Speakers at the Oil & Gas Procurement Leaders Forum WA 2014
John Abraham
Principal
Abraham et al
John has gained a wide range of experience in the local content space over the last 20 years, working for resource companies and contractors in locations such as Queensland, PNG and Laos. Over the last 3 years with QGC (a BG Group business) in Queensland, John has worked within the C&P function, introducing awareness, culture, and protocols, and also performing an important market intelligence role that all aim at maximizing local, regional, state and national business participation in QGCs tendering and contracting activities. Additional elements of local content that John pursues with other QGC functions include employment & training, and indigenous participation. John also governs the performance of QGCs major contractors which are conditioned with local content obligations.
QGCs $20 billion project developing the first CSG to LNG export business in Queensland, and preparation leading into operations has thus far achieved over 14,500 Australian jobs, with 84% of total investment within Australian, and 68% within Queensland. Currently there are more than 60 regional footprint contractors working directly for QGC valued at close to $1 billion, and several hundred regional businesses supplying within major contractors’ supply chains. John’s message within QGC and to its principal contractors is that effort in identifying and fostering local capability can and does deliver significant technical and commercial value, as well as being an important component of QGCs social license to operate.
Tarek Amine
Deputy Senior Project Manager
Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG)
Tarek is a project manager at Bechtel Corporation in the Oil, Gas & Chemical Global Business Unit, a premier engineering, procurement and construction company with worldwide projects in over 130 countries. He is currently the Deputy Senior Project Manager for the APLNG project in Gladstone, Queensland, Australia. Previously, Tarek was the Procurement Operations Manager of the Procurement Joint Execution Team (PJET) responsible for the Supply Chain operation for the three Curtis Island LNG projects (Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG), Gladstone (GLNG) and Queensland Curtis LNG (QCLNG)). Tarek has fifteen years of extensive international experience in complex multi-billion dollar projects with multiple execution locations and worldwide sourcing. His LNG project experience spans Equatorial Guinea, Trinidad, USA and Australia. His corporate experience encompasses Delayed Coker and Refinery projects, multi-projects acquisition group, Six Sigma Black Belt, eProcurement, and eCommerce.
Jim Atkinson
Procurement and Supply Chain Manager
Mermaid Marine Australia
Jim joined MMA in September 2012 bringing with him over fifteen years’ experience in supply chain operations, management and consulting in the resources and energy industries. Jim moved to MMA from his role as Procurement Manager with Woodside Energy Ltd, and prior to that was engaged in a number of international contract /consulting positions with organisations such as BHP Petroleum, Reliance Industries, British Nuclear Fuels, GE (Plastics), and the UAE Offsets group. Jim holds a BA (Soc Sci) from Curtin University, a Master’s degree from Edith Cowan University and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply and the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management.
Jim’s role as Procurement and Supply Chain Manager for MMA, is focussed on achieving continuous improvement in the supply chain, building high performing teams that deliver best in class outcomes in safety, cost, value and quality across the company. One of Jim’s key focus areas is identifying opportunities for engaging indigenous businesses and supporting local content in the supply chain. Jim is a founding member of the advocacy group recently formed in Western Australia to promote indigenous vendors amongst contacts and procurement practitioners in energy and resource industries.
Len Blackmore
Head of Group Procurement, Property and Emergency Services
AGL
Len Blackmore is Head of Group Procurement, Property and Emergency Services at AGL. Australia’s leading integrated renewable energy company, AGL is an S&P/ASX 50 company with a market capitalization of around $8 billion. The role, which commenced in February 2012, has been accountable for starting up the procurement and supply chain function within the company, and has expanded to include property and facilities management, and security and emergency management.
Prior to AGL, Len held procurement, supply chain and strategy positions at BlueScope Steel in Australia and in New Zealand, at Anglo Coal, and with BHP Billiton in Western Australia.
