Ian Phillips

Ian was appointed as Director of the Acorn Hydrogen and CCS project in March 2020. He leads two teams – one focussed on producing hydrogen from natural gas and producing carbon dioxide as a waste product – the other focussed on the carbon capture and storage (CCS) aspects of the project.

For the previous five years Ian was Chief Executive of OGIC – the Oil and Gas Innovation Centre. OGIC was one of 8 Innovation Centers backed by the Scottish Funding Council, with a clear aim to significantly increase research and development spending in the oil and gas sector.

He is an MBA qualified Chartered Petroleum Engineer (M.Eng. Heriot Watt) offering a valuable blend of extensive reservoir engineering, well engineering and field development management skills combined with commercial and strategic business development expertise.

He has previously directed several major projects – including the technical aspects of a pioneering £2.5 billion onshore and offshore climate change / carbon capture and storage development; a project to implement a major change in operational practice with a major North Sea Operator; and the development a subsea gas field tied back to existing infrastructure.

Ian is an articulate, persuasive leader with a broad general management skill set gained in both E&P Operators and Major Service companies. Well-known in the upstream sector through his work with the SPE (twice chair of the SPE Aberdeen Section), and as an active volunteer with Young Enterprise (current chair) and Maggies Aberdeen (one of the Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Caring Centres)

He was awarded the “Industry Leader” award at the Press & Journal Gold Awards in 2019, and the SPE Distinguished Member” award in 2018.