Australia’s National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) appointed Derrick O’Keeffe as the head of division for safety and integrity.
In this role, O’Keeffe will ensure regulatory requirements around the occupational health and safety of the offshore oil and gas workforce are met. This includes the assessment of safety cases and well operations management plans, and their associated inspection and compliance regimes.
O’Keeffe possesses a comprehensive understanding of Australia’s objective-based regulatory regime, having worked for a diverse range of oil and gas companies in Australia, such as Murphy Oil, Strike Energy, and Woodside.
Significant international experience is also a feature of his background, which includes time spent working in the UK, the US, Asia, and the Middle East with various companies including Blade Petroleum, British Gas, Schlumberger, and Marathon Oil.
“O’Keeffe will bring new perspectives to the regulatory work undertaken by NOPSEMA, and I look forward to O’Keeffe leading our engagement with industry on safety and well integrity matters,” said Stuart Smith, CEO of NOPSEMA.
O’Keeffe’s expertise in the field of offshore oil and gas has been utilized in recent months through consultancy work with National Energy Resources Australia (NERA), part of the Australian government's Industry Growth Centers Initiative.
Formal qualifications held by O’Keeffe include a Bachelor of Science from Loughborough University of Technology, and a Master of Business Administration from Cranfield University.
He replaces Gavin Guyan, who retired in September 2016, and who held various roles at the National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (NOPSA) and subsequently at NOPSEMA when it was formed in 2012.
O’Keeffe will be based at NOPSEMA’s head office in Perth, and will commence on 20 December 2016.