J
amie Bradford FCILT CPL
WA Section Chairman
Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Australia
Jamie Bradford is the WA Section Chair for the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Australia. Jamie is actively keeping the Institute relevant for WA members and liaises with government and private industry to further the recognition and development of the logistics industry and participants. He is a Senior Associate within Sinclair Knight Merz and qualifications include Certified Professional Logistician and an MBA in Maritime & Logistics Management. His experience has been gained over 30 years hand-on in transport and logistics, the past 20 years specifically working on project logistics aspects including the strategizing, planning, implementation and management of construction project supply chains for EPC projects. Jamie applies his skills through innovative approaches including managing project engagement with government agencies and exterior stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes for stakeholders and clients. Jamie applies holistic management approaches from concept to operational stages of projects to ensure an optimum supply chain meets statutory requirements as well as ensuring logistics and transportation activities meet project schedule and budgets. Jamie is well travelled, having visited over 60 countries in several capacities with a high appreciation of safety requirements as well as considerations for local community’s needs.
Jenny Buckley
Manager – Australia
ISN
Jenny Buckley currently leads the ISN Australia team based in Sydney. ISN works with over 320 Hiring Clients to manage and verify safety and procurement information for over 50,000 contractors/suppliers. Jenny graduated from the University of Texas with a BBA in Marketing. She has worked at ISN for over seven years and previously worked on both the Upstream and Contractor Operations teams before becoming Team Lead of the ISN Midstream Team.
ISN's online database, ISNetworld, is the global resource for connecting corporations with safe, reliable contractors and suppliers from capital-intensive and public sector industries. ISN collects safety, procurement, sustainability, quality and regulatory information from contractors / suppliers, verifies its accuracy, and then reports the results in an easy-to-follow format. This allows organisations to select those resources that best meet internal and governmental requirements, while providing contractors and suppliers the opportunity to centralise their information, save time and gain a greater presence in the marketplace. Through its innovative data-systems, superior customer service and global reach, ISN fosters safer work environments, stronger partnerships and a healthier bottom-line.
Derek Flucker
Chair
Aboriginal Enterprises in Mining, Energy and Exploration
Derek Flucker is the Chairperson of the Aboriginal Enterprises in Mining, Exploration and Energy (AEMEE) which is the peak body developing and connecting Indigenous businesses in the mining, oil and gas sector. Derek is also Managing Director of RBY Projects, a company that works in the coal seam gas sector in Queensland developing opportunities for Indigenous people to take part in the sector. RBY Projects employs over 100 people in its civil construction business in contracts with QGC and Origin in south-west and western Queensland. RBY is proud of its record in employing and retaining Indigenous workers at all levels of the business.
Derek was one of the founding Directors of the multi-award winning company, Northern Project Contracting (NPC) which he was Managing Director from 2004 to 2011 to capitalise on the opportunities offered for Waanyi traditional owners to receive contracts, training and employment at the MMG Century Mine in the lower Gulf of Carpentaria region. In 2011 Derek Started up RBY Projects to focus on the coal seam gas sector in Queensland.
Derek is from Stradbroke Island—Minjerribah, and is also connected to the Gubbi Gubbi people of the Sunshine Coast and Gympie region. He has been active in community and business development initiatives for Aboriginal people for the past 24 years. He believes strongly in skilling Aboriginal people to be able to take advantage of current opportunities which will provide long-term sustainability and benefit for families and entire communities.
Ralph Forster
Manager of Strategic Sourcing and Supplier Relations
Clough
Ralph Forster has 35 years’ experience working with Australia’s largest resource companies and is a generalist supply chain professional with qualifications in Supply Chain, Finance, Information Systems, Process Improvement and Project Management.
Starting on the warehouse floor, Ralph’s experience spans the full gamut of supply chain activity, including administration, receiving, consolidation, logistics, expediting, procurement, safety and information systems.
Ralph has experience across dredge, open-cut and underground mining for iron ore, nickel, gold and mineral sands. He has worked in centralised and distributed supply chain teams and has been instrumental in the design and development of the logistics function for Australia’s largest resources project, before transitioning into a cultural change role focused on behavior based safety performance.
He is currently employed by Clough in the role of Manager, Strategic Sourcing and Supplier Relationships, and is responsible for driving cultural and process change across the supply chain.
