Digital Innovations in Oil and Gas with Geoffrey Cann

Geoffrey Cann
  • 5.0 (19)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

A weekly podcast on the impacts of digital on the oil and gas industry.

  1. 3D AGO

    Power Without Surprises: Volta Insite and the Future of Predictive Electrical Monitoring

    Electricity powers nearly everything in oil and gas, from pumps and motors, to compressors and digital systems. But while production engineers obsess over volumes and temperatures, the quality of the electricity driving their systems is often overlooked. Most teams only discover power issues after equipment fails, leading to unplanned downtime and costly repairs. Unfortunately, traditional power quality meters and relay monitors don't catch the early warning signs. They lack resolution, require manual data pulls, and don't provide actionable insights. Worse still, the frontline technicians tasked with using these tools rarely have time to analyze the data. As the industry electrifies, and hyperscalers start co-locating AI data centers with natural gas fields, the demand for clean, reliable power is rising fast, and the risks of ignoring it are getting more expensive by the day. In this episode, I speak with Denis Kouroussis why "ghost electrical problems" aren't ghosts at all, but just data you haven't seen yet, and how his background in chip design and solid-state power is shaping the future of uptime. His company, Volta Insite, offers a different path forward. This plug-and-play system captures continuous waveform-level data and sends it to the cloud, where intelligent analytics flag problems before assets fail. It's already saving operators time, money, and headaches by pinpointing power sags, identifying failing contactors, and reducing arc flash risks. 👤 About the Guest With a background in electrical engineering Denis Kouroussis founded Volta Energy in 2009. His passion for technology and cars has led him down a path of working in semiconductors, power electronics and software development with his spare time devoted to rebuilding cars. Denis is focused on leveraging his technical know-how to solve problems and build businesses around those solutions with a firm belief that businesses exist to serve customers and that people within organizations need to be empowered to execute without obstacles in order for an organization to reach its full potential. #InsiteAI #PredictiveMaintenance #PowerQuality 🔗 LinkedIn – Denis Kouroussis 📧 hbarber@voltainsite.com 🌐 Volta Insite 🛠️ Additional Tools & Resources 🎓 Digital Strategy Course for Oil & Gas (Udemy) 📝 Blog on Substack 🎧 Podcast Archive 🔗 Connect with Me 🌐 Website 💼 LinkedIn ✖️ X (Twitter) 🎤 Contact for Lectures and Keynotes I speak regularly on these and related topics. 📞 Book a discovery call ⚠️ Disclaimer The views expressed in this podcast are my own and do not constitute professional advice.

    32 min

  2. NOV 5

    Navigating The Maze of Global Energy Regulation: Different philosophies, uniform digital solutions

    In all my years of experience in energy, I rarely worked in pure regulatory areas, but regulations loomed large over everything I touched. The energy sector is very highly regulated, and for very good reasons. From environmental standards to carbon pricing, energy companies are held to a high standard and must demonstrate that compliance to operate locally, regionally, and globally. The regulatory landscape is highly dynamic and under constant change. New regulatory frameworks emerging from Europe and the United States will reshape how energy companies, particularly in North America, do business domestically, and abroad. Three new frameworks—the European Union's Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), as well as the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)—will impact North American energy companies that export to Europe. If you're an energy executive working in exportable energy, such as LNG, oil, methanol, hydrogen, or refined petroleum, you might find this post of interest. These regulations will affect operations, compliance strategy, and ultimately, financial results. Fortunately, there are digital solutions at the ready that meet both today's regulatory demands while future-proofing your business for tomorrow's more stringent requirements. ⚒️ Additional Tools & Resources: 🎬 Go backstage and check out my studio: 👉 https://geoffreycann.com/mystudio/ 🎓 Take my one day digital strategy training course for oil and gas: 👉 https://www.udemy.com/course/digital-oil-and-gas/?referralCode=0161D4D49AB75735A185 🔗 Connect with Me: 🖥️ Blog series: https://digitaloilgas.substack.com/ 🎧 Podcast: https://geoffreycann.com/broadcast/ 📇 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/advocate-digital-innovation-for-energy/ 🤬 X: https://x.com/geoffreycann 🎤 Contact for Lectures and Keynotes: I speak regularly on these and other topics. Contact me to book a brief call about your upcoming event needs. Click here 👉 https://geoffreycann.com/contact/ ⚠️ Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are my own and do not constitute professional advice. 🗣️ Download the Transcript! Want the actual script that this podcast is based on? You can download the transcript for this podcast here: 👉 https://digitaloilgas.substack.com/p/navigating-the-maze-of-global-energy

