Stansberry, our founding contributor, NJ Ayuk, CEO of Centurion Law Group and Stephanie Hertzog, CEO of Sodexo Energy & Resources in North America.

For the 10^th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, OILMAN published an article on page 32 from Lillian Espinoza-Gala remembering the 11 victims, survivors and lessons learned. Also, if you’re in Houston, the Ocean Energy Safety Institute will hold a one-day forum, tentatively titled, “Deepwater Horizon, 10 Years Later, a Stakeholder Perspective,” April 14, 2020, at the Student Center on the University of Houston main campus.