Distinguished Achievement Awards
These awards will presented at the Awards Luncheon
2007 Distinguished Achievement Award for Individuals
Marcos Assayag is being honored with the 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award for Individuals for his sustained and continuing contributions to the offshore industry through efforts to develop and foster new technologies for deepwater production. As the leader of the successful PROCAP programs for Petrobras, he developed technological processes that allowed the company to produce in water as deep as 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) and set the foundation to allow production in the 3,000 meters (9,840 feet) water depth range. Assayag is currently the basic design general manager at the Petrobras R&D Center.
2007 Distinguished Achievement Award for Organizations
The 2007 Distinguished Achievement Award for Companies, Organizations, and Institutions recognizes Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Helix Energy Solutions, and Enterprise Product Partners for their joint development of the Marco Polo Project, the deepest application of tension leg platform technology in the world, which led to the industry’s first production in 4,300 feet (1,310 meters) of water. The companies created a major deepwater hub facility in an area with significant surrounding reserves in the Gulf of Mexico.
Heritage Awards
At the 2007 Awards Luncheon, OTC will mark the 60th anniversary of the offshore industry by presenting three Heritage Awards to individuals who have provided distinguished service and significant contributions to the development of offshore resources. The Heritage Awards recipients are Jon Gjedebo, founder of Hitec Inc.; John Huff, chairman of the board of Oceaneering International; and Owen Kratz, executive chairman of Helix Energy Solutions Group.
Jon Gjedebo
Jon Gjedebo is a private investor and board member. He has been an entrepreneur within the international oil and gas industry in different capacities for more than three decades, combining both technical and business expertise. He started his first business in 1973, which early on became engaged in supplying instrumentation and control systems to the emerging petroleum industry in Norway.
The key aspect for Gjedebo throughout his career has been to improve the relationship between man, machine and environment. In 1985, he helped launch Hitec ASA in Norway, and Hitec Inc. was established in Houston in 1997. Under his leadership, the Hitec group became a world-leading pioneer on mechanical solutions, which ensured safe and human-friendly rig floor operations such as the fully integrated mechanical drill floor and the “two-men drillers’ cabin.” Gjedebo also spearheaded the development of active heave compensation draw works for floating drilling units.
Gjedebo has served on numerous boards, committees and public bodies. He was a member of the Stavanger City Council from 1979 to 1991. In 1997 Gjedebo was instrumental in establishing INTSOK, the Norwegian government-sponsored think tank for internationalization of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and was a member of the committee’s original board. He has previously been elected “Entrepreneur of the Year” and “Oilman of the Year” in Norway.
John Huff
John Huff is chairman of the board of Oceaneering International, Inc. He has worked in the offshore services industry since 1968. Prior to joining Oceaneering in 1986 as president and CEO, he served as chairman, president and CEO of Western Oceanic, Inc. from 1972 to 1986. An active offshore energy industry spokesman, Huff is a member of the National Petroleum Council and a past director of the National Ocean Industries Association and International Association of Drilling Contractors. He served on the US Department of Transportation's National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee. He is a past director of the American Bureau of Shipping, the US Coast Guard Foundation and the Law of the Sea Institute. He is active in a variety of nonprofit organizations and is currently a director of Suncor Energy, Inc.; BJ Services Company; and Rowan Companies. Huff has been a recipient of various awards recognizing his leadership and business achievements. Huff attended Rice University and received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Georgia Tech University in 1968. He subsequently attended the Harvard Business School Program for Management Development in 1977.
Owen Kratz
Owen Kratz was named executive chairman of Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. in October 2006. He was appointed chairman in May 1998 and served as the company’s chief executive officer beginning in April 1997. Kratz served as president from 1993 to1999 and as director beginning in 1990. He served as chief operating officer from 1990 to 1997. Kratz joined the company in 1984 and has held various offshore positions, including saturation diving supervisor, and has had management responsibility for client relations, marketing and estimating. From 1982 to 1983, Kratz was the owner of an independent marine construction company operating in the Bay of Campeche. Prior to 1982, he was a superintendent for Santa Fe and various international diving companies, and a diver in the North Sea. Kratz has a BS degree in biology and chemistry from the State University of New York.
