Our Board
In 2003, Alan James, Sam Gomersall and Steve Murphy conceived the idea of capturing carbon dioxide emissions from power stations and storing them in depleted gas fields. At that time there was limited political will for carbon capture and storage (CCS), the carbon market was very immature (only 260 million tonnes traded during 2005) and society's' awareness and acceptance of climate change was low. Consequently the idea was put on hold.
By 2007 it was clear that the political momentum at national, EU & international level had grown enormously, to the extent that the UK Energy Bill, due to receive Royal Assent in summer 2008, will establish the necessary legislative framework for CCS. Furthermore the government has launched a competition to deliver the first commercial CCS project in the UK. The carbon market has matured both in terms of volume traded (over 1500 million tonnes in 2007) and the sophistication of available products, society is very aware and there is broad acceptance of the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The technology for CCS is available now - it simply requires to be scaled up to make a significant impact on reducing global emissions.
The four founding directors judged that the time was right for a commercial venture, focused on CCS, to create a strong position in the market place. They left the oil industry in 2007 and formed CO2DeepStore to do just that. The directors have worked together on a variety of projects in the past, including: well operations, field acquisitions and developments, new business ventures and gas field operations - the common thread in all of these is a determination to deliver exceptional results whilst doing the right thing. They make a formidable team, combining extensive networks, technical knowledge and boundless energy with a tight strategic focus, a track record of delivering value and experience of growing businesses.
Sam Gomersall
Director - Commercial Portfolio Development
Sam is responsible for Commercial Portfolio Development at CO2DeepStore where he identifies and develops carbon capture and storage opportunities. With over 24 years of experience, he brings a wide range of business development knowledge and corporate strategy development experience with Marathon Oil and Schlumberger. He brings important strategic thinking and commercial expertise to the development of viable CCS projects. Sam has experience in energy resource development including CO2 sequestration and enhanced oil recovery. Sam is a co-founder and co-owner of CO2DeepStore, Fast Frog and DEEX and currently serves as Journal of Petroleum Technology editor for CCS.
Alan James
Director - Subsurface Integrity
Alan has over 25 years experience in the development and monetisation of businesses in the oil and gas sector and is a co-founder of CO2DeepStore Limited. A geologist by training, Alan brings extensive experience in business growth, delivery, operations and marketing of geotechnical-based services. He was also a co-founder of PGL, RDS Resource, Brovig RDS and Helix RDS where he held the position of global business development manager. Collectively these businesses achieved enterprise values of over $40 million. Alan was instrumental in the sale of the business to Caldive in 2005. Alan has served on the Board of Directors of PGL and RDS Resource.
Steve Murphy
Director - Projects & CO2 Storage Operations
Steve is focused on delivering enterprise value through CO2 storage projects. Steve has over 23 years experience of capital investments, asset A&D and programme management with Chevron, Baker Hughes and Helix RDS. He brings expertise in commercial evaluations and project delivery, most recently this resulted in a significant premium being added to the sale value of Helix RDS. Prior to co-founding CO2DeepStore, Steve was managing a gas field and a new field development in the UK sector. He is currently serving as CO2DeepStore's Finance Manager.
Ian Phillips
Director - CO2 Infrastructure
Ian has more than 28 years broad experience in running major oil field development and construction projects with Shell, Marathon Oil and Ramco Energy. He brings expertise in managing offshore operations and pipeline transmission systems challenged by a high carbon dioxide content. He is responsible for developing the company's physical carbon dioxide business infrastructure, including carbon capture, transportation and sequestration projects. Prior to co-founding CO2DeepStore, Ian was CEO for Sensornet and Project Director - Change Management at BP. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Society of Petroleum Engineers and Young Enterprise Scotland and locally in Grampian.
Iain M Lanaghan
Non-Executive Advisor to the Board
Iain has extensive experience of growing and financing businesses. He was the first Finance Director of PowerGen International, during which it grew from a start-up to $7bn under management. He was Group Finance Director of FirstGroup plc, then a FTSE 250 international transport group. His private equity and private company experience includes the successful trade sale of Atlantic Power, an international oil & gas service company, and the growth of Abellio GmbH from start-up to over €1bn order book. He has substantial corporate finance and financing experience. He is a Chartered Accountant, having qualified with KPMG London. Iain will major on strategy, finance and governance matters.