Meet The Board

Irina started as a Cementing Engineer and in 18 years of experience in the Oil & Gas industry has worked for international blue chip operators and contractors in a variety of technical and contracts roles managing drilling, cementing, seismic and decommissioning contract portfolios.

She served on the Programme Committee and was its Chair for 2018-2019, managing monthly technical presentations, hosting evening events and the SPE DL speakers visits. Outside SPE Irina’s interests lie within business entrepreneurship.

As Aberdeen enters a new stage in the Oil & Gas industry, Irina’s objective as  Chair is to ensure that SPE Aberdeen remains a leading branch and still inspires the next generation to explore new career opportunities.

Stewart is Managing Director of McIntosh Technical Ltd, an independent Artificial Lift Consultancy. He has almost 20 years experience in the oil and gas industry. Initially starting his career with Schlumberger and working in various locations in Russia, Europe, Africa and the UKCS providing Field Service for ESPs. He then moved into Surveillance and Monitoring where he helped develop remote monitoring, creating the blueprint for what is done today. He then progressed into Applications Engineering and Project Management delivering high value, HPHT projects.

Today, Stewart works with closely with Artificial Lift Solutions Pte Ltd and many operator clients around the globe providing expert assistance from FEED, Project management and delivery, installation support and supervision, to Production Optimization of ESPs.

Stewart is a great believer in the STEM programme and is actively following the Energy Transition.

Graham is the Business Development Manager with ABL Group in Aberdeen. ABL operates in the Maritime, Oil & Gas and Renewables sectors, providing loss prevention, loss management and marine and engineering consultancy services. Graham has worked in engineering for nearly 30 years, with the last 24 in energy sectors.

He started his career as a Mechanical Technician Apprentice in a precision engineering firm but quickly transferred to equipment design and subsequently into oil and gas specialising in subsea and surface completion systems design. In 2003 Graham made the move from engineering to sales and business development and has worked for a range of service providers from SME and start-ups to multi-nationals in a variety of areas such as drilling, completions, subsea installation and construction, facilities and decommissioning.

In addition to Section Vice-Chair, Graham was Chair of the Continuing Education committee 2018-2020 which organises the technical conference program throughout the year. In addition to the SPE, Graham is an active participant and volunteer with several industry and non-industry bodies past and present such as Decom North Sea, EIC, Step Change in Safety, and AXIS Network. Graham is also a STEM ambassador.

Diane is the SPE Aberdeen Section Manager, an SPE member since 2009, previously being the Secretary to the Board of the Aberdeen Section. She sits on the organising committee for the Offshore Achievement Awards and the Schools Career Guidance committee. With a background in science, a STEM ambassador and a published author of 12 scientific papers, Diane is passionate about encouraging the younger generation to study STEM subjects and join the Oil and Gas Industry. Diane previously worked at the Society of the Chemical Industry for 14 years, as Scotland Coordinator, in the corporate and membership development team, and as an electron microscopist at the Rowett Research Institute prior to that.

Lorraine has worked in Accounting since leaving school almost 30 years ago, working either full time or part time whilst bringing up her family. After many years as an employee, she took the plunge 5 years ago and set up her own bookkeeping business. Lorraine became the SPE Aberdeen Bookkeeper at the beginning of 2015 and in 2017 also became the Section Treasurer. She thoroughly enjoys the work she does with SPE Aberdeen and is also excited to have recently joined the Executive Committee for the Offshore Achievement Awards.

Colin is the Managing Director of Technology Deployment Services Company Carjon-NRG.com, UK Energy Technology Platform Partner and passionate STEM Ambassador. With over 39 years in Oil, Gas & Energy, he has deployed innovative technologies in Offshore & Onshore locations internationally, managed operations & business development in high growth companies and became Managing Director & Vice President OPTIMA, a TETRA Company. For 25 years Colin has also supported many conferences & exhibitions to share knowledge by establishing industry challenges and helping the organisers identify relevant abstracts, case studies and informative technology presentations, he is also the co-inventor of numerous patents.

He is a Contractor Advisory Council member of Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), Vice Chair of OEUK Led ETF Task Force, OAA judge, committee member of Energy Institute, AHI branch and member of CMI, SUT and chaired the NASA in Aberdeen collaborative Schools education project.

For his international voluntary work “Inspiring the Next Generation”, in 2017, Colin received a “Distinguished Service Award” & became a “Distinguished Member” of SPE, in 2018 he was appointed a www.globalscot.com by the Scottish Government and in 2020 he received an “Award of Council” from the Energy Institute. In 2022, he also created “Explorers – Inspiring the Next Generation” to further support pupils around the world reach their “Positive Destinations”.

