SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) has a critical mission: producing the frontline workers that keep the energy industry running.

But as the sector evolves—shaped by decarbonization, digital technologies, shifting demographics, and immigration rules—so too must the workforce.

According to Dale Hansen, dean of SAIT’s MacPhail School of Energy, the institution’s role is to stay several steps ahead of these trends, making sure graduates are ready to meet the future.

Dale faces an unenviable but exciting challenge: anticipating where the energy market is headed years before it happens.

 SAIT works to identify the skills the industry will need, refresh its curriculum, and recruit educators—all while navigating rapid changes.

This isn’t just about tweaking course content; it’s about rethinking what it means to be an energy professional in a world increasingly shaped by new solutions and technologies.

The future energy worker won’t just turn wrenches or operate rigs—they’ll need to innovate, adapt, and problem-solve in ways that the industry has yet to experience. 

Dale highlights how SAIT is taking a proactive approach to build this next-gen workforce, seeing that the energy sector has the talent it needs to thrive in a decarbonized, digital-first future. 

About Dale

Dale Hansen is the Dean in the MacPhail School of Energy at SAIT, providing strategic leadership for its academic programs that span across the energy industry.

Prior to joining SAIT, Dale spent 25 years in the oil and gas and mineral resource sectors. Through the course of his career in oil and gas, Dale filled a wide variety of leadership roles across many functions, including time spent in field locations such as the Oil Sands near Fort McMurray.

This has provided him with a well-rounded perspective on the industry and an absolute passion for energy in all of its forms.

Dale is an experienced facilitator and speaker who holds a Chartered Professional Accounting (CMA) designation and a Master of Arts degree in Leadership from Royal Roads University. 

Reference Links For SAIT 🖥️ website: https://www.sait.ca/sait-schools/macphail-school-of-energy 📇 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dale-l-hansen/ ⌨️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/saitca 📧 Dale’s email: [email protected] 🖥️ Facebook: Facebook.com/SAIT ❌ Twitter: x.com/sait   Additional Tools & Resources From Geoffrey 🎬 Go backstage and check out my studio: 👉 https://geoffreycann.com/resources/ 🎓 Take my one day digital strategy training course for oil and gas: 👉 https://www.udemy.com/course/digital-...   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/

Oil and gas managers often view every decision as high-stakes and irreversible, but in the digital world, not all choices carry that weight.

Jeff Bezos’s concept of “Type One” (irreversible) and “Type Two” (reversible) decisions offers a powerful framework for rethinking decision-making in the energy sector. While some digital investments—like SCADA integrations or major cybersecurity upgrades—are genuine Type One decisions requiring caution, many can be structured to minimize risk.

In this episode, I explore practical approaches like pilots, modular designs, and SaaS solutions that help reframe digital investments as low-risk, high-reward opportunities. By distinguishing between true Type One decisions and those that only seem that way, oil and gas companies can accelerate adoption cycles, manage risk effectively, and unlock value faster.

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 regularly speak on these and related topics. Book a brief call to discuss your upcoming event: 👉 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 script for this podcast? Download it here: 👉 https://open.substack.com/pub/digitaloilgas/p/unlocking-digital-doors?r=18ohzb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

With your company being acquired, what happens to the digital innovation you helped pioneer? Sadly, its days may be numbered.

The unfortunate fate of digital innovations in the oil and gas industry following acquisitions is really depressing. Even groundbreaking technologies—despite their proven value—are often tossed to the curb by acquiring companies and their old-guard leaders.

The structural and cultural barriers that stifle innovation in oil and gas can kill off winning ideas without remorse.

That's the story in this episode--the rise and fall of a remarkable digital transformation program that unlocked huge value for a company on the brink, but was left behind after an acquisition by a more traditional player in the industry.

Fortunately, I share the steps digital innovators must take to safeguard their work and survive in an acquisition. Sometimes the upside can be huge.

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 regularly speak on these and related topics. Book a brief call to discuss your upcoming event: 👉 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 script for this podcast? Download it here: 👉 https://digitaloilgas.substack.com/p/why-your-digital-oil-and-gas-innovation

Stitching a new energy trading and risk management (ETRM) system into a modern systems environment is a substantial and risky undertaking. ETRM as a business function is notably complicated and the challenges an integrator faces are legion.

Energy trading is perhaps the most complicated of all of the various functional areas one encounters in the oil and gas industry. It is a high risk, high stakes, high cost, highly dynamic, complex function with strong ties into operations and finance, relatively few actual transactions, and carried out by a small number of people who have deep industrial insight. What could go wrong?

