IPTC 2024

David Brown

Business Development Manager – Middle East & Caspian

David is the current Business Development Manager for Core Laboratories’ Middle East Operations, representing the Petroleum Services, Integrated Reservoir Solutions and Protechnics Business Units.  Based out of Core Lab’s Advanced Technology Center in Abu Dhabi, UAE, David is responsible for coordinating across Core Labs full range of product and service offerings to address client challenges and for the management of the full sales cycle from client engagement to project execution and delivery.  

David began his career as a professional geologist in the province of Alberta with Core Laboratories Canada Ltd.  and later became supervisor of the Reservoir Geology Group for Core Lab’s Canadian operations. He has nineteen years of industry experience and has worked extensively in conventional and unconventional reservoirs from the Middle East and the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.  

David graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 2005 and holds a BSc in Geology. 

Noushin Abbasian

Business Development Coordinator – Middle East & Caspian

Noushin currently holds the position of Business Development Coordinator for Core Laboratories’ Middle East Operations.  Based out of Core Lab’s advanced Technology centre in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Noushin is responsible for facilitating the end-to-end Tender process for Core’s reservoir characterization and tracer diagnostics business units.  In addition, Noushin acts as a lead on Core Lab’s Middle East marketing initiatives and is responsible for guiding Core’s presence in regional, technical tradeshows and workshops.

Noushin has 14 years of professional experience across UK and Middle East, with 9 years focused on the oil and gas industry.  During this time Noushin has held various management support roles in the upstream segment, with focus on full chain petroleum engineering, well services and laboratory analytical services and consultancy. Noushin holds a bachelor’s degree in Oil and Gas Management from Plymouth University, UK.

Sean Davidson

Reservoir Fluids Manager – Middle East
& Caspian

Sean is the Reservoir Fluids Manager for Core Laboratories’ Middle East operations, representing the Petroleum Services business unit. Based out of Core Lab’s Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sean has full financial and operational responsibility for the UAE labs and acts as a technical support lead for Core Lab’s Saudia Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar operations.

Sean has over 30 years of industry experience, starting his career with Core Lab in 1994 as a Laboratory Analyst with Core Laboratories UK Ltd. and progressing through various technical, supervisory, and managerial roles.

Sean has extensive experience across all facets of fluid compositional, PVT, EOR and flow assurance analyses and is a subject matter expert in the full cycle execution of complex field sampling and fluid analysis studies in sour reservoirs.  In this regard Sean has worked on programs from Tengiz in Kazakhstan as well as Hail and Ghasha fields in, UAE.

Sean graduated from Aberdeen Technical College in 1996 and holds a Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Chemical Science.

Alastair Craig

General Manager – Middle East & Caspian

Alastair is the General Manager for Core Laboratories’ Middle East Operations. Based at Core Lab’s Advanced Technology Centre in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Alastair is responsible for all financial, HR, and operational activities for the laboratories in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar.

Alastair’s industry career spans over thirty years and covers three continents. He began his career as a Special Core Analysis (SCA) Lab Technician with Core Laboratories UK Ltd in 1993, progressing through a number of increasingly technical and managerial roles for Core Laboratories in the UK and Middle East operations. Alastair is a technical subject matter expert in special core analysis, with a focus on multi-phase fluid flow in porous media and has worked extensively on complex carbonate and clastic reservoirs throughout the UK, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Alastair holds a BSc in Geology & Petroleum Geology from the University of Aberdeen and an MSc in Reservoir Evaluation and Management from the University of Heriot-Watt, UK.

Michael McDonnell

Manager – Owen Oil Tools Middle East

Michael currently serves as the Location Manager for the Owen Oil Tools business unit in the Middle East, based in Abu Dhabi, UAE, a role he has held since 2022. Michael is the regional focal point for all Owen Oil Tools activity. His responsibilities encompass business development, technical customer sales and support, in addition to overseeing Zonal Isolation throughout the entire EMEA region.