Ian has over 30 years’ experience in the upstream oil and gas industry, including 18 years with oil operating companies (Shell, BP, Marathon and Ramco) and 6 years with a major service company (Halliburton). He worked up from being a reservoir engineer involved in exploration and field development projects to being a Project Director responsible for full field development programmes.

In 2007 he became a founding Director of CO2DeepStore Limited, one of the first companies specifically seeking to provide the service of CO₂capture, transportation and deep geological storage to alleviate the worst effects of climate change. In late 2014 he became the Chief Executive of OGIC – the Oil and Gas Innovation Centre – a Scottish government backed research funding agency that is entirely demand-led. OGIC provides grants to support company-led research and development in Scottish Universities. In March 2020 he joined Pale Blue Dot Energy as the Project Director for the Acorn low carbon and hydrogen and CCS project planned for the St Fergus gas plant north of Aberdeen – an early Energy Transition project.

He obtained an MEng in Petroleum Engineering from Heriot Watt University in 1983 and an MBA through the Open University in 1994. He is also a Fellow of the UK Energy Institute and a Chartered Petroleum Engineer.

Ian has been a Director of the Aberdeen Section of SPE since 1986 and has served as Treasurer, Continuing Education Chairman and as Section Chair for 4 years. Since 2012 he has chaired the Offshore Achievement Awards Committee. Ian has also served as North Sea Regional Director on the SPE International Board and as a Director of SPE Europe Limited. Ian was appointed as the current chair of the section in December 2015.

Stuart is an asset manager for TAQA’s UK business. He has worked in the oil and gas industry since 1994 and is a degree qualified Mechanical Engineer.

Since 1994, Stuart has gained broad experience of the industry and has held a variety of positions with service companies; Score, Tyco and Wood and operating companies; BP and TAQA. During this time, he has held various roles, including mechanical engineer, offshore maintenance team leader, offshore operations engineer (BP), mechanical technical authority, engineering and technical assurance manager and maintenance manager (TAQA).

Throughout his career Stuart has been instrumental in creating, motivating and developing high performing teams.

Yeisson is currently a Project Engineer at Sparrows Group, working on different projects of specialist engineering, inspection, operations and maintenance services to the UK offshore energy and renewable industry.

Previous professional experience includes being the R&D Subsea Project Engineer for an integrated flow assurance company, joining Petronas as a sponsored overseas talent in Malaysia and working at Indra on an information technology project for Ecopetrol, the Colombian National Oil Company.

Before starting his current position, Yeisson gained an MSc in Subsea Engineering from the University of Aberdeen and a BSc in Petroleum Engineering from the National University of Colombia – Medellin Campus.

Yeisson joined the SPE Aberdeen Section in 2017, helping to organise the Simplified Series events since 2019, and recently he has been appointed as the new Vice-Chair of the Young Professionals (YP) Committee. He has been an active SPE member for almost 14 years, since 2009, when he joined as a volunteer at the SPE UnalMed Student Chapter and later as the YP Chair for the SPE Colombian Section.

Soma is a Managed Pressure Drilling engineer at Weatherford with about 8 years industry experience in UK, Norway and ME. Soma holds a Diploma in Maths and Physic, BSc in Petroleum Engineering and MSc in Well and Drilling Engineering. She is also member of the Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers, California.

As a STEM Ambassador, Soma is passionate about inspiring the next generation, playing a role in meeting the needs of society and taking responsibility towards making tomorrow a better world to live in.

Soma believes that as part of industry we all need to stay engaged, maintain our perspective in mindset of action and work to meet climate goals.

Karen is a senior Petroleum Engineer with over a decade of international experience. Msc in Reservoir Evaluation & Management graduated in 2011 from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh – UK, and Bsc in Petroleum Engineering graduated in 2004 from ‘Universidad de America’ in Bogota Colombia.

Her career expands over 6 countries, including Colombia where she started as Field Engineer for Schlumberger, passing though Argentina, Peru & Ecuador providing technical support to hydraulic fracture, sand control and matrix stimulation operations. Her Schlumberger career allow her to transition for personal reasons to Brisbane Australia, in this position she provided technical support as production engineer for Schlumberger Information Solutions for multiple conventional and unconventional assets in Queensland and South Australia territories. Currently she is settled in Aberdeen, Scotland - UK where she had worked as Production Engineer for Shell giving support to Shearwater offshore asset under Return-to-work-Program in 2019, and since 2021 she has been part of the Production Technologist team in Equinor Aberdeen where she provides support to Mariner offshore asset and Subsurface UK.

