Awards of Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award 2023

Sam Laidlaw, Founder & CEO, Neptune Energy 

Back in January of this year, the Energy Council released their top 10 executives to watch in 2023. Sam Laidlaw was front and centre on that list heading up Neptune Energy as the consolidator of choice in the North Sea.  The company had taken a leading position in gas with material improvements on GHG reduction, reflected in its joining of the “Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions Initiative” and its own target for zero methane emissions by 2030. The company also set an example through its status as one of the UK’s lowest carbon producers with carbon intensity of its production at 1.7kg CO2/boe compared with the industry average of 20kg CO2/boe. Neptune’s transition objectives were also complemented by exceptionally strong financial performance, reflected in a more than six-fold increase in profits in the first three months of 2022 at $493.6million when compared to the $77.9million reported in Q1 of 2021.

All of this success stood Neptune in good stead when it came to their announcement in September of this year that they would be sold to Italian energy firm ENI in a deal worth $4.9, the largest cash deal in the European oil & gas sector in several years.  Completion of the deal is conditional upon receipt of necessary regulatory and governmental clearances among other things, and the deal is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2024.

On the deal’s completion, Sam Laidlaw said:

Prior to Sam’s role at Neptune, he was the CEO of Centrica Plc, Britain’s largest energy provider, where he re-organised the company to increase efficiency and competitiveness.  Other previous roles include EVP at Chevron Corporation, NED at Hanson PLC, CEO of Enterprise Oil and President and COO of Amerada Hess Corporation.

Sam has also been a member of the UK Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group and has been outspoken in recent months about the role of the UK North Sea in providing domestic gas supply and achieving energy independence by 2040, and the impact of the windfall tax on investor confidence.

We are delighted to announce that this year’s Awards of Excellence judging committee has voted Sam Laidlaw as our 2023 Lifetime Achievement winner.  On behalf of the Energy Council and the wider industry, we would like to congratulate Sam on this well-deserved accolade and look forward to welcoming him to this year’s World Energy Capital Assembly and Awards of Excellence.