The energy industry represents one of the most amazing, dynamic, but also unpredictable sectors across the world. As the oil supply-demand balance is regularly on the edge and highly influenced by geopolitics, oil price volatility will continue to shape strategy for this capital-intensive industry.
The recent low oil price environment boosted M&A activity in the sector. Oil and Gas businesses must maximise benefits from the M&A process. Mergers provide the opportunity to high grade portfolios in line with strategy, drive operational efficiencies and capture the full synergy potential.
To achieve this, industry experts must provide clear direction to the organisations involved efficiently in order to optimise risk-reward mix and maximise value creation.
ESCP and its Energy Management Centre (EMC) hosted a thought-provoking discussion on “Beyond the Evaluation: Keys Insights for a Successful M&A transaction in Oil & Gas” with distinguished guest speaker Eric Descourteux, CFO of Trident Energy and ESCP Master in Management Alumnus (Class of 1988).
When: Friday, 16 November
Where: ESCP's London Campus
Start time: 05:00 pm
End time: 07:00 pm
What attendees learnt:
- How to secure world-class transactions
- Insights to overcome oil price volatility challenges
- Key considerations on leverage acquisition
- Determine the implications of integration
The talk was followed by a drinks reception, allowing attendees the opportunity to meet the speaker, our full-time MSc in Energy Management students, and network with other like-minded people.
About Our Speaker
Eric is co-founder and CFO of Trident Energy - a leading company that unlocks the value of mid-life oil & gas assets and he is also a Visiting Professor at ESCP.
Eric started his professional career at Aerospatiale, where he held positions first at the Paris Headquarters, then in the Washington DC Purchasing Office, and finally back in Paris, as Financial Controller of the Eurocopter Business Unit in La Courneuve.
He then moved to working as a Financial Controller for the KFC branch of the PepsiCo group in France, before joining the Oil and Gas company Perenco in 1997. Within Perenco, he held positions in Gabon, Guatemala, Venezuela and Colombia, first as Finance Manager and then as General Manager of these Business Units.
In 2008, Eric was appointed Chief Financial Officer for the Perenco group and held this position until 2016. As part of the Management Committee of the company, he was in charge of making decision for capital allocations, managing risk and reporting to the shareholders of the company. He also managed multi-billion-dollar financing facilities from a pool of major international banks.
Eric graduated from ESCP's Master in Management programme in 1988. He has more than 30 years of international experience in both operational and financial positions in large companies.