The successful integrator will promote an open and collaborative environment for the multiple technology and business teams to address the many integration challenges. While the stakes are high, the benefits of a well-designed and executed integration are well worth the investment.

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-green-compliance

Are you curious how the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) might impact the global oil and gas industry? It will indirectly, thankfully, but in a specific instance and for a specific fuel type, very directly. 

The fuels industry is on a mad rush to decarbonize its fuel products, under pressure from regulators and customers both of whom are seeking fuels that produce far fewer damaging emissions. One way to decarbonize fuels is through the development and adoption of sustainable fuels that are produced by converting biomass (such as corn, sugar cane, soy, rapeseed, straw, wood chips) into ethanol, bio diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel.

Bio fuels, the product of converting biomass to a fuel, is the fuels industry’s answer to the circular economy. Biomass is basically a vector to recycle atmospheric CO2, by first converting C02 into plants (Nature’s contribution), then turning the plants into bio fuel (a humankind speciality), and burning the biofuel as energy, releasing the CO2 back into the atmosphere where it then is converted back into a plant.

Bio fuels, depending on their origins, fall into the category of derivative products for the purposes of the EUDR.

A clever way to track and trace the provenance of a specific fuel product, including one that is blended, traded, and stored, is to accompany the product with a digital passport or record of the life of the bio fuel.

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-green-compliance

#private5G #smartfactory #energy #petrochemicals

Market-leading companies with complex plant operations, such as oil refineries and petrochemical plants, are turning to private 5G network technology to gain an industrial edge.

In the oil refining and petrochemical sectors, inadequate connectivity is a growing challenge that hampers further drives to improve operational efficiency, safety, and communication. Traditional solutions like Wi-Fi just won’t cut it in the uncarpeted world of industry, and wired networks can’t easily meet the needs of a dynamic, mobile workforce. The result is safety risks, frustrated workers, stranded data, and higher cost operations.

In this podcast, Mehmet Yavuz, the founder and CTO of Celona discusses how Private 5G offers a powerful solution, providing robust, reliable wireless coverage tailored to the industrial enterprise, to support the unique demands of large-scale facilities, offering seamless connectivity across refinery and petrochemical plant sites.

Reference Links For Celona 🖥️ website: https://www.celona.io/ 🖥️ TCO Calculator, live product tour, Proof of concept: https://www.celona.io/journey 🖥️ Virtual Refinery Tour, Case Studies: https://www.celona.io/refineries 📇 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehyavuz/   Additional Tools & Resources From Geoffrey 🎬 Go backstage and check out my studio: 👉 https://geoffreycann.com/resources/ 🎓 Take my one day digital strategy training course for oil and gas: 👉 https://www.udemy.com/course/digital-...   Connect with Me: 🖥️ Blog series: https://digitaloilgas.substack.com/ 🎧 Podcast: https://geoffreycann.com/broadcast/ 📇 Linkedin:   / brand-ambassador-digital-for-energy   🤬 X:   / 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/

Suicide is a significant and overlooked issue in various industries. Among the sectors most affected are construction and trades, installation, maintenance and repairs, and agriculture, particularly for men. These fields face high stress, long hours, and job insecurity, which can contribute to mental health struggles. Within oil and gas, the reliance on construction and skilled trades to build infrastructure links this sector closely with some of the highest suicide rates. Many oil and gas workers hail from farming backgrounds. 

In recent years, there has been a noticeable shift in workplace attitudes toward mental health, with younger leaders increasingly recognizing its connection to overall performance and safety. This change has led to a stronger demand for mental health initiatives, particularly in high-risk industries. By building basic suicide prevention skills across these sectors, workplaces can become more prepared and supportive. Offering employees and managers the tools to recognize warning signs and engage in compassionate conversations is a crucial step in addressing mental health challenges and preventing potential crises before they escalate.

My guest, Tara Adams, is a specialist in workplace health and wellness with a focus on the highest-risk industries for suicide. Taking a pragmatic, hands-on approach, Tara provides training and coaching to help businesses create safer workplace environments where suicide prevention is a priority. By making these skills accessible through remote and mobile training, she aims to equip employees with the confidence to support their peers and foster a culture of care and awareness.

Connect with the Guest:

👉 Tara Adams : [email protected]

👉 Abridge Consulting: Abridgeconsulting.com

Additional Tools & Resources:

🎓 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/brand-ambassador-digital-for-energy/

🤬 X: https://x.com/geoffreycann

Disclaimer:

The views expressed in this video are my own and do not constitute professional advice. 

