KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, April 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing to provide reliable and affordable energy often requires strong leadership and bold decision-making from key executives at top oil and gas companies. Those outstanding individuals that are driving the industry forward will be sharing their visions of the future at a major conference in Asia next month.
The 18th Asia Oil and Gas Conference, which will take place again in Asia's oil and gas capital Kuala Lumpur from 17 - 19 May, brings these 'Heroes' of the oil and gas industry together to reflect on current industry issues and give their opinions on how to address the challenges that exist both now and in the future.
The inaugural CEO Strategic Dialogue and the Energy Hotspot sessions are just two of the many sessions in which top-level industry decision-makers will explore the opportunities for the Asian oil and gas industry in the face of challenges arising from the current oil price environment. Under the theme "Realising Opportunities Amidst Challenges," answers will be sought on trending topics such as novel technology exchange, collaboration strategies, monetisation of unconventional resources and addressing tensions between suppliers and consumers of gas to highlight a few.
Everyone, both from exporting and importing countries, is experiencing the current tremors. Downstream session speaker Michio Ikeda, EVP and Director, JX Nippon Oil and Energy Corporation commented: "The Japanese oil industry is faced with a big challenge. It should look at the reality and take appropriate measures timely enabling it to survive the demand decline and capture growth opportunity. It should be done today lest it be too late and its outcome too disruptive."
This uncertainty has rippled across the globe, as evidenced by Ramon S. Ang, President and CEO of PETRON CORPORATION: "My wish would be for more stability, more certainty in which way oil prices go. What makes this industry very challenging is not knowing just how far prices might fall, or when they will fall further. Of course we all know that as long as there is geopolitical instability - and a changing attitude to fossil fuels and the issue of climate change and sustainability - uncertainty will continue to prevail. To lessen its impact, we try to anticipate what might happen and tighten the screws in areas where we have more control. In that way we're better prepared to meet the challenges - those we can and cannot anticipate."
Technological innovation will play a vital role going forward, according to Dr. Rajeev Gautam, President & CEO, UOP: "The only thing within our power is to embrace technology and innovation as a hedge against volatility by having the most productive and efficient facilities we can. This will give us greater control over the risks and better position the industry for the future." Dr. Gautam will be speaking in the session on Technology breakthroughs and impact at AOGC 2015.
Regulators, operators and the service sector can all come together to help the oil and gas industry become more competitive, reducing costs and driving structural improvements. For Iain Lo, Chairman, Shell Malaysia, such collaboration is the key to success: "A willingness to share best practice and learn from each other so we can all strive for best-in-class performance, and an openness to simplify work processes between regulators, operators and service providers - these are a few examples of the type of things we will need to improve the efficiency of our industry as a whole." Attendees at AOGC 2015 will be able to hear more from Mr. Lo in his keynote presentation on the upstream sector.
A final note of optimism is provided by Dr. Gautam of UOP:
"The future of our industry is very bright. The world's population is continuing to grow, and an unprecedented number of people will be entering the middle class over the next generation. Oil and gas will continue to meet most of the demand for fuel, energy and petrochemicals. Forums such as AOGC will inform the actions we take today, ensuring that the world will continue to become more prosperous."
About Asia Oil and Gas Conference
The Asia Oil and Gas Conference (AOGC) was first held in 1996 and has since become an annual gathering and platform for networking opportunities and forging business partnerships amongst the oil and gas fraternity in the Asia-Pacific region.
Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), the national oil and gas corporation of Malaysia, has taken the lead to manage and organise this premier event every year.
Over the years the conference has evolved into an important annual gathering for key industry leaders, industry experts and specialists, along with key decision-makers, to reflect on current issues, exchange ideas and opinions, discuss and deliberate challenges and solutions confronting the oil and gas industry. The conference has also become a platform for key industry players to strategically and effectively positions themselves in the wake of daunting challenges.
AOGC 2015 will take place from 17 - 19 May 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. PETRONAS is the host organisation for the event. Further information can be found at: http://aogc.com.my/index.html
SOURCE: Organising Committee, Asia Oil and Gas Conference 2015
