APPEA Chairman’s Address – Energy for a Better Australia

Mr Gallagher joined Santos as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer on 1 February 2016, bringing more than 25 years’ international experience in oil and gas operations. Mr Gallagher is a member of the Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability Committee and is also a Director of Santos Finance Limited. In 2019, he was elected Chairman of the Board of the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA).

Mr Gallagher commenced his career as a drilling engineer with Mobil North Sea, before joining Woodside in Australia in 1998. At Woodside, Mr Gallagher led the drilling organisation through rapid growth, delivering several Australian and international development projects and exploration campaigns, before leading the Australian oil business. Then, as CEO of the North West Shelf Venture, he was responsible for production from Australia’s first-ever LNG project, which underpinned a new domestic gas market, fuelling the mining sector and other industries in Western Australia.

In 2011 Mr Gallagher joined ASX listed Clough Limited as CEO and Managing Director where, over four years, he transformed the business and delivered record financial results. He oversaw the development of innovative programs to improve safety and drive productivity and executed an international expansion strategy. Following the successful turnaround at Clough, Mr Gallagher led the eventual sale of Clough Limited to their major shareholder Murray and Roberts.

Since joining Santos Mr Gallagher has restructured the company and implemented the Transform Build and Grow strategy focussed on five core asset hubs, significantly reduced costs and instituted a disciplined operating model, strengthened the balance sheet and improved production. Under Mr Gallagher’s leadership, Santos is now focussed on a long-life portfolio of natural gas assets with some exciting oil and liquids opportunities and is progressing a world-leading carbon capture and storage project in the Cooper Basin that can be an enabler for a transition to a future hydrogen business. The company is well positioned to deliver significant growth and sustainable returns to shareholders throughout the commodity price cycle.