Editorial: IADC steps up global leadership to address critical industry challenges

Continually overcoming difficult challenges and major change is a hallmark of our industry. However, the pace of change is getting faster, the risks bigger and the consequences more far-reaching, due to more countries seeking to develop a growing range of hydrocarbon resources in more challenging geologies and geographies.

This necessitates greater industry collaboration to encourage and coordinate the urgent development and application of enhanced skills, better processes and advanced technological drilling solutions.

Throughout IADC’s nearly 75-year history, we have served as the go-to place for our members to connect, collaborate and create solutions to problems facing the drilling industry. This led key industry stakeholder groups, including governments, regulators and other petroleum industry associations, to request IADC, as the authoritative body in the drilling space, to step up its global leadership, reach and impact.

We are in the final stage of implementing an extensive overhaul of IADC’s role, structure and activities, focusing on maximizing value for our members by urgently addressing the drilling industry’s most critical challenges and needs.  Underpinning this are our compelling vision – enabling humanity to responsibly meet its vital energy needs by ensuring all drilling is undertaken safely, cleanly and efficiently – and clear mission – catalyzing improved performance for the drilling industry.

Over the past 12 months, IADC staff and members have been hard at work developing new initiatives within our reinvigorated committees and chapters. Principal among these are the formation of the Well Control Institute (WCI), the sweeping revamp of the IADC Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs), and the initiation of the Workforce Attraction and Development Initiative (WADI). Together, these initiatives will significantly enhance the competence of drilling crews globally.

On 7 May, during OTC in Houston, the inaugural WCI Board meeting is expected to set out the framework of the WCI’s strategic direction, confirming the immediate priority to deliver a single standard, governance and administration for global well control training. A group of dedicated member volunteers is urgently devising the standard for the WCI training curriculum and accreditation program that will supplant IADC WellCAP by the end of 2014.

Additionally, we have significantly bolstered our operational capabilities through the establishment of the Onshore and Offshore Advisory Panels. These groups comprise senior drilling contractors and drilling subject matter experts from across IADC’s membership. They will support the IADC Executive Committee’s strategic planning efforts by identifying and recommending tactical plans and actions. The advisory panels address key issues as they pertain to IADC’s twin pillars of Operational Integrity and Policy, Government & Regulatory Affairs (PGRA), working closely with IADC staff from our Onshore and Offshore Divisions. Further, we are working to establish two additional panels by the end of 2014 – Industry Affairs and Well Servicing.

IADC’s PGRA department has been restructured, with additional resources provided to facilitate more impactful advocacy across the growing number of countries where our members are undertaking drilling operations.

These timely changes enabled IADC to provide effective leadership with regard to the drilling industry’s ongoing campaign to address potentially damaging changes to the UK’s fiscal regime. In the US, we are aware of the need to advocate on behalf of our members at both the state and federal levels and are working on all fronts to influence sensible and fair regulations.

As we assessed all of the recent changes at IADC, it became clear that our visual identity needed an update to reflect and closely align with the changed organization. Building on our long heritage, we debuted a new look and logo in March. Our new look provides a strong and obvious visual cue of IADC’s intent to grow its global leadership for the drilling industry.

I am proud of IADC’s long and illustrious history and even prouder of the hard work by so many of our members to make our organization a success. I believe that the growth and change of IADC, as we continue to serve as the catalyst for change, will positively impact the drilling industry into the future.

It’s an exciting time to be a part of the drilling industry and IADC. I invite you to join and support us in our shared endeavors.