Chris Gallagher
Managing Director – Asia Pacific
Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply
Chris Gallagher is the Managing Director of Asia Pacific for the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS). Chris has been with the Institute for 14 years. Over this time, he has been the director responsible for membership, professional development, international relationships, business solutions and strategy. He is currently the lead director responsible for the development of CIPS across the Asia Pacific region. This remit encompasses the CIPS offices in Australia, China, and a new operation to open in Singapore in 2014. Prior to his Asia Pacific focus, Chris was responsible for launching the Institute’s other major regional offices, South Africa and more recently Dubai.
Beth Gutweiler
Senior Supply Chain Manager - Asia Pacific
Halliburton
Beth Gutweiler is a Supply Chain professional and has applied her talents to the energy industry since 1995. She is currently the Asia Pacific Regional Supply Chain Manager for Halliburton. In her current role she is accountable for all procurement, materials, and logistics functions across 20 countries in Asia Pacific. Beth joined Halliburton in 1995 as part of their Rotational Supply Chain Management Program. She has since held progressively larger roles in manufacturing, production planning, customer service, procurement, materials, SAP, strategic sourcing and category management. Currently based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia she has previously been posted in Dallas, Oklahoma, Gulf of Mexico, Houston, Holland, and Scotland. Beth has a BSc. in Industrial Engineering from Louisiana State University and is currently pursuing her Masters in Supply Chain Management from the University of Bolton UK. Beth is hugely supportive of the development of young talent mentoring several rising stars and serving on the LSU College of Engineering’s Advisory Board for Industrial Engineering.
David Henchliffe FCIPS
Chief Procurement Officer
Santos
David has over 25 years’ experience in the supply chain profession. As an Army officer he served in a series of supply chain related operational appointments and after further study became a Project Manager for a range of capital equipment acquisition projects within Defence. He then moved into Defence operational and contingency planning with responsibility for the supply chain aspects. After leaving the Army he joined Santos as the Manager Supply Chain Services and now leads the Procurement, Materials Management & Logistics functions within Santos globally. He has had extensive experience in the areas of sourcing, contract management, supplier relationship management, materials management, logistics, project management, organisational leadership and change management. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply, a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Member the City & Guilds of London Institute. He is also a member of the South Australian Government’s State Procurement Board. David holds an Honours degree in Science, and three Masters degrees in Management, Arts (Technology Management) and Defence Studies respectively.
Colby Hauser
National Sector Manager – Oil and Gas
Industry Capability Network
Colby Hauser has many years experience working in the supply chain management industry, and holds a Bachelor degree in International Business and Supply Chain Management.
Prior to joining ICN, Colby worked at the ATCO Group in Canada, preparing and evaluating tenders to meet the companies procurement needs, managing contractual agreements, and managing supplier relationships.
Colby has extensive experience, both domestically and internationally, in the oil and gas, and construction industries, primarily in supply and contract management. He is a Certified Procurement Professional, with international certifications in purchasing management and supply chain management. Colby is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Australia.
Before becoming ICN’s National Sector Manager – Oil and Gas, Colby was a Senior Consultant working with ICN on the Woodside Browse LNG Development – matching specific procurement requirements against specific supplier capabilities and promoting local industry’s capability.
Colby is committed to facilitating mutual beneficial outcomes between project proponents and suppliers. By reducing barriers in supply chains, and thereby maximising opportunities for Australian and New Zealand suppliers, value will be created for major oil and gas operators as well as local suppliers.
As ICN’s National Sector Manager – Oil and Gas, Colby assists in maximising opportunities for Australian companies, especially small to medium size enterprises (SMEs), to supply goods and services to the oil and gas industry.
Diane Jamieson
Contracts Manager Development Division
Woodside Energy
Diane Jamieson is currently the Contracts Manager and Contract Management Process Authority in Development Division at Woodside Energy Limited, responsible for production support and continuous improvement in Contract Management. She is also a Fellow and lecturer with the Graduate School of Business at Curtin University. Prior to joining the resources sector she was a contracting professional in the defence, government and tertiary education sectors for nearly 20 year and has a broad range of experience. Diane has also worked in the forestry and health sectors and in the UK, Sweden and Canada.
