Petrofac Restructures & Enhances Safety Organisation

Petrofac today announces the appointment of John Methven to director of Group HSSE and Integrity Assurance. His appointment comes as Petrofac initiates important changes to its core safety assurance team.

The core safety team was designed particularly to reinforce focus on the management of asset integrity and key process risks, and to accelerate the introduction of best safety practices across the divisions. Safety advisory and safety audit resources of Petrofac’s three core operating divisions are now being integrated within the new unit.

Methven will lead the new team and have a worldwide remit covering all three Petrofac divisions. He will report directly to Group chief executive Ayman Asfari.

Methven, 58, previously was UK managing director, Petrofac Facilities Management responsible for Petrofac’s UK Service operator portfolio of contracts. A 10-year veteran of Petrofac, Methven was instrumental in launching Petrofac’s global safety campaign, Horizon Zero. He has also, for several years, represented Petrofac on the UK North Sea “Step Change in Safety” leadership forum.

Methven notes: “Our employees, customers and the communities within which we work all rely on us to design, build and operate safely and to protect the safety of the people in our industry.  This task has never been more challenging as the industry responds globally to rising energy demand with a high pace of new developments and extension of the productive life of mature oil & gas fields. I am greatly looking forward to shaping Petrofac’s response to these challenges.”

Group chief executive Ayman Asfari comments: “This appointment principally signals Petrofac’s redoubled focus on the avoidance of process failures, the two most common causes of which are plant integrity failures and operating practice errors. John Methven is one of Petrofac’s most experienced operations professionals and a recognised safety leader and brings a wealth of knowledge to this new role.”

A petroleum production engineer by background, Methven worked for Hamilton Oil and BP in oil & gas production operations before joining Petrofac.