2025 SPE President
Olivier Houzé
2025 SPE President
Co-founder and managing director of KAPPA Engineering, a reservoir and production engineering software company.
SPE President in the News
Journal of Petroleum Technology
SPE Benin City Section Marks 35 Years of Excellence
01 December 2025
The SPE Benin City Section celebrated its 35th section anniversary in July by combining its annual general meeting with a dinner and awards night.
SPE Brings Its Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition Back to Houston
24 October 2025
The conference focused on solutions, people, and energy—the core of SPE’s commitment to advancing the energy industry.
Energizing Tomorrow: Just Do It!
01 October 2025
Jennifer Miskimins shares her vision for the year ahead—rooted in SPE’s new tagline, “Solutions. People. Energy.”—and outlines how the Society can meet growing global energy needs, support members, and shape the industry’s future.
SPE’s Path to Financial Sustainability: A Message From the Officers
23 September 2025
SPE is navigating one of the most challenging financial periods in its history. In this article, the SPE Officers outline the factors behind ongoing budget pressures, the actions already taken, and the new steps approved by the SPE Board of Directors to ensure long-term sustainability while protecting member value.
A Year in Review
06 August 2025
This month’s column recaps the top five objectives for the 2025 SPE President and introduces a new discussion on the future of the SPE name.
Celebrating 40 Years of SPE France: Reflecting on the Past, Shaping the Future
19 June 2025
The SPE France Section marked a major milestone with its 40th anniversary celebration in March, held at the iconic Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris. This historic venue—dedicated to centuries of engineering excellence—served as a fitting backdrop for an evening that honored legacy, acknowledged present challenges, and explored the evolving role of oil and gas professionals in the global energy transition.
A Year in Review
August 2025
For my Journal of Petroleum Technology (JPT) columns this year, I decided to deviate from the traditional format, which generally focuses on relatively short and specific topics. I opted to publish longer, and perhaps somewhat exhaustive, articles on key SPE topics where my objective was to provide members who could (and would) invest their time with an understanding of these issues at a level equivalent to what a board member might know. I promised you candor and transparency, and whether you like it or not, I have done my best to deliver.
I took a pause preparing these columns when I ran out of topics I wanted to present to you, the members. Well, now there is another topic, one that I am sure will polarize traditionalists and progressives. Still, we need an overdue discussion about our name, the Society of Petroleum Engineers, as a technical society. In candor, I have long wanted to discuss our name, not for the sake of debate, but to define who we are, what we do, and what we may become...
About Olivier Houzé
Olivier Houzé holds an engineering degree from École Polytechnique and an MSc in petroleum engineering from Stanford University. He started his career as a field well-test operator with Schlumberger (SLB). He is the co-founder and managing director of KAPPA Engineering, a reservoir and production engineering software company.
Olivier has been involved in many SPE summits, forums, and workshops. He coauthored an SPE and SPEE Monograph. He was an SPE Distinguished Lecturer in 2013 and served on the SPE Board as Technical Director for Reservoir from 2012 to 2015. In 2019, he received the SPE Lester C. Uren Award for Technical Excellence, and an SPE Honorary Member Award in 2022.