Decom North Sea chief executive appointed

Oil and gas veteran John Warrender has been appointed chief executive of Decom North Sea.

He will take up the post with the membership organisation for the oil and gas decommissioning sector on August 1.

Mr Warrender has more than 30 years of domestic and international experience in the sector, including in the strategic development of complex decommissioning programmes in the North Sea.

Most recently he has been an independent advisor to the industry but he has spent more than 20 years with ConocoPhillips in a range of leadership roles, including as general manager for upstream gas assets in the UKCS.

Mr Warrender said: “My experience within the decommissioning sector, coupled with a track record in strategy development and performance management, government and stakeholder relations, and board governance, give me a strong sense of the role Decom North Sea must play in the future of the industry.

“As such, I look forward to commencing my role as chief executive next month, working with our members and strategic partners to achieve our objectives,” he said.

Nigel Lees, chairman of Decom North Sea’s board of directors, said Mr Warrender would help meet the needs of members while enhancing collaboration with key stakeholders and the wider energy industry.

He added: “An influential link between the oil and gas community, industry regulators, government entities and other industry bodies, John is a true integrator.

“Only through a joined-up approach can we hope to realise our collective ambition to reduce the cost of decommissioning in the North Sea.”

John Warrender.