Executive Bio
2010 SPE President
Behrooz Fattahi
Heavy Oil Development Coordinator
Aera Energy LLC
Behrooz Fattahi holds Ph.D. degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering both from Iowa State University. He currently works as a Heavy Oil Development Coordinator for Aera Energy LLC, an affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon/Mobil companies.
Prior to joining the oil industry, he conducted research for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation, and he taught a variety of courses in fluid dynamics and solid mechanics at Iowa State University. He joined the petroleum industry and Shell International in 1977.
Behrooz Fattahi is a past member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the American Association of University Professors. He served on the board of SPE as the Regional Director of the Western North American Region, President of SPE Inc., Vice President-Finance of SPE International, and Executive Editor of the SPE Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering Journal. He currently serves as the 2010 President of SPE International.
2009 SPE President
Leo Roodhart
Manager, Strategic Innovation
Shell International
Leo Roodhart is currently leading Shell’s corporate strategic innovation program, GameChanger, which identifies and sponsors the development of new breakthrough technologies in the context of the various technology futures for the oil industry. He joined Shell in 1980 and has worked in research and development, production engineering, business development, and innovation. He is an Associate Fellow at Templeton College and Said Business School, University of Oxford, on strategic innovation. He has papers published in numerous technical journals such as the Journal of Petroleum Technology and business journals, including Research Technology Management Journal.
Roodhart has been an active member of SPE since 1983, making many contributions in the area of developing new technology. He served as an SPE Distinguished Lecturer for 2007–2008. He served as chairman of the SPE Forum Series Implementation Committee for the Eastern Hemisphere and chairman of the Forum Series Coordinating Committee. He has been both program and section chairman for the SPE Netherlands Section. Internationally, he has served on the executive committees for SPE’s EUROPEC and the 2001, 2003, and 2005 Offshore Europe conferences. He chaired the first two Netherland’s SPE Applied Technology Workshops (ATWs) on mature reservoirs, and served on many other workshop and forum committees.
Roodhart holds a master’s degree in chemistry and a PhD in mathematics and physics from the University of Amsterdam.
2011 SPE President
Alain Labastie
Engineering Adviser, EOR Technologies, Total
Alain Labastie is Engineering Adviser, EOR Technologies, for Total and is based in Pau, France. He began his career in 1976 at Elf and has held numerous positions in reservoir engineering, primarily in R&D and technology development. His positions have included R&D Program Manager, Head of R&D Operations, and Head of Advanced Reservoir Techniques. Labastie also served in committees awarding public research funding for the French administration and the European Union.
Labastie served on the SPE Board as Director for the South, Central, and East Europe region and is a former Chairperson of the JPT Editorial Committee. He has been involved in numerous SPE committees, including the Distinguished Lecturers, ATCE, International Petroleum Technology Conference and Exhibition, Europec Technical, and Forum Series committees. Labastie also chaired the SPE France Section. He has also been an SPE representative for the Offshore Technology Conference. He earned an engineering degree from Ecole des Arts et Métiers and a petroleum engineering degree from Institut Français du Pétrole.
Vice President, Finance
Kenneth E. Arnold
Consultant
Kenneth E. Arnold has over forty years of industry experience with 16 years at Shell Oil Company. He founded Paragon Engineering Services in 1980 which was purchased by AMEC in 2005. Ken retired from AMEC in 2007 and is currently an independent consultant providing project management, facilities engineering and engineering management consulting to the oil and gas industry. Ken was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2005.
Arnold is currently Vice President of Finance of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and has served as the first Director of Projects, Facilities and Construction of the Board of SPE. Ken is also a member of the Marine Board of the National Research Council which advises US Government agencies, and is a member of the Board of The Academy of Medicine Engineering and Science of Texas which was set up by Texas Nobel Laureates to promote science and engineering in Texas.
Ken is co-author of two textbooks and over 50 technical articles on project management and facilities design. He has twice been chosen as an SPE distinguished lecturer and was named 2003 Houston Engineer of the Year by the Texas Society of Professional Engineers. Arnold has taught facilities engineering at the University of Houston and is a recipient of the SPE Public Service Award, the SPE DeGolyer Medal and the SPE Production Engineering Award.
He has received an American Petroleum Institute citation for his work in promoting offshore safety and was recognized by the Offshore Energy Center in 2009 for his pioneering work in helping to develop API RP 14C. Ken is a registered professional engineer and serves on the advisory board of the engineering schools of both Tulane University and Cornell University, a member of the Board of the Center for Marine Compressed Natural Gas, and a Trustee of Southwest Research Institute. He is on the Advisory Board of the Houston Community College Center for Energy Engineering and Science.
Executive Director
Mark A. Rubin
Mark Rubin was appointed executive director of SPE in August 2001. Prior to
this appointment, he served as upstream general manager
for the American Petroleum Institute (API) in Washington, D.C. Rubin joined API
in 1988 and held a series of positions working on
federal regulatory and legislative matters as well as technical standards
development.
