Schlumberger’s Digital Forum features heavyweight speakers this week

Kurt Abraham, Editor-in-Chief, World Oil September 20, 2022

Luzern, Switzerland (WO) — Schlumberger’s Digital Forum 2022 is underway today with its first full day of speakers and presentations, following Monday evening’s icebreaker reception.  The event’s theme is “Connecting for a New Future.” Roughly 1,000 attendees attending the event at Luzern, Switzerland’s KKL conference venue are hearing from a top-level group of operator and other industry executives about how the global challenges and opportunities facing the industry can be addressed by new levels of “connectedness.”

Some of the attendees waiting for the Schlumberger Digital Forum to get underway on Tuesday morning.

On both Tuesday and Wednesday, Forum attendees are hearing prepared remarks and presentations from various executives, and also hearing from some of them in panel discussion formats. In the afternoons, a wide variety of technical presentations over nine categories will take place, along with additional leadership panels featuring executives responsible for digital operations in their respective companies. On Thursday, the program will focus solely on the nine technical categories.

Tuesday’s program. The program began earlier today with the plenary, featuring a keynote address from Schlumberger CEO Olivier Le Peuch, followed by a second set of keynote remarks from Saudi Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser. The first panel discussion, “Everything Connected,” featured comments from Woodside Energy CEO and Managing Director Meg O’Neil, IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, and Ecopetrol CEO Felipe Bayón. A second panel group before lunchtime has featured Occidental Petroleum President and CEO Vicki Hollub, OGCi Climate Investment’s CEO, Dr. Pratima Rangarajan, and Schlumberger’s Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer, Dr. Katharina Beumelburg.

Technical presentations and leadership panels during the afternoon have focused on specific technical categories. The presentations touch on nine topics, including Data, Analytics and AI; Drilling and Well Construction; Field Development Planning; Production Operations; Subsurface Characterization; Digital Business Transformation; Energy Transition; Flow Assurance and Facilities Management; and Reservoir Engineering and Simulation. Leadership panels are touching on Delivering Digital Transformation; Transforming Field Development and Well Deliverability; Transforming Oil and Gas Production; Accelerating Energy Transition; and AI: Energizing People and Performance.

Wednesday’s program. Similar to Tuesday morning, the program on Wednesday morning will kick off with a keynote address, this time from Petronas President and Group CEO Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik. Following his remarks, a video address will be delivered by Chevron Chairman and CEO Mike Wirth, followed by another keynote set of remarks from ConocoPhillips Chairman and CEO Ryan Lance. Then, a panel discussion will ensue, featuring Schlumberger President for Digital and Integration Rajeev Sonthalia, along with Aker ASA President and CEO Øyvind Eriksen, and Rockwell Automation Chairman and CEO Blake Moret. After the panel, Schlumberger’s Sonthalia returns for another keynote address, followed by a “fireside chat” just before lunch, featuring dialogue between Schlumberger CEO Le Peuch and Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella.

Wednesday afternoon’s technically oriented program will be very much like Tuesday’s afternoon session, although there will be just two leadership panels.

Thursday’s program. As alluded to earlier, Tuesday’s agenda will focus entirely on a half day’s lineup of technical presentations, covering most of the original categories. The conference will finish off with lunch and a closing ceremony, ending at 2 p.m., local time. 

Connect with World Oil
Connect with World Oil, the upstream industry's most trusted source of forecast data, industry trends, and insights into operational and technological advances.