Alan Langford
Chief Economist
Bankwest
Alan joined Bankwest from what is now the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (CCIWA) in March 1989 as an economic research officer and was appointed economist in September 1990 - just in time to grapple with the recession Paul Keating said we had to have. The chief function of the role is to advise Bankwest and its clients on the implications of economic and financial market trends.
Alan’s duties include the editing of the Bankwest Monthly Economic and Financial Market Snapshot, ad hoc economic updates as and when key events occur and presentations at industry seminars.
Alan was born and bred in Perth and is married to Wendy. They have two daughters, aged 13 and 11. His main hobby is hiking and biking in the Darling Range and beyond since his knees demanded he retire from cross country running almost half his life ago. He has a degree in financial management and economics from Curtin University and has a graduate diploma in applied corporate finance and investment from Finsia, where he is also a senior fellow. Alan is also a professional member of the WA branch of the Economic Society of Australia, a state councillor of the WA branch of the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia (CEDA), a member of the housing industry forecasting group (HIFG) and a member of the advisory board of the School of Economics and Finance at Curtin University.
Andrew McFarlane MCIPS
Group Procurement Manager
McConnell Dowell
Andrew is head of Procurement at McConnell Dowell responsible for initially establishing and now leading and transforming the procurement activity in a large tier 1 construction company. McConnell Dowell is a major international engineering and construction company servicing a broad range of industries and disciplines which includes the Oil and Gas sector.
He has over 15 years Procurement experience working in a variety of industries and is recognized as a proven Procurement leader and transformation specialist. Prior to MacDow he has held senior Procurement and Commercial roles at BlueScope Steel, Bosch and Southcorp. His career spans working in Australia, USA and UK. He is an active member of CIPS as a member of the Victorian/Tasmanian Regional Committee.
Alistair McGregor
Management Consultant
Alistair is an accomplished SCM practitioner with over 30 years of experience in the profession and has held leadership roles with several notable companies including Apache, ConocoPhillips, AMEC and KCA Deutag. He has a considerable track record of achievement in Supply Chain Management and has received a number of industry awards for his work. In 2006 he was the recipient of the UK CIPS award for the Best Purchaser-Supplier relationship during his time with Venture Production, a Northern Star Award for his work in improving customer service with AMEC and the 10th Anniversary FPAL Award for the best Purchaser profile. In recent years he has specialised in high-impact transformational change management assignments for companies who wish to seriously upgrade their SCM competencies. Alistair is a graduate of Leicester University in the United Kingdom with a degree in History and Psychology.
Jim Millar
Northern Region Commercial Manager
Abigroup Contractors
With over 40 years’ experience in the building and engineering construction industry, Jim has earned an industry reputation for his detailed knowledge of all aspects of construction project procurement and delivery methods. His career has extended across many overseas projects in addition to most parts of Australia and has included work on civil infrastructure, roads, rail, mining, water and building projects. Jim has specialised in the commercial management fields of the industry and, in recent years, has focussed on developing and promoting collaborative procurement and contracting models including alliances, ECI, hard dollar hybrids and collaborative contracts.
Anthony Mirenzi
Senior HSE Group Supervisor
ISN
Anthony Mirenzi is a health and safety specialist leading the ISN Review and Verification team based in Sydney. Prior to joining ISN, Anthony has had extensive health and safety management experience in both the public and private sector working for national and international organisations. Anthony holds a degree in Science and a Masters of Occupational Health and Safety.
Clive Nielsen
Contracts and Procurement Manager
GHD
Over 40 years of experience in engineering, procurement and management in the energy, mining and minerals processing industries including major plant acquisition, construction contracting and global and regional alliance contracts.
Trainer, facilitator, coach in Business Relationship Management and consultant in supply chain & procurement, global sourcing and procurement organisation, structure and processes.
Stuart Philpot
Manager Procurement and Supply Chain
AGL
Chris Pretorius
Manager ProjectConnect & REP
Chamber of Commerce and Industry Western Australia
Chris manages ProjectConnect and Resource & Energy Project Service at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia.These services provide the WA business community with vital information about developments and opportunities on projects in the resource, mining, oil & gas and many other industries. Chris had a long career as an engineer, project manager and development manager in the IT and Telecommunications Industry, specialising in the development and deployment of products and services for underserviced and emerging markets around the world.
