There have been moments, this year, when oil & gas executives seemed truly to take on the likeness of superheroes. Take, for example, Saudi Aramco’s shockingly quick recovery from missile strikes on its facilities. Never has the gargantuan scale of the company, or its impact on the global economy, been so apparent.
The oil & gas sector has faced a huge crash in oil prices, growing distaste in public sentiment, and physical attacks on its infrastructure with steely resolve. It has taken challenges and turned them into opportunities, and is staring into a lower-carbon future with a plan in hand. But even superheroes have their weaknesses. DC Comics’ Superman, for example, with all of his strength and otherworldly power, could be easily defeated by just a small shard of kryptonite.
The kryptonite of the oil & gas industry is complacency. We are in an economic reality where complacency can mean destruction for oil & gas companies. Transformation is no longer on the horizon, and executives who are satisfied with the status quo will find it being redefined around them every day. The superheroes of our industry are agile, forward-thinking innovators who embrace change and take it in stride.
There is certainly no harm in taking a moment and visiting our Power 50 List to revel in the incredible achievements of the past year; it has been a remarkable, historic year for the upstream sector. I hope you take away from these pages a sense of awe for all that has been achieved, inspiration for all that is yet to come, and the motivation to get it done!
