Three Decades in the Long Grass The Story of Global Pacific & Partners Duncan Clarke & Babette van Gessel MÉM OIRES R ECOLLECT IONS R EFL ECT IONS | i I N MEM ORIAM Harry W. Wassall Founder & Chairman, Petroconsultants 1921–95 Conrad Gerber Founder & President, Petrologistics Co-Founder, African Institute of Petroleum 1941–2009 Alfred John Boulos Founder & Chairman, European Petroleum Negotiators Group 1930–2013 Published by Global Pacific & Partners www.globappacificpartners.com Private Edition: Édition Privé A N D D E D ICATE D T O With special thanks to Tewodros Ashenafi Christian Suter Former Chief Executive, © Duncan Clarke and Babette van Gessel 2014 Petroconsultants SA ISBN: 978-1-4314-0984-6 Tim Zoba Jr. Design and layout by Jacana Media Printed by xxxxxxx Senior Partner, 1989–2003 Job no. 002098 Global Pacific & Partners ii | THREE DECADES IN THE LONG GRASS | iii Contents Prologue . vii Senior Partners 1978–2014 . ix Milestones . xi Madame Olga . xv 1. Mémoire: Origins & Foundations . 1 2. Recollections: “Out of Africa” . 18 3. Reflections: Houston to Holland . 49 4. Cross-Continental Bridges . 87 5. Safari in Africa . .103 6. Technology & Transformations . .121 7. Pioneering, Pacesetting & Partnerships . .131 8. Memorable Moments . .147 9. “Taking Africa Upstream” . .163 10. Our Future: Here to There . .177 11. Corporate Record, 1978–2014 . .193 12. Research on Africa, 1973–1985 . .214 Acknowledgements . .224 iv | THREE DECADES IN THE LONG GRASS CONTENTS | v Prologue his volume records the history of a corporate safari around the world. It Ttells the story of the partnership between Duncan Clarke, the founder of Global Pacific & Partners, and co-author Babette van Gessel who led the firm’s growth across the developing continents to such milestones as Africa Upstream (1994) and the 20th Africa Oil Week 2013 in Cape Town. It is a tale of its Senior Partners born in Central-Southern Africa, and the ideas and experiences that coalesced to bring a small entity to the world oil stage. The firm grew “out of Africa” yet never left that continent. From its initial focus on the so-called dismal science of economics it went into the global oil and gas game with many byways taken en route. Its “discovery of oil” was largely by accident – and from meeting some remarkable individuals. From humble beginnings and modest knowledge emerged a portfolio built on ideas, developed through trial and error, together with decades of endeavour – in research, advisory practice, strategy briefings, conferences, roadshows, corporate and state relationships, global communications, media and social connectivity – and leading to cross-continental ventures in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Mideast and elsewhere. The firm was founded on intellectual endeavour, global industry networks, a stream of innovations, and adaptation to the various technologies produced by the tides of history. Many initiatives were pioneering. Misfortune, mistakes and luck inevitably played their part. The book contains no extracts from our research on oil and gas which would amount to over 90 000 pages, or from our long-standing economics work in Africa, or our books published on global upstream themes – the peak vi | THREE DECADES IN THE LONG GRASS PROLOGUE | vii oil theory and saga, rising empires of oil and state oil players – or on Africa. Some images shown highlight a few of our conferences and strategy briefings held since 1990, many of which today have become landmark meetings on the world oil calendar. Included are memorable moments recalling personages to whom our firm is deeply indebted, together with extracts from interviews Senior Partners conducted with us by the International Resource Journal. Included too are some horoscopes from a certain Madame Olga, an unreported “seer” on the 1978–2014 world and Africa, for which due apologies are tendered in advance. Global Pacific & Partners was built on research in all the developing continents, allied to the firm’s global conference suite created over the last three decades – the contents of which are archived on our website (www. globalpacificpartners.com). Our former Senior Partner, colleague and friend he Senior Partners who built Global Pacific & Partners worked closely Tim Zoba Jr. was part of this trek. The Senior Partners and the firm’s team Ttogether in partnership across the firm’s three decades’ existence to continue their journey, hoping to continue it for another three decades, or more. date. This has been the longest private partnership worldwide in oil and gas conferencing, part of an allied business model that includes research, strategy Global Pacific & Partners briefings, advisory practice, roadshows with dedicated special upstream November, 2013 services, industry platforms and global networks. Duncan Clarke was born and