    12 min

  3. OCT 29

    The Safety Copilot: Process Safety in the Age of AI

    In the UK oil and gas sector, the record on major accidents looks encouraging. Serious incidents are very rare, and the industry appears to be operating safely. Beneath the surface, the data tell a different story. One-third of safety inspections fall below the legal standard, and more than half of process-safety professionals are expected to retire within the next decade. At the same time, ageing assets, shrinking budgets, and weaker regulatory oversight are straining existing  safety systems. Operators must sustain high safety performance when experience is walking out the door, equipment is ageing, and new technologies are flooding the scene faster than they can be tested.  In this episode I speak with David Jamieson of Salus Technical, on making process safety straightforward. We explore why process safety remains an invisible threat, how AI can capture the wisdom of the best engineers, and what it takes to keep legacy assets safe as they wind down. 👤 About the Guest David Jamieson is the Founder and Managing Director of Salus Technical, an Aberdeen-based company combining engineering expertise and software innovation to improve process-safety performance in high-hazard industries. After beginning his career in aerodynamics with the Red Bull Racing Formula One team, David moved into fire and explosion modelling, then spent a decade in the UK offshore sector before launching Salus Technical in 2019. 🔗 Website: https://salus-technical.com 🔗 LinkedIn: David Jamieson 🔗 LinkedIn: Salus Technical 🧰 Additional Tools & Resources 🎥 Go backstage and check out my studio: https://geoffreycann.com/mystudio/ 🎓 Take my one-day Digital Strategy for Oil and Gas course: https://www.udemy.com/course/digital-oil-and-gas/?referralCode=0161D4D49AB75735A185 🌐 Connect with Me 📚 Blog Series: https://digitaloilgas.substack.com/ 🎧 Podcast: https://geoffreycann.com/broadcast/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/advocate-digital-innovation-for-energy/ 🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/geoffreycann 🎤 Contact for Lectures and Keynotes I speak regularly on these and other topics. Book a brief call about your upcoming event needs: 👉 https://geoffreycann.com/contact/ ⚠️ Disclaimer The views expressed in this podcast are my own and do not constitute professional advice.

    32 min

  4. OCT 22

    How To Misspend $100 Billion Using Excel: Relying On Spreadsheets For Complex Well Delivery Is So 1990s

    Unconventional oil and gas is massive. Every year, over $100 billion is poured into steel, sand, and water just in Canada and the US. Yet, most of the planning behind these extraordinary investments still runs on Excel spreadsheets. Spreadsheets were fine in the 90s, but today they struggle to handle the complex interdependencies and real-world constraints of modern tight plays. The hidden cost to the industry is huge. Expensive inefficiencies, wasted capital, and missed opportunities to improve well design and execution. Other industries abandoned spreadsheets long ago when margins got thin, but oil and gas clings to them, and keeps burning the billions. My guest in this episode is Sean Hervo, a former Shell upstream engineer, who saw firsthand how spreadsheets literally strangle unconventional well planning. He co-founded PrePad, an innovative digital solution, that replaces bulkly and clunky spreadsheets with digital simulation and optimization tools, giving operators the ability to make faster, smarter, more profitable decisions. Sean explains how the industry can finally ditch the spreadsheets and run well delivery like the modern manufacturing system it has become. 👤 About the Guest Sean Hervo is the CEO and co-founder of PrePad, a Calgary-based technology company that helps oil and gas operators optimize well planning and completions. Before starting PrePad, Sean spent more than a decade at Shell in drilling, completions, capital planning, and supply chain leadership, giving him deep insight into the challenges of unconventional resource development. Connect with Sean on LinkedIn: Sean Hervo Learn more about PrePad: https://www.prepad.io 🔗 Additional Tools & Resources Go backstage and check out my studio Take my one-day digital strategy training course 🤝 Connect with Me Resources Blog Podcast LinkedIn X 🎤 Contact for Lectures and Keynotes I speak regularly on these and other topics. Contact me to book a brief call about your upcoming event needs. ⚠️ Disclaimer The views expressed in this podcast are my own and do not constitute professional advice.

