Unconventional Thinking

In his exciting plenary session, Lee Tillman, chairman, president and CEO of Houston-based Marathon Oil makes a passionate case for the opportunities in unconventional oil production. Expressing that unconventional oil production had disrupted the global energy dynamic in just over a decade in much the same vein as Airbnb, iPhone, or Facebook, he said digital transformation in the form of data analytics coupled with dynamic scheduling was now delivering responsiveness akin to Uber for the oilfield.

Stating that past success does not equal future success, and industries that do not embrace this new business reality will become obsolete, he said,

We’ve already changed the world with unconventional thinking.

Describing the amazing growth of unconventional oil production over a very short period; reshaping the energy landscape and transforming the prospects of the oil industry in the US, he said, ‘The unconventional trajectory has been fast and furious, with a learning curve that is accelerating at a pace never experienced in the conventional business. Hundreds and thousands of wells provide a unique laboratory to learn and leverage the power of data…and we are just getting started.”

He explained that unconventional oil production demanded digital, “We have an asset type in the unconventionals that absolutely demands digital integration and digital solutions.” And unconventional assets were essential for delivering the world energy needs of the future.

“If you’re ready for unconventional thinking, there’s a place for you, a place that combines the physical with the digital to drive performance in ways yet to be imaged.”