Successful change management in oil and gas is dependent on having the right mindset about the change.

Many years ago, I was involved in implementing a new computer system for a remote field office. The managers assured us that all they needed to do to guarantee a successful implementation was to order the employees by memo to use the system. Change management? Tick.

We dutifully couriered to the field office a laptop with the system installed, which was returned to us a couple of days later, crushed flat and with freshly laid-down tire marks visible on the cover. So much for management’s efforts to win over hearts and minds.

Change management rarely considers the mindset of those driving change and those expected to embrace change, which inevitably brings conflict to the adoption process. How people show up matters.

In this podcast I interview Jeff Perry, a leadership and career expert who helps individuals, teams, and organizations unlock their potential in all facets of life. Given his background in engineering, business, and leadership, he specializes in working with engineering and technical professionals, but the principles he shares are universal.

He is the author of the bestselling book, "The Intentional Engineer: A Guide to a Purpose-Driven Life and Career for Engineers and Technical Professionals."

Connect with Jeff:

🖥️ Website: https://www.jeff-perry.com 📇 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffcperry/ 📧 Email: [email protected]

Jeff’s Tools and Resources:

📑 The Intentional Engineer Workbook 📋The Connection Code 📘 The Intentional Engineer 📙The Intentional Career Guide

Additional Tools & Resources:

🎬 Go backstage and check out my studio: 👉 https://geoffreycann.com/resources/ 🎓 Take my one day digital strategy training course for oil and gas: 👉 https://www.udemy.com/course/digital-oil-and-gas/?referralCode=0161D4D49AB75735A185 📙 Bits, Bytes, and Barrels: The Digital Transformation of Oil and Gas: https://geoffreycann.com/book/ 📘 Carbon, Capital, and the Cloud: A Playbook for Digital Oil and Gas: https://geoffreycann.com/book/

Connect with Me:

🎧 Podcast: https://geoffreycann.com/broadcast/ 📇 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/training-digital-oil-gas/ 🤬 X: https://twitter.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 video are my own and do not constitute professional advice.

It's never been easy for energy products to demonstrate they are sustainable because such products are not easily traceable through the supply chain. Commodity products such as energy, plastics, carbon, and fuels are fungible, voluminous, and blended with each other. The supply chains are not segregated, leading to possible cross contamination when a sustainable fuel passes through infrastructure that is shared with traditional fossil fuels.

However, regulatory efforts are putting pressure on organizations to address this using new digital solutions, leveraging machine generated data, blockchain trusted ledgers, cloud computing, and analytics.

Concepts like digital passports that accompany physical cargos allow supply chain participants to track the movements of cargos and trace their chain of custody from feedstock to the consumer, and back through the waste stream as they reenter the manufacturing loop.

These ideas do not apply solely to fuels. Minerals such as lithium, which have very high value and are recyclable, are also benefiting from passports that provide assurance that the minerals are responsibly sourced and properly handled.

One of the key technologies that the energy industry uses for this purpose is called Marco, a kind of middleware technology for digital ledgers that provides for easy solution building.

In this interview, I speak with Noslen Suárez, account executive with Finboot, on how Finboot's solutions allow petroleum, petrochemical, and energy companies deliver sustainable products. Noslen has a background in Physics, and holds a PhD in quantum mechanics.

Connect with Noslen:

📇 Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noslensuarezrojas/

Additional Tools & Resources:

🎬 Go backstage and check out my studio: 👉 https://geoffreycann.com/resources/ 🎓 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/training-digital-oil-gas/ 🤬 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.

Managers in oil and gas rely on various rules of thumb to accelerate decision making, but at times these biases get in the way of making better decisions. Biases that were at one time helpful are now a kind of risk.

Examples include the emphasis on production above all else, the preference for proven over novel solutions, and the preference for those innovations that originate in the industry.

These lingering biases explain why the fortunes of oil and gas companies now dramatically lag the index leaders whose market values are now in the trillions. 

Correcting for these biases is not hard, but it does take concerted effort, particularly using some change management tactics.  

When times are stable, biases are perhaps a convenient way to facilitate decisions and gain unanimity at the management table. However, the industry is facing far greater complexity than in the past, and such biases are now a risk to be managed.

Additional Tools & Resources:

🎬 Go backstage and check out my studio: 👉 https://geoffreycann.com/resources/ 🎓 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/training-digital-oil-gas/ 🤬 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/from-crude-to-computation