LIFE 2018 sparks ethics conversation, future best practices in oil & gas
Bringing together the upstream oil and gas sector, Halliburton’s Life 2018 is a collaborative digital conference that focuses on technology advances in E&P. In its sixth year, the goal is to leverage advances in science, technology, digital, and the community, to drive the industry forward. Held in the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Downtown Houston, Texas, Life 2018 invited thousands of thought-leaders to share the value of technology in today’s oil and gas industry.
Thijs Rademaker, senior director, customer experience, Halliburton Landmark, shared his vision for the future of digital technology. “Innovation does not start with one person or one idea, it comes from hundreds of ideas,” said Rademaker. “To be innovative, you must have a community that collaborates and shares ideas to drive innovation forward. That is the most important part in putting this conference together.”
The themes for the two-day forum included “Digital is Here” and “Big Data.” Rademaker stressed how important it is to use science and digital to drive innovation. There is a great deal of complex data being collected, but we only use a fraction of the data we have. We must use more data to drive innovation.
The downturn has shown the industry that we can be leaner and more efficient. This is an opportunity to move toward the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIot). “If you apply digital technology, you can improve by 10% year-over-year,” said Rademaker. “By applying digital technology, we can become much more effective at finding, producing and recovering oil and gas.”
“Ultimately, it’s people that make things happen,” said Rademaker. “We need to have a culture change and a mindset change. When you have a growth mindset and make a step-change, you will be at the top of your game. The culture change will ultimately drive the digital transformation.”
Keynote speaker, Distinguished V.P. & Gartner Fellow Frank Buytendijk challenged the crowd to consider “digital ethics” when interacting with technology. He asked the crowd if they ever yelled at Siri. After some sheepishly raised their hands, he followed-up asking, “Why would you do this? It makes no difference.” He went on to say, “There is no such thing as a user anymore. We do not differentiate between people and things.” His futuristic approach, researching the edges of “digital society” hypothesizes that “we are our technology.”
Keynote speaker, Shaun Gregory, executive V.P. and chief technical officer, Woodside Energy, discussed the case for change. To succeed, there are three categories to make change successful: “Think big, prototype small, and scale first.” Woodside is currently placing special emphasis on two AI projects that are under way. The company recognizes the importance of focusing on total business value, and not just on lowering costs.
Sanjay Paranji, V.P, advanced analytics & emerging technologies, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, presented the company’s digital evolution from initial concept to reality, over the past few years, culminating in 25 digital projects, globally. Specifically, the projects are faster, more automated, and more sophisticated geophysical and geological interpretation, and digital operations that are powered by “intelligent” control. Anadarko sites it’s digital growth, in part, due to open innovation and extensible platforms.
Rounding out the morning session, Microsoft’s corporate V.P., human resources Sue Bevington shared 10 things that Microsoft has learned about culture. As the world continues to transform in the digital age, a learning and intelligence growth mindset is key for employee success in the modern business. Bevington showcased Microsoft’s culture change from a “Me VS Them” to an “Us” mindset.
10 things Microsoft has learned about culture:
- Honor your past, define your future
- Net it out: Simple yet strategic
- You can’t fake it
- Have a purpose-driven mission
- Make symbolic changes, big and small
- Make it who you are
- Communicate
- Let technology accelerate the change
- All oars in the water
- Stay humble, stay on course
This digital transformation event was part of a four-day expo. In addition, LIFE 2018 Abu Dhabi will be held at the InterContinental Abu Dhabi Hotel, Abu Dhabi, UAE, in November 2018.