As a mother of three and after taking a parental brake during her career, Karen returned to the industry as a big enthusiasts of STEM education. For her being part of SPE Career School Guidance committee has been very rewarding, as it has allowed her to appreciate from a different perspective young people’s talent and thrill for STEM in a better future for all. She hopes to continue to inspire the next generation of scientists though her roles in SPE board, as well as show casting her role in the Energy industry as a proud Professional Colombian Woman living in the United Kingdom.

Graham Skinner is Health & Safety Manager, for Offshore Energies UK and is responsible for the management of health and safety issues while fostering collaboration between members to enhance offshore safety in the UK. This role also includes aviation safety, local resilience, and security matters. Graham is a Chartered Engineer and member of the Energy Institute.

Graham’s start in the energy industry came with a drilling contractor and led to roles in the Middle East and Africa on land rigs and mobile offshore drilling units. During this time, he took on varied roles from drilling operations management to safety and risk management. Moving in 2013 to the UK Health and Safety Executive he regulated the safety of offshore well engineering and operations within the UK as a Specialist Inspector during which time he investigated high potential incidents, inspected well designs and well integrity management systems. Graham joined OEUK in February 2023 and has been busy developing strategies for emerging industry issues such as Process Safety Leadership and Maintenance Backlog reduction.

15 years Oil & Gas experience within both Operator & Service Companies. On a learning journey around people strategy for Energy Transition projects. Diversity & Inclusion champion and ally with an in-depth knowledge of developing and embedding D&I strategies in the UK. Elizabeth is an innovative and strategic equality, diversity & inclusion disruptor who has a drive and passion for creating and delivering strategies and programmes to level the playing field for all. I look forward to actively shaping the SPE Aberdeen Sector inclusive culture with strong influencing skills and ability to motivate team delivery.

I enjoy such a critical leadership role; that requires a thoughtful, collaborative, and agile approach. I am very privileged with the prospect of delivering on the strategic SPE direction impacting people within and beyond the walls of engineering transitioning to Net Zero.

I have the support of an amazing diverse team who are committed to making a difference in all we do within the SPE Aberdeen Section and our wider community.

Renata is the HSE Lead at Shell, where she has worked for the last 12 years in a variety of business facing roles across onshore and offshore operations, projects, wells, subsea and exploration, both in the UK and abroad. Prior to this, she briefly worked on major civil engineering projects worldwide for Bechtel.

Renata holds an MSc in Environmental Engineering and Business Management from Imperial College London and an MSc in Chemistry from the University of Gdansk.

In addition to her involvement with SPE, Renata is actively involved in the Step Change in Safety organisation.

Being a woman with mixed-race children and multi-continent backgrounds, Renata is able to view issues from multiple perspectives. Focusing on the overall objective of making progress, whilst understanding that not everyone starts on the same page, Renata aims to motivate different interests to champion diversity and inclusion agenda in the industry. This also ties into her passion to work towards an environment where her children may thrive in.

Kenny is Managing Director of Seal-Tite UK LLC where he leads this well integrity business’ interests in Europe, The Middle East and Africa. He holds a BSc in Applied Physics from the University of Strathclyde and MSc in Information Technology from the University of York. He began his career as a Research Scientist and Product Development Project Leader with large chemical multinational. Since then he has spent over 20 years involved in the development and commercialisation of new well and near-well technology. He has been involved in new technology developments in electronic downhole gauges, fibre optic downhole measurement, intelligent completion, multi-phase metering, innovations in software based fiscal metering, completions hardware and well integrity solutions. He is passionate about the science and art of new technology adoption.

After completing his apprenticeship in the shipyards of the Clyde, Steve studied mechanical engineering whilst working in Edinburgh. In 1981 Steve joined Vetco Offshore and worked on wellheads, production trees and well tieback systems. Steve worked in the engineering office and offshore, installing the equipment in the field. Steve became supervisor for offshore support and, after a period in the training school as an instructor, he returned to the field to run the first trees West of Shetland on the Foinaven field.Steve joined Arco British and drilled a series of exploration wells West of Shetland. After moving to Conoco, Steve drilled a number of production wells in the Central North Sea, before moving to production engineering and running completion systems in conventional and HPHT wells. Steve was promoted to Chief Engineer and during this time the Macondo incident occurred. Steve joined the OSPRAG group and was assigned to the Global industry response group (GIRG) and set up the wells expert committee of IOGP. This group made a number of recommendations which have now been accepted and implemented by the industry; OPRAG nationally and IOGP internationally. Steve then moved to a well decommissioning group and initiated the SNS well abandonment project for ConocoPhillips. After taking an early retirement, Steve remains active in the SPE, ISO and IMechE and is working to develop new industry standards and industry collaboration.

Steve has been part of the SPE Aberdeen Board for over 10 years.