Michael joined Owen Oil Tools in 2012 and has held the positions of Workshop Supervisor, Field Service Representative & Technical Specialist/Operations Coordinator. He has over fifteen years of industry experience with a primary focus on the well intervention sector. 

Michael McDonnell holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences from Canterbury Christ Church University, UK, awarded in 2008.

Blair Rogers

Business Development Manager – Protechnics 

 Over his 20-year career in oil and gas, Blair has been involved in both upstream and downstream operators for major oil companies (Exxon, Shell, Repsol, etc). His career started off in well completions during the early years of North American’s unconventional resource boom. His roles involved designing and managing hydraulic fracturing operations in some of North America’s biggest shale basins (Montney, Eagle Ford, Marcellus). He moved into the reservoir/exploitation function and quickly became an asset manager for over 12,000 boepd of production working on optimization, new drill, and acquisition efforts. Before he joined Core Laboratories in May 2023, his most recent experience was in building out a carbon capture, blue hydrogen/ammonia hub in North America and drilling & completing carbon capture wells in Central Alberta. 

Max Podolyak

Technical Director / SME – Rock Properties Eastern Hemisphere 

Max brings over 15 years of laboratory and consultancy experience as an end-user in Core Analysis, covering Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. Max holds a BSc degree in Rock Physics and Geology, MSc in Petroleum Engineering, and is currently pursuing a degree in CCUS with Colorado School of Mines, which demonstrates his commitment to staying at the forefront of the industry.

Max demonstrated exceptional technical expertise and leadership qualities in the field of special core analysis, specialist data interpretation, and QA/QC. He has managed reservoir characterization objectives through core analysis, with provision of data analytics, rock typing and classification, as well as integration of core analysis data with subsurface software platforms as a part of the E&P field development programs. Furthermore, he has successfully conducted over 20 advanced Core Analysis training courses for National and International Oil and Gas companies in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions, including Shell, Petronas, Woodside Energy, Repsol, KOC and others. Max is an active member of several technical societies, including SPWLA, SPE, SEAPEX and has served as a VP role for SPWLA Malaysia.  

As Technical Director of Eastern Hemisphere Max provides support and technical training to Eastern Hemisphere operations, helps develop and implement business strategies, and co-chair the Petroleum Services Development Committee.

Manoj Mohandas

Senior Group Leader (Dynamic Studies) – Core Laboratories, Abu Dhabi

Manoj is the Senior Group Leader for Dynamic Studies for Core Laboratories Abu Dhabi Operations, representing Petroleum Services and Integrated Reservoir Solutions. Based at Core Lab’s Advanced Technology Centre in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Manoj is responsible for supervising the special core analysis studies, including relative permeability, capillary pressure, and electrical properties studies. Manoj is also coordinating projects with various clients locally as well as from Kuwait, KSA, etc., including project execution and delivery.

Manoj began his career as a core analyst and later became project coordinator and senior group leader. He has more than fifteen years of industry experience and has worked extensively in conventional reservoirs in the Middle East. Manoj received his higher degree (Master of Science in Marine Geology) from the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) of India in 1992.

Ani Nassar

General Manager – Saybolt, Saudi Arabia 

Ani Nassar currently the General Manager of Saybolt Saudi Arabia since 2018, Ani has played a pivotal role in steering the company towards new heights of success and excellence.

With a strong foundation in the industry, Ani previously served as the Operations Manager at Saybolt Egypt and before was senior petroleum surveyor since 1995. During his tenure in this role for 28 years, he demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic acumen, contributing significantly to the company’s operational efficiency and growth.

Ani career has been marked by a commitment to delivering high-quality services and building lasting relationships with clients. His in-depth knowledge of the energy sector, coupled with his keen understanding of operational intricacies, has been instrumental in positioning Saybolt as a trusted partner in the region.

Ani Nassar holds a mechanical engineering degree from Alexandria University and continually invests in professional development to stay abreast of industry advancements. His passion for the inspection and petroleum sector, coupled with a focus on teamwork and collaboration, reflects Saybolt’s commitment to delivering top-notch inspection services.