Peter Botten

Managing Director,
Oil Search Ltd

Peter Botten graduated from the Imperial College, Royal School of Mines in 1976 and joined the French energy group, Cogema, as a specialist sedimentologist working in various African and European countries, Canada and the USA. He also spent a number of years working for Kufpec and later Petroz filling a number of technical and management roles in various African and SE Asian countries before moving to Australia.

Mr Botton joined Oil Search in 1992, just after oil and gas production started from Kutubu and Hides. Since that time Oil Search has grown to become a regionally significant Operator, owning over 70% of the oil and 50% of the gas business in PNG, operating all producing oil and gas fields in the country and being responsible for around 13% of the countrys GDP. The Companys market capitalisation has also grown from just over A$200m to where it is now around A$7bn over this period. Oil Search is a major interest holder in the PNG LNG Project which recently entered Front End Engineering and Design (FEED).

Mr Botton has been a leader in the PNG petroleum industry for over 12 years. He is presently President of the Chamber of Mines and Petroleum and is a Council Member of the Australia PNG Business Council. He was recently made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queens Honours List for services to the mining and petroleum industries in Papua New Guinea.