A member of SPE since 1979, Rubin held petroleum engineering positions for
Unocal in Houston and East Texas from 1981 to 1987 and
for Buttes Resources in Dallas in 1987–88. Rubin is a member of the American
Society of Association Executives and the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives. He has been a member of the
National Petroleum Council, the Interstate Oil and Gas
Compact Commission and the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers.
Rubin earned a BS degree in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA degree from Southern Methodist
University.
At SPE, Rubin is responsible for staff operations in the Society's six offices in Dallas, Houston, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Moscow, and London.
Director, Communications
Georgeann Bilich
Georgeann Bilich is Director of Communications and Senior Staff Director. Her responsibilities include print and electronic publications (including the multi-society library OnePetro), peer review; marketing; public relations, communications (including energy education); communities; retail sales; web content; and publishing services. As Senior Staff Director, she is additionally responsible for the management of activities in the SPE Canada Office.
Bilich joined SPE in 1974 as conference-proceedings assistant. She subsequently held several editorial positions, including Technical Publications Manager and Editor of the Journal of Petroleum Technology. She also has been responsible for conference programs/meetings management, including the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition.
Bilich holds a BA degree in journalism from the U. of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She is a member of the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives and the American Society of Association Executives.
Managing Director, Americas
Stephen Graham
As SPE Managing Director, Americas, Graham is responsible for conferences, exhibitions, forums, and workshops in North and South America. He also is the Associate Executive Manager for the Offshore Technology Conference.
Before joining SPE, Graham was Division Controller for Mentor Graphics, a software company. Before that, he worked for Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) for 19 years. He held several financial positions including assignments in Shekou, People’s Republic of China; Plano, Dallas and Houston, Texas; and Bakersfield, California. He worked for the International Division for nine years traveling to many worldwide E&P operating locations.
Graham has an MBA from California State University and a BBA in Accounting from Texas A&M University. Graham is also a Certified Public Accountant.
Managing Director, Global Business Development and Sales
Lawrence Slade
Lawrence Slade joined SPE in February 2007 as Managing Director, Europe, Russia and Africa, based in SPE's London office.
Prior to joining SPE, Slade was with the Energy Institute in London. He joined the Institute of Petroleum (IP) as Marketing Director in 2002. On the IP’s merger with the Institute of Energy to create the Energy Institute he took up the post of Business Development and Technical Director, before promotion to Deputy Chief Executive and Development Director in January 2006. During his tenure with the Energy Institute he undertook several projects with UK government relating to the development of energy policy.
Before joining the Energy Institute, Slade worked with major and national oil companies in the area of market intelligence. His experience also includes work for Lloyd's of London and The Economist.
Managing Director, Asia Pacific
Cordella Wong-Gillett
Cordella Wong-Gillett has served as the Managing Director, Asia Pacific, based in SPE's office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, since January 1995. Wong-Gillett began her career at SPE’s Dallas office in June 1983.
Wong-Gillett was responsible for the establishment, staffing, and start-up operations of the fourth SPE office and continues to manage regional activities in Asia Pacific. Before being appointed Managing Director, Wong Gillett served as Senior Manager of meetings, with responsibility for planning and managing SPE national, international, and regional meetings and exhibitions. She headed the global expansion of the Society’s Forum Series program and the London office start-up operations.
Before joining SPE, Wong-Gillett held various positions assisting in the organization and communication of exhibitions for Riggs Associates in Hong Kong and China. Wong-Gillett holds an AA degree in sociology from Finch College and a BBA degree in marketing from Pace University, both in New York City.
Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa and India
Waleed Refaay
Waleed Refaay joined SPE in September 2007 as a Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa and India, based in the Dubai Office
Prior to joining , Refaay worked in the event management industry organizing high-level meetings for marcus evans, one of the leading event management organizations in the world, managing offices in London, Amsterdam, South East Asia , Greater China and South Africa. He moved to the Gulf region to set up an office for another event management organizer specializing in oil and gas events. A civil engineer, he worked on several projects in Egypt.
Refaay holds a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from Alexandria University, is a member of the Dutch association for Civil Engineers.
Director, Information Technology
Robert Wyatt
After graduating from Southern Methodist University in 1980 with an honors BA degree in Business Management, Wyatt worked in the family business, Wymac Inc. (a computer processing service bureau). He sold the firm in 1986, and worked as an independent consultant on IBM mainframe systems until he joined VHA in 1988 as a Senior Systems Programmer responsible for all IBM mainframe systems. In 1992, he was promoted to Senior Manager of Technical Support responsible for all aspects of technology and computer operations, including the implementation of VHA’s first website.
In 1995, Wyatt join the Society of Petroleum Engineers as Senior Manager of Information Technology with responsibility for all aspects of the computing environment, including the original concept and implementation of SPE’s knowledge portal, SPE.org. In 1999 he was named Director, Information Technology.
