Industry Leaders Panel: the Australian oil and gas industry in transition

Ms Maria van der Hoeven is a Dutch professional with broad political and managerial expertise. She started her professional career as a teacher. Later on she became director of a Vocational Training Centre for Adults and director of Technology Centre Limburg. In these jobs she demonstrated great competence in managing change and transition.

Her political career started in 1974 when she was elected as member of the City Council of Maastricht, her home town. In 1991 she became Member of Parliament. In this capacity she fulfilled several functions within her caucus. She was vice-president of the House of Parliament for several years.

From 2002 to 2007 Ms van der Hoeven served as Minister of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands and from 2007 to 2010 as Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy. In both capacities she demonstrated leadership at national, regional and EU level.

Ms van der Hoeven took over as Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) on 1 September 2011 and led the IEA during a period of exceptional change in the global energy economy, as rapidly shifting supply/demand balances for oil and other major fuels transform the IEA's traditional mandate. Her mandate ended on 31 August 2015.

Ms van der Hoeven responded by enhancing IEA engagement with key non-member countries including Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa. Under her leadership, the IEA admitted its 29th member, Estonia, and increased its co-operation with OPEC and the International Energy Forum (IEF) as well as signed a partnership accord with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), APEC and other multi-lateral institutions.

Ms. Van der Hoeven has repeatedly emphasised the close link between climate and energy policy. As a member of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, led by former President Felipe Calderón of Mexico, she has initiated discussions between policy makers and industry representatives on the impact of climate change on energy security, and sought to raise awareness among young people around the world of the problem of climate change and the need to get informed and take action. She has also promoted renewables and energy efficiency as part of the critical role she believes innovation and technology play in contributing to energy security while supporting climate goals.

These and her other initiatives reflect her overall focus on energy security in all forms, for all people. That includes the hundreds of millions around the world who lack access to modern energy services, and in recognition of her efforts in this area, she served on the Advisory Board for the UN Sustainable Energy for All initiative from 2013–2015. Since 2014 she has been a member of the UN Advisory Council for ‘Powering the Future We Want – Recognising Innovative Practices in Energy for Sustainable Development’.

Since September 2015 Ms van der Hoeven has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado (US) and senior associate fellow at Clingendael International Energy Program (CIEP). Since spring 2016 Ms van der Hoeven has been a member of the Board of Directors of Total (France) and a member of the Supervisory Board of INNOGY (Germany). Since October 2016 Ms van der Hoeven has been vice chairman of the High-Level Panel of the European Decarbonisation Pathways Initiative (European Commission).

Ms van der Hoeven is a recognised speaker on energy at international fora and symposia.

In September 2014, Claire was appointed Managing Director for BP's Exploration and Production interests in Australia. In this role, she is accountable for all BP Upstream activity in Australia, including the North West Shelf Venture.

Claire is a Director of the Board of North West Shelf Gas Pty Ltd, the gas marketing agency for the venture. In addition, she is a Board Director of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) and Chairperson of the APPEA Executive Committee.

Claire joined BP in 2002 as Chief Accountant/Head of Accounting Policy for Upstream. Following this she was Head of Performance Management for Upstream and in 2007 moved to BP Alaska, initially as Commercial Director then as the Chief Financial Officer. In 2012 Claire was appointed Head of the Executive Office for Upstream in BP's London office.

Prior to BP, Claire worked for Ernst & Young in London and Houston across a variety of service lines focused on the oil and gas sector.

Claire has a BSc in Biological Sciences and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.

Richard J Owen was born in Sydney, Australia and holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Sydney.

He joined Esso Australia in 1983 and began work at the Longford Plants. Following a number of engineering, operational and management assignments in Sale, Sydney and Melbourne, Mr Owen moved to New Orleans, USA and was appointed as Operations Manager in 2001.

Mr. Owen transferred to Houston before being appointed as Joint Interest Manager for Alaska in 2004 based in Anchorage. In 2006, Mr Owen transferred to Hannover, Germany where he was named Deputy Production Manager for ExxonMobil Production Germany.

In 2011, Mr. Owen was appointed to the position of President and General Manager for ExxonMobil Affiliates in Indonesia based in Jakarta. Mr Owen returned to Melbourne in 2013 when he was named Chairman of the ExxonMobil group of companies in Australia.

Mr Owen is Vice Chairman of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA), and a director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia and the Australian Mines and Metals Association (AMMA). Mr. Owen is a Fellow of Engineers Australia and of the Institution of Chemical Engineers, and a member of the Business Council of Australia.

Mr. Owen is married to Jennifer and they have two adult sons.

Ian has built a successful career as a forward-thinking senior executive in the oil and gas sector with diverse experience across private and public corporations.

Since 2010 as Managing Director and CEO of Senex Energy Limited, one of Australia's leading upstream oil and gas companies, Ian has navigated the business through significant growth and transformation. Senex has built a material position in two of Australia's most prolific onshore energy regions, the Cooper-Eromanga and Surat Basins. Under Ian's leadership, the company is pursuing a long-held strategy to capture emerging opportunities in Australia's dynamic energy sector.

Prior to joining Senex, Ian was influential in the growth of the CSG-to-LNG industry in Queensland as Queensland Gas Company's (QGC) Chief Financial Officer. Ian led the negotiation of the LNG joint venture transaction with BG Group and the takeover offer for QGC by BG Group – the largest on-market takeover in Australian corporate history at the time. He also served as General Manager Business Development and General Manager Ports and Infrastructure, under BG Group ownership.

Ian spent the early part of his career in corporate tax advisory within mining and energy with PwC in Brisbane and as an investment banker with Barclays Capital in London.

An energetic and strategic leader, Ian is excited and optimistic about what a sustainable energy sector has to offer Australia's prosperity, especially its ability to provide long-term employment and economic opportunities to the regional communities that support it.

He holds a Bachelor of Business from Queensland University of Technology and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia.