IADC SCA Chapter marks 10 years of successes

An estimated 300 guests helped the IADC South Central Asia (SCA) Chapter celebrate its 10th anniversary on 13-14 March at Aamby Valley’s Sahara Lake City, a resort community between the cities of Mumbai and Pune. The 22nd Technology Meet was held on the first day, followed by a golf tournament on the second.

A message from IADC president Dr Lee Hunt was delivered by IADC regional vice president – Middle East & Africa Ken Fischer to congratulate the chapter for a decade of stellar success. Dr Hunt emphasized the support of ONGC’s leaders, commenting, “Without their patronage and sponsorship, it would have been difficult to assemble the lineup of distinguished guests and speakers who have brought such high levels of learning and information to these assemblies.”

He also noted the chapter’s achievements in 2008 under chapter chairman U.N. Bose of ONGC, with continued involvement in practical issues confronting the promotion of health, safety and efficiency in operating environments in the region.

Mr Bose was in attendance, as was S. Sundareshan of India’s Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. Both congratulated the chapter on its milestone and encouraged further cooperation in the future among IADC and drilling contractors, the Indian government, and oil and gas companies.

Mr Fischer also delivered an address to the attendees. Following is an excerpt:

It is my great pleasure to be here with you to celebrate, if belatedly, the 10th anniversary of the South Central Asia Chapter of IADC.

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the reason why this gathering was postponed from November 28th last year …. The terrible events in Mumbai that began on 26 November and resulted in the death or injury of several hundred Indian citizens and their guests shocked the world and drew our attention to issues far more important than our industry or our profession. Believe me when I say that all of us who know and respect India and its great people shared your grief and sorrow at that time…

Before I share with you my own thoughts on this occasion, please allow me to read a message from Norman Edwards, who retired from IADC a couple of years ago. The message reads:

“Heartiest congratulations to the IADC South Central Asia Chapter on its 10th anniversary celebration event and, in particular, to Mr U.N. Bose and his committee of long-serving stalwarts, supported, as ever, by Arun and Shaila Karle and a host of other faithful members. All best wishes for the future.”

As many of you know, Norman enjoyed his work in India as much as I do. And he especially enjoyed making speeches at these chapter gatherings. One thing he always did was to quote Winston Churchill or some other famous Brit. So in keeping with that tradition, allow me to share a couple of quotations from American presidents that I think sum up what IADC is all about.

The first one is from President Woodrow Wilson. President Wilson said, “Power consists in one’s capacity to link his will with the purpose of others, to lead by reason and a gift of cooperation.”

Cooperatively linking our purposes truly does give IADC members great power. Together we can accomplish much more than any one of us could do alone. Sometimes this cooperation requires compromise, but I believe the benefits far outweigh the small concessions we must sometimes make to achieve our objectives.

Another quote comes from Thomas Jefferson, the third US president. Jefferson said, “An association of men who will not quarrel with one another is a thing which has never yet existed, from the greatest confederacy of nations down to a town meeting.” He must have had the oil industry in mind when he said this even though it was decades before oil would be discovered in America.

IADC is not immune from “quarrels.” The quarrels, however, lead to better understanding … to improved ways of going about the business of producing the world’s most important natural resources. So let us not avoid our quarrels but let us learn to disagree, when necessary, without being disagreeable, and to move forward together as part of a unified industry association.

Lastly, a quote that can probably be attributed to many great men, in politics and in our business: “Teamwork is essential. It allows you to blame someone else.”

And what about the future? I see only greater success for IADC and for this chapter. India’s oil and gas industry will continue to grow, bringing more and more IADC members to India for the first time. And when those companies arrive, they will find a mature and effective IADC chapter waiting for them. So let’s prepare ourselves by solidifying our base, by making sure that all companies currently operating in India are members of IADC.

Ladies and gentlemen, I congratulate you all on 10 successful years of cooperation, quarrels and teamwork, and I look forward to working with you to meet the challenges of the years to come.