Stephen Marcos Jones has this week taken over the reigns as director general of the UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA), following the retirement of Chris Hunt who worked for the trade body for 20 years.

At his well-attended retirement do, Chris Hunt commented:  “I am proud of what the UKPIA team has achieved and I am pleased to hand over to Stephen a strong and proficient organisation, valued by all stakeholders. Stephen brings excellent knowledge and expertise and I know that he will provide the leadership necessary to drive the vital work of the association forward.”

Stephen Marcos Jones said: “I am delighted to be joining the highly regarded team at UKPIA as the director general. Since its inception in 1979, UKPIA has become the go-to trade association for the UK’s downstream oil sector and its members are vitally important to meeting the UK’s energy and transportation needs, are significant employers and are a source of innovation and growth. I look forward to working with our members, Government, the regulators and other stakeholders to address the challenges and to seize the considerable opportunities that lie ahead for the downstream oil sector.”

Stephen has over 13 years’ experience gained through diverse advocacy and stakeholder engagement roles representing the oil and gas industry in the UK and overseas.

Just prior to joining UKPIA, Stephen established and led the UK upstream industry’s Efficiency Task Force in response to the sharp increases in cost, decreases in efficiency and a fall in production volumes that left the UK Continental Shelf exposed to the decline in oil price. Stephen also has significant experience in sustainable association management.

Stephen has worked on projects for the UK Government’s Department for Education and spent five years leading the communications department of a European scientific organization in Barcelona.

Stephen is a Board member of OPITO, a skills body for the energy industry. He holds a Masters’ Degree from the University of Oxford and an MBA from Imperial College, London.