In 2002, Chris joined CCIWA as an engineering consultant in the Industry Capability Network (ICN) and worked on many infrastructure and resource projects in WA like the Perth Convention Centre, Perth-to-Mandurah Railway, Northbridge Tunnel, Sino Iron Project and the Gorgon Project.
In 2010, Chris took over the management of ProjectConnect and REPS, where his wealth of experience in the management and development of online information management systems combined with year of experience on resource projects helped to advance the service offerings of these products to new levels.
Chris has a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Stellenbosch University in South Africa and also has a Bachelor of Commerce and Accounting degree from the University of South Africa.
Sara Redmond-Neal
Business Program Manager
Eco-Buy
Sara helps organisations manage the environmental and social risks in their supply chain through sustainable procurement. She helps run the ECO-Buy Membership Program, providing strategic advice based on international best practice standards to businesses and government. Sara’s other recent projects have included developing sustainable procurement guidelines for the Australian Government, establishing practical sustainability specifications and evaluation criteria for a university’s common purchasing categories, and conducting supply chain sustainability risk assessments for AGL, Telstra, City of Sydney and ME Bank.
Alan Robertson
Strategic Procurement Manager
Thiess
Alan is an experienced Procurement & Supply Chain leader who has a passion for growing the profession, in particular in the Continuous Professional Development and Networking areas. He has been working with Griffith University on a voluntary basis since 2009 as a guest lecturer, helping to promote the profession to students considering pursuing their career in this direction.
Alan has worked with Thiess since January 2013, based in Brisbane. His current position entails adding value to the QCLNG Upstream Works Project by leveraging company-wide Procurement arrangements across all categories. Stakeholder engagement, cooperation and providing value are high on the agenda within for his current leadership role.
Alan’s career has included various Procurement/Contracts and SCM roles with Volvo AB, Cummins Diesel, BAE Systems, Local Government, CS Energy, Tarong Energy, Origin, Anglo American and Rio Tinto, before moving to Thiess.
Alan gained the MCIPS qualification in 1995 and was recently awarded the honour of Fellowship in 2011, not least for his contribution to the Institute’s growth in Australia.
Jody Rowe
Strategic Management Consultant
Rowe Strategic Management Group
Jody Rowe is a specialist in the resources sector who has a strategic view of the market, its needs and potential opportunities for growth and continuous cost improvements. Previous work experience includes executive roles at BG-QGC, Santos, Rio Tinto and Barrick Gold on mega projects GLNG and QCLNG and large scale mining projects / operations. Jody is a subject matter expert or tactical adviser for business development, contracts and procurement, tenders, negotiations and reviews where risk is significant. She has the conceptual and analytical ability to deal with ambiguity and complexity that often accompanies such high profile companies.
Jody is a strong advocate for the Contracts and Procurement profession, Women’s Networking and Emerging Talent, presenting at APPEA September 2013, Major Construction Conference October 2013 and Oil and Gas Procurement Leaders November 2013.
Jody grew up in South Australia, graduating in Accounting with a career spanning 12 years in mining Commercial roles at Barrick Gold and Rio Tinto in both Gold and Uranium commodities... Jody is a keen golfer and traveler.
Matt Saunders
Procurement Operations Manager
Bechtel
Matthew Saunders is the Procurement Operations Manager of Bechtel’s Procurement Joint Execution Team (PJET) in the Oil, Gas & Chemical Global Business Unit. He is responsible for the procurement operations for the three Curtis Island LNG projects in Gladstone, Queensland. Matthew has over 10 years of extensive materials, traffic and logistics, and procurement experience in complex multi-billion dollar projects with multiple execution locations and worldwide sourcing. He has worked on projects in Canada, USA and Australia. Matthew holds a Bachelor of Science (Industrial Distribution and Logistics Technology) from the University of Houston.
Hendrik Snyman
Vice President Contracting
Woodside Energy
Hendrik Snyman is the Vice President of Contracting at Woodside Energy Limited based in Perth, Australia. He is responsible for the Contracting Function in the delivery of onshore and offshore capital projects, from Development Planning/Technology selection to handover to Operations.
