UK’s OGA looking for new CEO as Samuel prepares for exit

UK’s petroleum regulator, the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), has reported that its CEO will be stepping down at the end of the year after eight years in the role.

As has been long agreed, Andy Samuel will be stepping down as Chief Executive of OGA in December after eight highly successful years, the regulator said on Thursday.

As stated by the regulator, the board is planning ahead to ensure a smooth transition. The intention is to appoint a successor in the summer so that the appointee can take up the role in time to allow for a period of handover with Samuel.

The regulator has appointed Russell Reynolds for support in the appointment and the search process will start shortly.

Before taking up the OGA role, Samuel served as Managing Director of BG Group’s Exploration and Production in Europe. He officially started his OGA role at the beginning of 2015 with an overall strategic objective to maximise economic recovery from the UK’s oil and gas resources. His appointment at the time was described as a major milestone in establishing the OGA.

In other news related to the UK’s oil and gas sector, Oil & Gas UK (OGUK), a representative body for the sector, has recently started a rebranding process as it is expanding to include the low-carbon offshore energy technologies, including offshore wind, hydrogen production, carbon capture and storage systems, and other emerging low-carbon technologies.

The North Sea lobby group is also changing its name to Offshore Energies UK. This move reflects the evolving nature of the industry in creating the diverse mix of energy generating systems needed to achieve net-zero.