Graham Henley

Graham Henley was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) in September 2023. He leads the organisation committed to ensuring that the oil and gas that the world needs today is, for as long as it’s needed, produced in the safest, most responsible and efficient way, with the lowest carbon footprint. Drawing on more than 2500 experts from almost 100 member companies, IOGP produces essential technical publications to achieve these aims and also engages with policymakers to advocate for technically sound legislation which supports climate and other sustainability goals. Before this, Graham was SVP Projects and Engineering Capability in Shell, completing an international career that had taken him to the deserts of Oman, frozen seas off Sakhalin, and tropical heat of Nigeria, Malaysia, and Brunei. After leading Shell’s businesses in Syria and a short assignment as Vice President Government Relations International, he spent his last ten years in Shell in headquarters roles, initially as Vice President of Conventional Oil & Gas Projects responsible for a $35 billion portfolio of projects in execution and thereafter leading the company’s global engineering and projects functions.

Session Overview

Thursday, 5 November

11:35

Upstream Plenary Hall B 11:35 - 12:05

EPC and OFS delivery super-cycle: managing execution risk as capacity tightens

A growing pipeline of upstream developments is placing mounting pressure on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors and oilfield service (OFS) providers. With around $40 billion of upstream projects reaching FID in early 2026 and Middle East investment continuing to scale, contractor backlogs are building and project pipelines expanding faster than capacity can respond. Geopolitical disruption has further strained supply chains, logistics and contractor availability across key producing regions. Competition for specialised engineering, fabrication capacity and skilled labour is intensifying as multiple large projects advance simultaneously across offshore and onshore basins. Logistics disruptions, tariff-driven cost escalation and complex global supply chains are adding further strain to execution planning and project economics. In a delivery super-cycle where contractor capacity is the binding constraint, the ability to align development schedules, manage supply chain risk and sequence projects effectively will determine which operators deliver on time and which face costly delays.

Attendee Insights:
Examine how operators, EPCs and service providers are managing contractor backlogs and cost escalation, and how collaboration is helping safeguard project delivery in a more disrupted execution environment.