Hendrik has 26 years of Oil and Gas industry experience spanning the full breadth of operations and projects, including HSE and operations integrity, development planning, and delivery of major capital projects
Before joining Woodside in February 2013, Hendrik spent 7 years with Shell, following a diverse career in Oil and Gas which equipped him with the full spectrum of experience to contribute towards the development of projects in Woodside.
In his seven years with Shell he was responsible for the delivering the Contracts and Procurement function to the major projects in Shell and more specific all projects in Asia ranging from refinery modifications, unconventionals to Deepwater projects. During this time he also championed Strategic Supplier Relationships to enhance project delivery.
At Fluor his role was Business Manager on major projects which focused on achieving the financials targets as set out in the” As Sold” mandate, working in close liaison with Projects Services/Management.
After Sasol Hendrik decided to start his own Consulting Company in the field of contract management and project services. During the 5 year period the Company grew from a home start-up to employing over 500 consultant staff. Consulting on projects and establishment of the necessary infrastructure and systems to effectively manage projects was the main focus of this company.
His career started with Sasol in South Africa as a cost engineer and as his career developed obtained extensive experience in corporate planning and as Operations Manager for Sasol 1 during his 10 year period with Sasol.
Hendrik holds both a Bachelor degree in Industrial Engineering an MBA and have substantially completed a Legal degree.
David Staples
Chief Procurement Officer
Caltex Australia
David Staples is the Chief Procurement Officer at Caltex Australia, where he and his team are responsible for the sourcing and category management of all services and goods, outside of crude & refined fuels. Initially engaged at Caltex in 2010 through a consulting assignment, David joined the refiner/marketer as the Procurement Excellence Manager in 2012 and after acting in the role for 8 months, was appointed CPO in August 2013.
Prior to his short spell in professional services, David established and led the procurement function at QBE Insurance; before that he spent 6 years at Electronic Data Systems (EDS) leading the Category Management team across Asia Pacific.
During David’s 16+ years procurement experience gained in local, regional and global public companies, he has built a strong background in leading broad category management functions, green field procurement start-ups and extensive experience in strategic sourcing.
David holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Greenwich, London, lives on the outskirts of Sydney with his wife and two sons and is a fanatic motorcyclist.
Kobus van der Wath
Founder & Group Managing Director
The Beijing Axis
Kobus is the Founder and Group Managing Director of The Beijing Axis (www.thebeijingaxis.com), a China-focused international advisory and procurement firm operating in four principal areas. Commodities, Capital, Procurement and Strategy; Clients include global multinationals with a China/Asia agenda and Chinese/Asian multinational firms with a global agenda. Kobus has been working in Asia for over 18 years and is based in Beijing. Before founding The Beijing Axis, he was Head of Investment Strategy and Global Market Research for Asia Pacific for Standard Chartered Bank Plc and, prior to that, he was a Senior Strategy Consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Asia. In his early career, he was an Emerging Market Investment Strategist in London a Treasury Economist with Standard Merchant Bank in Johannesburg and an Economist with the South African Reserve Bank in Pretoria. He holds an MBA from INSEAD in France, a Master of Business from Curtin in Australia and BCom Honours degrees in Finance/Investments and Economics, respectively from UJ and Unisa in South Africa. He is regarded as a thought leader in China cross-border business, has published extensively and has been invited to present as the keynote speaker and to lead discussions in over 20 countries.
Paul Wang
Global Sourcing Director
Hatch
Paul Wang is a Procurement Manager with more than nine years of engineering and eighteen years of project procurement management, regional procurement management and global sourcing experience. He has extensive experience and knowledge in establishing and mentoring procurement team, developing procurement strategy and plan, and implementing best practices and tools through the entire material flow via his working time with Fluor, Jacbos and Hatch. Currently as the Global Sourcing Director for Hatch, Paul is responsible for managing the design, development, promotion and delivery of high value global sourcing services on Pre-Feasibility Study, Feasibility Study and Implementation projects to systematically minimize project cost, schedule and risks. He provides leadership for Hatch Global Sourcing team and Global Procurement Intelligence system.