The energy pipeline industry is relatively mature, populated by many seasoned professionals who have mastered the very steep learning curve associated with the challenges of pipeline infrastructure development and operation.

We have design engineers well versed in the intricacies of offshore and onshore pipeline development, including the emerging challenges of very deep water pipelines that will be needed to sustain energy demand over the first half of this century.

We have the pipeline constructors who master the environment they work in daily - often bearing the brunt of community and environmental pressures – delivering world-class infrastructure that benefits us all.

We have operational specialists who have spent a lifetime mastering the many intricacies of managing energy flows that can change hourly, daily, seasonally and over the life of the asset itself. Increasingly, as the region’s pipeline system develops and matures, these people will be called upon to take responsibility for the integration of existing pipeline systems into larger, more extensive networks. This helps create wider commercial opportunities for the industry as well as providing diversity in energy supply services, thus enhancing the security of energy supply for the communities we serve.

We have many specialists involved in maintaining the health and safety of our assets. These individuals are often the unsung heroes of the industry, providing services in areas as diverse as pipeline cleaning, flow management, corrosion protection, protection against third party damage, environmental management, pipeline safety and repair, gas quality management, gas measurement, compressor management and many other fields of endeavour.

Finally, we have the research community which is the engine house of new ideas and practices that benefit new and existing pipelines through better choice of materials, improved management strategies and improved predictive models.

In my life I have been very fortunate to get to know some of these people. They are characterised by an intense sense of duty, a commitment to self-learning and a strong desire to be part of the wider pipeline community. They engage their peers locally, regionally and internationally and recognise the importance of networking within the industry to share their ideas and experiences. Their parent companies often recognize this very human need. Other companies I have dealt with over the years either do not share this view or are simply indifferent.

This is not a criticism of corporate culture in the pipeline industry. Rather it reflects a trend that I have observed over the last 20 years towards companies seeking to capture the benefits of the learning experiences of their staff to maximise commercial opportunities. This is not unreasonable given the time, resources and capital invested by companies in the development of their staff.

At the same time companies need to understand that we are all human and that our need to affiliate with others, expand our networks and assimilate new ideas are very important to our self development. Many of us find it difficult to accomplish this within the confines of a single corporate culture for all our lives. It is very important therefore that senior management in major companies recognise and nurture this need to affiliate and grow within their people. It makes better, more adaptable professionals and is essential for the long-term creation of a better industry – this no less the case for the new entrants to the industry.

For a number of years now I have been growing increasingly concerned at a growing corporate indifference towards professional interaction between individuals. The pool of corporate interaction appears to be shrinking around the world and this may be to the detriment of the long-term development of recent entrants to the industry. I have been told that this is an inevitable consequence of downsizing, the application of Anti-Trust Laws, a desire to do things ‘in-house’, the need to protect confidential information and other reasons. I have seen the consequences in the growing difficulty in getting management support for industry-wide cooperative efforts and the difficulties many talented and committed individuals face in matters as simple as management approval for travel. I am sure that many corporations will disagree with my assessment – that’s good because it shows that they already recognise the issue and are responding to it. But let me assure you there are many companies who do not share this enlightened approach.

The reason I raise this issue is not to create ripples in the pond. Rather it is to ensure that the development plan for individuals entering this industry incorporates the wider interactions I have referred to. This should be an integral part of individual development programs at the earliest possible stage in that program. Associated with this is the need for corporate management to make available their senior people to participate in such programs, even if the beneficiaries are young individuals from outside their company. If you are a recent entrant to the industry you should expect – and if necessary demand - the opportunity for wider involvement in industry-wide activities. This may be a big request of corporate culture, but one that I nevertheless believe will support the development and growth of this industry in the longer term.

The great news is that mechanisms already exist to give effect to industry-wide interactions at the local, regional and international levels. There are many professional bodies that are active here and around the world. The point is that they could be more active. I draw a distinction between the social networking that is well established and works very effectively everywhere I have worked around the world. The issue I am talking about is work-related activities that allow recent entrants to interact with their peers and with talented individuals from across the industry. I am sometimes told by individual companies that the industry-wide activities I have been involved in over the years lack corporate ‘relevance’. This misses the point completely because the underlying purpose of such programs is to engage and develop interactions between individuals who have a range of corporate backgrounds, experiences, perspectives and personal development needs.

I will not attempt to list those potential industry-wide organisations in this paper because I am sure to offend at least one world class group by virtue of their omission. However I shall – with the support of those around me – prepare and publish on the ASEAN Council on Petroleum (ASCOPE) Gas Centre website information on organisations that I have dealt with or know and a summary of their activities. Taking on board the inspirational idea expressed by Andrew Ngiam at ASCOPE’s Asian Pipeline Conference and Exhibition (APCE) last year that we should create a pipeline “WikiPedia”, we shall endeavour to make this a living document that may be expanded over time by the industry. Creation of a dynamic listing of cooperative organisations is probably the first logical step in this process, but it will need the industry’s support and involvement.

Another initiative – taken jointly by the ASCOPE Gas Centre and the Malaysian Gas Association as co-organisers of APCE – has been to direct a proportion of the profits towards funding of two young participants in an international, pipeline-oriented study tour to be conducted during 2008. I hope the industry will continue to support such initiatives over the years ahead.

Let me conclude by saying that pipeline integrity management is really about people and their attitudes. Technology aspects are crucial, but they mean very little if we do not continue to develop an environment that develops and sustains the professional integrity of the people who are involved in and enter this industry. The ultimate decision rests within our collective control. In looking towards the future of our industry, do we want our new pipeline industry entrants to become a drop in the ocean or face a sea of opportunities?