Introducing…. Shankar Krishnan, Frontier Regional Leader Asia-Pacific
As welcome Shankar into his role as Frontier Regional Leader, he caught up with Gayle Meikle, our CEO, to tell her a bit about his background, why he’s so suited to this position and the reasons he thinks APAC is currently one of the most exciting E&P regions.
GM: Shankar, you’re Senior Regional Manager (APAC) for Enverus and with 20 years’ experience in the field of business intelligence you’re renowned not only for your expertise, but also for your incredible enthusiasm for the upstream industry. What makes E&P so rewarding for you?
SK: An interesting question… which can be answered in one word – variety! I’m responsible for a vast area, from Afghanistan across to Indonesia, and focused on all aspects of E&P intelligence, from seismic being shot right the way through to potential decommissioning activity. It won’t come as a surprise, therefore, that no two days are the same for me. From political changes to unforeseen major discoveries, the variety is the hook. I keep learning whilst making meaningful contributions and that keeps me intrigued and humbled, whilst gaining a good deal of job satisfaction.
I don’t believe there is an industry which better illustrates the extreme distances at which the impact of change can be felt, and that is simply fascinating. The E&P market is affected by the smallest – as well as the most significant – shifts in global activity, and the winners and losers are made every day. And so, keeping ahead of the curve, having the ability to anticipate and predict are key to my day-to-day position at Enverus, and will prove invaluable in my role as Regional Leader.
GM: That brings us neatly to my next question. What are the synergies between yourself and Frontier?
SK: In order to answer that, I need to give you some background to my career. Following a business degree at the National University of Singapore, my career has been largely attuned to business and the effect of information management on business success. A Masters in Information Studies consolidated my interest and I am passionate about the efficient use of data once it has been retrieved; how do we manage it? How do we monetise it? Ultimately, without that knowledge most data is pointless – particularly within E&P.
However…
Whilst AI is, of course, becoming increasingly prevalent in this respect, I believe that for now, we still need to maintain significant emphasis upon the creation and maintenance of person-to-person relationships. And that’s where the existing symbiosis between Frontier and Enverus comes in. As Industry Insight Partner, we’ve been supporters of Frontier’s Global Summits for some time and have co-produced a number of industry reports. We are two organisations with the same objective to build and sustain game changing relationships, whilst making the most relevant content out there accessible to our networks.
Face-time with industry colleagues is critical for the development of global E&P and there is no doubt that Frontier leads the way in this respect. The opportunities to make deals are not easy to come by, and yet Frontier achieves this year on year through its Global Summits and regional events.
We have much to gain from each other’s experience.
GM: What are you keeping an eye on when it comes to upcoming opportunities and challenges in Asia-Pac?
SK: Undoubtedly, there is a general uptick in the industry – the vibe is at its most positive in the last five years. Companies which left the region are now looking to come back and supermajors are starting to undertake joint studies and are working again with the governments.
We thought Asia-Pac’s E&P industry was on the down – now it’s on the up and perfectly illustrates my earlier point regarding how responsive this industry is to global events.
The current global geopolitical situation has derisked this region to an extent, creating a more stable environment than previously thought, and there are two significant areas of opportunity that I’m watching with great interest.
Firstly, the OCA between Cambodia and Thailand. The negotiations between the governments are moving in the right direction for this highly prospective region. Secondly, I’m looking at Bangladesh, whose keenly anticipated bid-round was previously postponed due to internal politics – when the circumstances allow, this will be an area of huge interest.
We’re also seeing a renewed interest in deepwater plays, previously not high on the exploration agenda in South East Asia. However, working interests are being divided up, JVs are being created and the risk is being spread. Strategy right now is about ensuring the mistakes of the past are not repeated and that can only be positive for development.
GM: How does your regional leadership go into action over the coming months?
SK: As I mentioned above, Frontier has an incredible ability to create the opportunities which get the right people together. They gather the E&P decision makers under one roof, and that’s when the magic happens. We’ve seen this happen so many times during their Global Summits in London, and exclusive regional member events in key energy hubs across the world. I’m looking forward to supporting and developing that regional activity and the Frontier presence, initially with a particular focus upon KL and Indonesia.
Watch this space….!
