Dr Ross Compton currently serves as the Director of Global Policy at the EnerGeo Alliance. In this role, Ross manages engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, addressing critical policy issues related to the energy geoscience industry and its role in the global energy transition. Based in the UK, Ross focuses on Europe, Africa and the Middle East, while working in global context as part of EnerGeo and the wider membership. Ross joined the geoscience sector in 2005, with an environmental background and worked primarily in support services related to mitigating potential environmental impacts from a variety of industrial activities at sea including geophysical exploration and construction piling. During that time Ross worked with geophysical and geotechnical contractors and international consulting firms. Ross holds an undergraduate degree in Ecological Science from the University of Edinburgh, a master’s degree in Applied Marine Science and PhD in Marine Studies from the University of Plymouth. Ross is continuing part-time studies, with a shift in focus from environment to energy issues and is currently completing a further master’s degree in Energy Policy with the University of Sussex.

In bp, Ted has held multiple leadership and individual contributor technical roles such as Senior Advisor Imaging, and Asia Pacific Seismic Delivery Manager. As such, he has led globally distributed multidisciplinary teams, both in Research and Technology Development and in Operations, covering subsurface geophysics and topside digital AI/ML/Robotics. Recently, Ted is the thought leader behind a ‘Sustainable Seismic’ vision, chairs bp’s Marine Autonomy Working Group (MAWG), was bp’s representative on the Technical Working Committee for Blue Ocean Seismic Services UK start-up (hybrid swarm of autonomous underwater robotic nodes), and is a member of the SprintRobotics Program Committee. His passion is to ‘bridge the chasm’ between valuable R&D solutions and accelerated deployment, that results in distinctive business impact.Previous bp technology innovation work includes: ISS source blending, MAZ imaging, high density sampling, nimble land node and Stryde start-up, ForeSite Machine Learning anomaly detection framework, and developed the first Sprint Robotics fitness trial.Ted originally joined Western Geophysical in 1995, following a HDip in Computer Science (UCC), MSc in Geophysics (Durham University), and BSc in Geology (UCD). He is NEBOSH OHS certified. He is an active member of SEG and EAGE.

Xander joined Shell in 2007, after having obtained a MSc degree in Applied Geophysics and a PhD in Applied Mathematics, both from Delft University in The Netherlands. He spent more than a decade in exploratory and geophysical research roles, including 5 years leading the seismic acquisition research team. Xander spent the past 6 years in Geophysical Operations supporting seismic surveys globally, with a focus on developing and deploying new technologies and improving seismic delivery. He is now a Principal Science Expert at Shell Global Solutions International BV in The Hague, The Netherlands advising Exploration, Development, CCS, and offshore wind projects.