raised in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. In 1970 he taught and conducted research in economics at the University College of Rhodesia in Salisbury, then part of the University of London. During this period he spent the academic years 1970–71 and 1974–75 at the University of St Andrews (Scotland) in order to complete his M.Litt. and Ph.D. in Economics. He was Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Development Studies Research Group at the University of Natal (Pietermaritzburg) from 1976 to early 1977, when he left South Africa for Geneva. There he joined the International Labour Office for one year as an economist working in and on Africa, before founding Global Pacific & Partners in Geneva. During 1985–8 he joined Petroconsultants SA as Head of the Economics Division. For Global Pacific & Partners his travels to date have taken him to over 120 countries, 46 in Africa. Babette van Gessel, born in Welkom, South Africa, graduated from the University of Witswatersrand (Economics and Law) in Johannesburg in 1990. She then worked on energy conferences in South Africa, China and Australia. viii | THREE DECADES IN THE LONG GRASS SENIOR PARTNERS 1978–2014 | ix Her first meeting with Global Pacific & Partners was in the Sydney Office in 1994. She then joined the firm in 1995. As Senior Partner Babette opened the Johannesburg office, recruited and trained most of the team, built the global conference suite, and more besides. In 2003 she established The Hague office, managing its growth along with the worldwide portfolio. Continuing to Milestones enhance our worldwide reputation in many arenas, she became Chief Executive Officer at the end of 2013, after twenty years of partnership. Her work for the firm has taken her to over 50 countries, including 21 in Africa. Tim Zoba Jr., born in New Jersey, United States, is a graduate in Economics from the Wharton School of Business. He met Duncan in the early 1980s 1978 Geneva offices (in the Vieille Ville and Place Claparède); first before he became Vice-President, Petroconsultants Inc. in Houston. He joined engagements on oil and energy for private clients on Africa Global Pacific & Partners in 1989, working first on National Oil Companies 1979 Diverse Africa assignments during the Cold War: Geneva Energy Club Worldwide, in Sydney, and then opening our Houston office. Tim continued 1980 First meeting with Conrad Gerber, Petrologistics Ltd in Geneva as Senior Partner until 2003, managing the Houston office and our operations in the Americas. He was engaged in our research, advisory practice and global 1981 Joint-venture with Petroconsultants on Western Africa Corporate marketing in the crucial formative years. During tenure as Senior Partner, Tim Oil Strategy & Country Risks; first meeting with Tim Zoba Jr in visited over 50 countries on five continents. Houston office 1982 New office in Rue de Rive, Geneva, Duncan Clarke meets Harry Wassall 1983 Corporate Oil Strategy & Country Risks in ASEAN, joint venture report with Petroconsultants SA 1984 Own mandates on economics and oil, United States, Asia, Africa, Europe 1985 Firm bought by Petroconsultants, Geneva: Duncan Clarke, Head, Economics Division, Advisory for BHP and Hispanoil, with teams in London and Houston 1986 Acquisition of Jim Blake’s Geological Services, for Petroconsultants 1987 Advisory and research for Petroconsultants, in Algeria, Asia and worldwide 1988 Acquisitions in Australia for Petroconsultants (Flower, Doery & Buchan, and Digimap); relocation to Sydney as CEO, Petroconsultants Australasia x | THREE DECADES IN THE LONG GRASS MILESTONES | xi 1989 Global Pacific & Partners, Avalon Beach, Sydney; Tim Zoba Jr. joins 2002 Establishment of Global Pacific & Partners International Ltd as Senior Partner in our Houston office (London), Global Energy Safari (Okavango Delta) 1990 First employee hired in Sydney: Naomi Tsoa-Lee, now Vice-President, 2003 Tim Zoba Jr. leaves as Senior Partner; closure of Houston office; Asia/Australasia; our first Pacific Petroleum Insiders: Strategy Duncan Clarke moves to London; Babette van Gessel opens office in Briefing, Singapore The Hague 1991 Senior Partners tour Latin America for research and to meet 2004 Inauguration of the PetroAfricanus Club, Advisory for Rosneft, corporate and state players CNOOC 1992 First conference in Singapore: Petroleum & Energy Finance & 2005 Corporate office established in Nicosia, Cyprus Investment Exchange, with Tim Zoba Jr., in joint-venture with Fereidun Fesharaki 2006 Equatorial Guinea Upstream, with Roadshow, London 1993 Research visits across Asia, Mideast, Africa, Latin America: Babette 2007 The Battle for Barrels and Empires of Oil: published by Profile van Gessel managing energy conferences in South Africa, China and Books, London Australia 2008 Crude Continent: The Struggle