• CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

Paul Markwell

S&P Global

Senior Associate

Paul Markwell, Senior Associate, S&P Global, is an independent Energy sector advisor with almost 40 years experience spanning technical and executive roles in upstream oil and gas companies, and research and advisory firms. His current focus is around helping energy sector players adopt best practices in ESG, decarbonization and digitalization. Paul spent 17 years with IHS Markit companies until 2021, and has been a regular speaker and moderator at CERAWeek through that time. In his last full time position at IHS Markit he was Vice President for its Global Upstream Oil & Gas Insight business, where his teams provided insights to a wide range of energy sector players globally on company strategies and transactions; E&P terms and aboveground risk; costs, technology and operating performance and plays and basins and technical analyses. Previously he led various research and consulting teams supporting clients on business strategy, market outlooks, opportunity screening and characterization, unconventionals, and technology and innovation and he led a number of energy policy advisory programs for governments in the MENA region. Paul previously held posts at McKinsey and Company as an upstream expert consultant and as European Petroleum Practice Manager. The first half of his career was spent in international E&P companies working in the Netherlands, Thailand, the UK and Pakistan, initially as a Petroleum Engineer and in upstream operations and business development in Shell International; then in business development and country manager roles in Hardy Oil & Gas and British-Borneo. Mr. Markwell holds a BSc from Imperial College, London, and an MBA from Henley Management College. He is a Fellow of the Energy Institute in the UK and an Honorary fellow of Brunel University, London, where he served for 8 years as an independent member of Council and Audit committee chair. 

Sessions With Paul Markwell

Monday, 9 March

  • 04:00pm - 04:50pm (CST) / -

    CCUS: Can it scale?

    Climate & Sustainability

    With just 19 industrial-scale CCUS projects deployed in the world, the technology needs to transform in scale to significantly assist climate change mandates. The US National Petroleum Council’s report “Meeting the Dual Challenge: A Roadmap to At-Scale Development of CCUS,” identified several areas of improvement, from policy reforms and financial incentives, infrastructure development, and technology R&D to cost-reduction for capture, compression and transport, use, storage, and EOR, as well as education and confidence in the technology. Scaling up and reducing costs of CCUS globally will be a challenge. What is the outlook for technological innovation to change the game on CCUS? Where should policy makers’ efforts be directed first to accelerate scaling it up? Who are the other key players needed to ensure progress? What role should the oil and gas industry play?

Tuesday, 10 March

  • 11:30am - 12:30pm (CST) / -

    Maturing Basins: Top attraction for E&P Growth?

    Upstream Oil & Gas

    E&P players have focused on exploiting maturing basins in recent years, as lower commodity prices favor existing operations and known petroleum systems that may offer lower-cost production and application of innovative practices and new technologies. Maturing basins in many cases offer significant upside in conventional and unconventional resource exploitation and exploration. Such basins can provide a mix of investment opportunities to suit all, with smaller, short-cycle and brownfield investments and traditional greenfield projects. What are the key technical or commercial ingredients for success in developing maturing basins? What parameters drive the attractiveness of maturing basins within the portfolio of a major E&P company or for a new entrant, in a price and carbon-constrained world? How best to innovate to exploit the basins and fields as they start to decline? Does that phase require new ownership and operating practices?

Wednesday, 11 March

  • 02:10pm - 02:55pm (CST) / -

    Plenary - The Case for Investing in the Upstream

    Upstream Oil & Gas

    The upstream oil & gas sector needs to convince investors that it can provide sustainable, profitable growth against a backdrop of low commodity prices and low returns in recent years, while also adopting low-carbon strategies in response to the energy transition. While the upstream industry has significantly reduced cost through operational and technological innovation and portfolio refocusing, and has also shown that lowering carbon emissions is an industry priority, what more can it provide to investors to ensure investment? What are the main levers available to upstream industry players to transform operational performance and profitability, while lowering emissions? How can the industry demonstrate progress to align with investor expectations?