Stuart initially got involved with the association back in 2011 after presenting some new technology for the coveted global Intervention Technology Award and has remained engaged through the years sharing and increasing his intervention knowledge whilst expanding his network amongst the community. Stuart has been involved at both the global and local chapter levels as an event delegate, exhibitor, committee member, a board director, and for the last two years as the Junior Chair for ICoTA Global.
Lucas’ ICoTA journey started in Canada and then the US, where initially it provided an opportunity for him to network at a more technical level on completion related initiatives, having come from another sector of the industry. As time passed, Lucas saw it as a forum in which to share his experience and welcome new people into the energy sector. He has been a member of the board of directors for the past 5 years.
The ICoTA calendar remains an active one, from the annual global conference & exhibition to the many chapter events ranging from lunch and learns, technical workshops, conferences & exhibitions held for example in Houston, Abu Dhabi, Aberdeen, Calgary and Stavanger. Not to mention the many social outings, which offer further, and more relaxed networking opportunities.
“The annual global SPE/ICoTA Well Intervention Conference & Exhibition held in Texas is the pinnacle event for the association, this due to its size, breadth of content, the rich technical sessions and the valuable networking opportunity the event provides. One of my favourite chapter social events has got to be ICoTA Europe’s Annual Dinner, held regularly in Aberdeen during the fall. It is a fun, social gathering offering excellent networking amongst Europe’s intervention industry workforce” - Stuart
Lucas also enjoys the full range of events on offer, from the large to the small, and is regularly engaged in several. Many of these events have been maintained throughout the pandemic lockdown, enabling the continuation of the association’s knowledge sharing and networking opportunities via online web-based webinars and conferences. Not forgetting the importance to mix work and play, Lucas also attends the US Chapter Golf Tournament and was happy to recently join a physical gathering for the annual Sporting Clays Tournament held in Houston.
“Personally, I would like to see more interrelation between the different Chapters; we need to increase our online presence and activities in order to increase accessibility for our members across the globe, whilst having a stronger local presence as the go-to place for well intervention networking. ICoTA is without a doubt the best value partner for its members when it comes to this.” – Lucas
ICoTA remains a not-for-profit organization, steered by the collective expertise provided by the industry professionals who volunteer their time to the various boards and committee positions. A cornerstone of ICoTA has always been its impressive technical agenda, this delivered via the range of events listed above, but also through training courses, technical workshops, new technology awards and the conference technical programs which over the years have amassed an impressive library of technical papers. Many of these events have been held successfully online during the lockdown restrictions imposed by the pandemic. Stuart and Lucas recognise the importance these event play in growing the membership and expanding the association’s relevance. As we emerge from lockdown they welcome the resumption of real life events, but will continue to leverage online platforms such as webinars to expand knowledge sharing and networking further across those within the association and the wider intervention community.
The industry has faced some difficult times over the past several years, with the recovery from a downturn closely followed by the pandemic recession. Looking forward, Lucas acknowledges that one of the biggest challenges the industry will face is getting everybody back to work in order to facilitate the recovery driven by the expected post-pandemic increase in energy demand. Furthermore, the energy transition is now a reality, with a growing number of operators and service companies implementing reduced carbon footprint targets. With challenges however often come opportunities. Stuart believes that the energy transition offers significant long term prospects for well intervention, with the sector continuing to provide new low carbon techniques and technologies that will help operators meet their tough de-carbonisation targets while maximising hydrocarbon recovery from their existing Oil & Gas assets – in turn generating the revenues for the operators to fund their transition.
It remains an exciting time to be involved in well intervention. If you are not already a member of ICoTA, we strongly recommend joining your local Chapter where you can benefit from the network for technical exchange, past presentations, and discounted events.
For more information, please visit https://icota.com/about/membership
Download Stuart and Lucas's Biographies Here
June 21, 2021