    32 min

  5. OCT 15

    Smart Metal In Oil and Gas: Add Digital Intelligence To Field Equipment

    Oil and gas operations rely on heavy machinery and equipment that perform critical tasks, yet most of this equipment remains disconnected from the digital landscape of cloud computing, analytics, and autonomy. This lack of connectivity leaves operators with higher costs, inefficient maintenance, and limited visibility into how their assets are really performing. The traditional approach to equipment design is no longer enough. Operators face pressure to improve efficiency, reduce emissions, and cut costs, but without better data and smarter tools, these goals remain out of reach. The industry cannot afford to keep treating its infrastructure as "dumb metal." You might think that only big equipment suppliers can make smart metal, but IJACK, a Canadian equipment manufacturer, is proving otherwise. By embedding remote monitoring, cloud connectivity, and AI-driven analytics into its products, the company enables operators to troubleshoot issues without rolling a truck, optimize performance across entire fleets, and gain valuable insight from real-time data. In this episode, I speak with Dan McCarthy, President of IJACK, about how his team transformed compressors and pumps into intelligent assets, why the industry needs to embrace innovation, and how a small-town company from Saskatchewan is now serving customers around the world. 👤 About the Guest Dan McCarthy is the President of IJACK Technologies, an oil field equipment company based in Saskatchewan, Canada. With a background in mechanical engineering and a passion for designing practical solutions, Dan has led IJACK in creating scalable, digitally enabled equipment that helps oil and gas operators improve production and reduce costs. IJACK's innovations, including its RCOM remote monitoring platform, are now deployed globally in markets such as Argentina, Kazakhstan, Bahrain, and the United States. Learn more about IJACK: 🌐 IJACKWebsite 🔗 Dan McCarthy on LinkedIn ⚒️ Additional Tools & Resources 🎧 Go backstage and check out my studio: https://geoffreycann.com/mystudio/ 📘 Take my one-day digital strategy training course for oil and gas: Udemy Course 🔗 Connect with Me 📚 Blog series: https://digitaloilgas.substack.com/ 🎙 Podcast: https://geoffreycann.com/broadcast/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/advocate-digital-innovation-for-energy/ 🐦 X: https://x.com/geoffreycann 🎤 Contact for Lectures and Keynotes I speak regularly on these and other topics. Contact me to book a brief call about your upcoming event needs: https://geoffreycann.com/contact/ ⚠️ Disclaimer The views expressed in this podcast are my own and do not constitute professional advice.

    22 min

  6. OCT 8

    Smarter Scheduling in Oil and Gas: How AI Unlocks Hidden Capacity in Complex Operations

    Scheduling in oil and gas has long been a weak link. Wells, rigs, frack crews, contractors, and regulators must all line up in precise sequence, but too often the "system" is stitched together with Excel spreadsheets, siloed tools, and a lot of human memory. The result is inefficiencies, costly delays, and endless arguments in daily meetings. That model is no longer good enough. The complexity of modern operations, coupled with volatile markets and new constraints (from labor shortages to tariffs to water management) is making traditional scheduling tools obsolete. Operators that rely on outdated approaches risk losing millions in wasted time and missed opportunities. Spying this problem years ago, Actenum, an AI-enabled scheduling platform that treats scheduling not as a collection of dates, but as a living model of operations, set out to correct this problem. The tool captures constraints, integrates with systems of record, forecasts production, and enables scenario planning, in real time. Companies report faster well delivery, reduced conflicts, smarter forecasting, and millions in direct savings. In this episode, I speak with Owen Plowman, Vice President of Business Development at Actenum, about how smarter scheduling is reshaping oil and gas. We cover real-world client stories, cultural shifts inside organizations, and how AI is opening new optimization opportuntities in planning, turnarounds, and offshore logistics. 👤 About the Guest Owen Plowman is Vice President of Business Development at Actenum, a software company specializing in AI-enabled scheduling solutions for the energy sector. With a background in computer science, Owen began his career in the defense sector, later joining Oracle during its rapid global expansion. Since 2006, he has focused on applying advanced scheduling technology to oil and gas, helping clients worldwide optimize drilling programs, turnarounds, and offshore operations. 👉 Connect with Owen and Actenum Request a Demo Watch Actenum DSO in Action Download a Brochure ⚒️ Additional Tools & Resources 🎙 Go backstage and check out my studio: geoffreycann.com/mystudio 📘 Take my one day digital strategy training course for oil and gas: Udemy Course 🔗 Connect with Me Resources: geoffreycann.com/resources Blog series: digitaloilgas.substack.com Podcast: geoffreycann.com/broadcast LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/advocate-digital-innovation-for-energy X: x.com/geoffreycann 🎤 Contact for Lectures and Keynotes I speak regularly on these and other topics. Contact me to book a brief call about your upcoming event needs. Click here: geoffreycann.com/contact ⚠️ Disclaimer The views expressed in this podcast are my own and do not constitute professional advice.

