Professor Robert Perrons

May 2011 – present                         Queensland University of Technology                     Brisbane, QLD, Australia Professor of Technology Management & Strategy

• Research and publishing in the field of technology management and strategy, mainly with an emphasis on the energy industry and resource sector
• Lecturing and teaching in the area of technology management and business strategy
• Concurrently linked to the University of Cambridge as an Affiliated Researcher
• Served until 2017 as leader for university-wide “Transforming Innovation Systems” research theme via the university’s Institute for Future Environments

May 2019 – present                                              United Nations                                          Geneva, Switzerland Member of Expert Group – Resources and Energy

• Provide strategic and technical advice to policymakers and thought leaders from the resources and energy domain, including governments, companies, and academia
• Offer provocative “what if?” scenarios to stretch strategic thinking about future of energy and resources
• Gave keynote address at annual meeting at UN’s Geneva office in 2019

May 2015 – present                                   Australian Government                                 Canberra, ACT, Australia Member of Expert Network – Energy Industry, Energy Technologies, and Innovation 

• Provide advice to government and relevant stakeholders about the energy industry and emerging innovations within the sector
• Help to accelerate the commercialization of promising new energy technologies

January 2015 – August 2015                  Queensland University of Technology             Brisbane, QLD, Australia Acting PwC Chair in Digital Economy

• Helped to shape research agenda for newly established endowed Chair at the university
• Cultivated links with industry and government
• Worked extensively with a broad range of organizations including Australia Post, utility companies, and venture capitalists to explore new business models for the digital economy
• Delivered frequent media and invited speaker engagements
• Assisted with global search to find suitable candidate for the Chair on an ongoing basis

Jan. 2010 – April 2011                          Shell Exploration & Production Co.                     New Orleans, LA, USA Manager – Learning & Development

• Developed and deployed learning strategies for a population of approximately 950 professionals
• Facilitated discussions with Shell’s high-level executives to align learning portfolio with business needs, and to determine how portfolio should be amended in the future

March 2006 – Dec. 2009                                   Shell International E&P                           New Orleans, LA, USA Smart Fields Consultant

• Negotiated with asset managers to “right-size” Smart Fields technologies and capabilities for each target asset, and identified where smart technologies would deliver maximum value
• Developed and managed strategic roadmap that articulated timeline for deployment of key Smart Fields technologies
• Managed program communications and teaching

Sept. 2006 – May 2008                                   Bear Stearns – Primary Insight                      New York, NY, USA Subject Matter Expert (ad hoc basis)

• Explained high-level technical oil & gas concepts to members of the financial industry such as hedge fund managers, stock brokers, and investment analysts
• Offered forward-looking projections as to how technologies are evolving in the upstream oil & gas industry, and put forward perspectives on the strategic implications of these developments

Oct. 2004 – Feb. 2006                                   Shell International E&P                          Rijswijk, The Netherlands Executive Coordinator of Research & Development

• Prepared executive-level presentations and speeches for internal and external audiences, frequently including VIPs such as senior government officials and CEOs of energy firms
• Facilitated and organized meetings for senior managers within Shell E&P’s R&D organization
• Orchestrated monthly and quarterly results reporting process from R&D division to higher levels of the organization
• Managed research links between Shell E&P and University of Cambridge

Oct. 2001 – Sept. 2004                                            University of Cambridge                                  Cambridge, UK Industrial Research Fellow & Lecturer

• Mapped technology make vs. buy strategies with CEOs, CTOs, and senior managers in industry
• Provided consulting services to Caterpillar Inc. to advise on high-level outsourcing policies
• Taught undergraduate and post-graduate classes, executive education programs

Aug. 1998 – Sept. 2001                                Shell UK Exploration & Production                             Aberdeen, UK Production Engineer

• Managed long-term strategic and manpower planning for US$150 million/year facility
• Developed low-cost technical solution for pipeline liquids problem at Bacton gas terminal, thereby saving the company nearly $500,000
• Optimized operations and environmental performance at Bacton gas processing plant
• Led production operations and maintenance teams on the Cormorant Alpha platform in the North Sea, and completed training for shift supervisor position
• Acted as technical advisor in support of legal defense for tax disagreement with UK government
• Planned extensive maintenance routines and Permit to Work logistics for scheduled shutdown periods, and conducted “toolbox talks” to ensure jobs were carried out safely
• Advised project team on technical feasibility of proposal to export Norwegian oil to UK terminals via spare capacity in North Sea pipelines

Nov. 1997 – July 1998                                 Shell International E&P                        The Hague, The Netherlands Strategy & Economics Analyst

• Worked with executive-level managers to develop scenarios for energy industry in 2020
• Developed and led operations for communications and media strategy