    33 min

  7. OCT 1

    Harnessing Energy's Data Deluge: Dan Jeavons on Foundation Models Built for Oil and Gas

    The oil and gas industry generates extraordinary amounts of data from millions of sensors, yet only a tiny fraction, at most  8%, is actually used to inform decisions on complex and valuable assets. Decades of building analytics and machine learning solutions have helped, but they've also left companies with a patchwork of siloed systems and "industrial gridlock." The arrival of foundation models in late 2022 introduced the possibility of moving beyond one-off solutions. But generic internet-trained models are not suitable for high-risk industrial environments, where accuracy, context, and explainability are essential. The sector needs something different. Applied Computing is tackling this challenge head-on by creating a foundation model designed specifically for energy. Built to handle time-series data, diagrams, operator logs, and unstructured engineering information, their model emphasizes contextual understanding, explainability, and zero hallucinations. My guest this week, Dan Jeavons, is President of Applied Computing and former VP of Computational Science and Digital Innovation at Shell. Dan shares his career journey, why foundation models represent a turning point for the industry, and how energy can finally begin to unlock the 92% of data it currently leaves on the table. 👤 About the Guest Dan Jeavons is President of Applied Computing, a technology company developing foundation models tailored for the energy sector. At Shell, he led global AI initiatives and oversaw advanced research into digital technologies. With over 20 years of experience in consulting and energy, Dan has been at the forefront of applying data and AI to improve business processes, optimize operations, and explore new business models. LinkedIn: Dan Jeavons Applied Computing ⚒️ Additional Tools & Resources 🎙️ Go backstage and check out my studio: https://geoffreycann.com/mystudio/ 🛠️ Take my one-day digital strategy training course for oil and gas: Udemy Course 🔗 Connect with Me Resources Digital Oil and Gas Blog Podcast LinkedIn X / Twitter 📢 Contact for Lectures and Keynotes I speak regularly on these and other topics. Contact me to book a brief call about your upcoming event needs. ⚠️ Disclaimer The views expressed in this podcast are my own and do not constitute professional advice.

    33 min

  8. SEP 24

    When Water Bites Back: How Oil and Gas Learned to Respect Its Most Overlooked Resource

    Water is the unsung workhorse of the oil and gas industry. It's instrumental for generating steam, driving b, lubricating drill bits, flooding reservoirs, and separating oil from oil sands. Historically it's been cheap, plentiful, and overlooked. As climate pressures mount and scarcity becomes real, water is now emerging as one of the industry's most critical resources. Water isn't just another utility, like power. It's a highly interconnected system. A quick fix in one unit can cause downstream failures, regulatory breaches, or environmental harm. Unlike power, water can be reused. Companies are now wise to the fact that traditional, siloed approaches to water management no longer work. One solution lies in building holistic, site-wide digital twins of water systems. These models bring together flows, chemistry, capacity, compliance, and infrastructure data into one view, enabling operators to troubleshoot more effectively, run "what if" scenarios, and align operations with ESG commitments. In this episode, I speak with Gil Maron, a project engineer with FTD Solutions, about his journey from refinery process engineer to water management specialist, why water is local and unique to every site, and how digital twins are helping oil and gas companies cut costs, meet sustainability goals, and avoid costly mistakes. 👤 About the Guest Gil Maron is a Project Engineer at FTD Solutions, where he focuses on industrial water management, treatment, and analytics. With a background in refinery operations and pharmaceuticals, Gil brings deep expertise in troubleshooting complex process systems. At FTD, he works with oil and gas, semiconductors, and other industries to help clients adopt holistic, data-driven approaches to water use and sustainability. 🔗 Connect with Gil on LinkedIn 🔗 Learn more at FTD Solutions ⚒️ Additional Tools & Resources 🎙 Go backstage and check out my podcast studio 📘 Take my one day digital strategy training course 📰 Read my weekly Digital Oil and Gas blog 🔗 Connect with Me 🌐 Website 🎧 Podcast 💼 LinkedIn 🐦 X (Twitter) 🎤 Contact for Lectures and Keynotes I speak regularly on topics like digital innovation, sustainability, and the energy transition. Book a call to discuss your upcoming event. ⚠️ Disclaimer The views expressed in this podcast are my own and do not constitute professional advice.

    35 min
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A weekly podcast on the impacts of digital on the oil and gas industry.

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