| Description | Tape 1 Side A
CAROL ELIZABETH MARY BOYD born Ayr Scotland 10 February 1947. Details re present position as Manager, External Relations, UK Business Unit, Enterprise Oil. Own contracting company, Crionach Consultants Ltd. Paternal family background, their descent from the Stewarts; grandfather, Robert Boyd's death from TB. Father Hugh Boyd, accountant. Maternal grandfather James Patrick's emigration to North America, return to Glasgow. Grandmother, Elizabeth Patrick nee Freeland. Parents Margaret Patrick, Hugh Boyd. Father's work as accountant, war experience in Burma; effect of war on his later life. Mother's work as secretary before marriage, teacher afterwards. Influence of mother on own career. Influence of grandfather, a miner, well read, self-educated. Details re sisters. Grandfather's belief in the capabilities of women. Political attitudes in family. Attitude of family to church, own feelings. Uncle of minister - 'Tartan Pimpernel' during war. Education at Prestwick Public School, Prestwick High School, Ayr Academy. Attitude to education, achievement. Pattern of education in Scottish schools. Career and other considerations leading to study of law. Feelings about sport. Recollection of struggle of law study at University of Glasgow.
Tape 1 Side B
Effect of rigour of law study on natural creativity - important aspect of oil industry work. Enjoyment of writing. First employment with Dunbartonshire County Council (1972), training to be a solicitor. Small proportion of fellow female law students who became lawyers. Description of situation as a graduate; focus of DCC; details of work. Attitudes to women. Recollection of first application to join oil business - Conoco. State of infancy of Scottish-related oil and gas operations at the time. Recollection of ration vouchers in 1973. Recollections of interviews for job. First responsibilities at Conoco, reviews of contracts; surprise at level of empowerment. Background to Conoco, its constituent parts, association with National Coal Board, North Sea activities. Initial responsibility for looking at detailed operations work. Explanation of situation at time of advent of BNOC, tension between companies. Involvement in interpreting terms of new agreements following licensing rounds. Explanation of unpopularity of 5th and 6th licensing rounds. Conoco's tactic in 6th round. Description of own role in application process in licensing rounds: example of 7th round (the 'biscuit manufacturers' round'). Details. Role of Saxon oil in Conoco bid. Explanation of approach to negotiations, developing autonomy of Conoco UK; attitude of US parent company. Peter Buckroyd's organisation of a lawyers' conference at Gleneagles; presence of Conoco CEO Ralph E. Bailey.
Tape 2 Side A
Most senior people in Conoco UK were American apart from Peter Buckroyd. Impression of US personnel. Most senior woman on UK payroll, yet still young. Recollection of Denis Reid(?), Project Manager, responsible for Murchison field development. Impact, attitude of Milt Barber, senior advisor to UK, Norwegian companies; lessons learned from him. Gradual development of peer group eg from Britoil, Tricentral, Mobil. Dealings with DTI (Department of Trade & Industry). Explanation of their role and attitude to granting licences, own contacts. Description of presentation of cases to Brian Turner of DTI, skills developed. Recollections of John Brooks, his long significance to oil companies. His background, his former 'counter balance' Peter Harding. Explanation of importance of oil and gas industry to Scotland, competition for jobs. Compares situations of Dundee and Aberdeen, their attitudes to oil industry. Difficulty reaching Aberdeen establishment in the early days. Importance of technical knowledge when working with oil industry. Feelings about job in first years; attitude of company. Death of father. Feelings about being in Aberdeen. Reaction of family to own situation. Background to Dupont acquisition of Conoco; own work involved. Details of changes in Conoco, first in safety. Intense period of safety awareness in Conoco predating Piper Alpha. Sale of Consolitated Coal Co because of its health and safety risks. Explanation of transfer from Legal Department to Commercial Negotiations Group (1986) in Exploration Department. Reaction of Peter Buckroyd. Survival of first redundancy cycle. Attitude of Conoco to other oil companies; its sense of itself.
Tape 2 Side B
Recollection of work as Acquisitions Advisor, Commercial Negotiations Group (1986), attitude of BNOC, own approach to negotiations, difficulty of job in the face 'policy' responses to arguments. Details re Director of Exploration, Ian Gray, a mentor, George Watkins, present Chairman, Managing Director, Conoco UK. Description of work, personnel flow etc of American executives. Example of process of negotiations: agreements on Clair Field, West of Shetland. Details re spread of Clair field, type of oil. Choices facing Conoco in Clair, decision to build equity; own role working out deals to put in place working in alliance with Elf. Details re licence group meetings. Description of own 'cash and carry' proposal. Relationship between Conoco and competitors; significance for their reputation of way opportunities tackled rather than their PR. Explains dullness of 10th Licensing Round. Own role of Senior Negotiator in team leading to promotion to Manager of Acquisitions (1991), succeeding Bill Nahill. Details re him. Feelings about appointment, reaction of colleagues. Explanation of own career aspirations, skills. Involvement with buying, selling, internal restructurings and, particularly, Conoco building position in Britannia field. Detailed description of buying/selling process. Conoco decision to increase holding in central North Sea. Wood McKenzie's and other commentators' watching brief over asset deals on Continental Shelf. Innovative work, resulting from agreement of two chairmen, of mutual resource team (Britannia Operator Ltd), comprising Conoco/Chevron personnel working cooperatively on field.
Tape 3 Side A
Manager, Acquisitions 1991-93: Details re colleagues, approach to developing team spirit, improvement of male:female balance. Impact of management consultancy survey ('Global Excellence' programme) initiated by company globally. Effect on company of Indonesian plane crash with senior Conoco personnel aboard. Difficulties in own job, finding new positions for own staff. Explanation of own approach to job, negotiations, relationship with DTI, government, John Brooks. Details re 11th Licensing Round - last time to gain acreage. Explanation of work understanding acreage acquired. Recollection of Piper Alpha disaster. Feelings about job as Manager, Acquisitions; restructuring of company. Reaction to offer of job as Operations Manager of southern North Sea gas fields. Attitude to challenges in work. Mention of husband's work. Success in getting good positions for all staff. Circumstances leading to departure from Conoco. Explanation for resignation. Options available in Conoco, appointment as Director, Commercial & Legal, Union Texas Petroleum (1993). Details re other Conoco staff. Comparison between Union Texas and Conoco. Farewell party at Conoco; feelings at time. Role of Union Texas in own career, first impressions; functions carried out by company, its background, association with Piper Alpha, possibilities of new business.
Tape 3 Side B
16th - 18th licensing rounds - details. Description of John Brooks' (DTI) procedure in granting licences, criteria considered, tactics. Recollection of own tactics with Brooks. Feelings about new 'transparency' policies. Description of Brooks' attitude when dealing with applications. Recollection of involvement with procurement matters when presenting applications, interviews with Offshore Supplies Office, Glasgow, target percentages of British material. Details re proportions of British materials used. Attitude of Conoco. Discovery at UTP that it was investing wrongly. Details re involvement in Elgin field. Descriptions of Elf, AGIP as companies to deal with. Own opinion of Elgin deal. Background to deal with Petrofina on Britannia; reason for assurance of a good deal. Attitude of UTP colleagues in US. Feelings about job. Description of approach to next acquisition for UTP. Details of attempt to acquire Repsol, Spanish state company, unusual exclusive access to information. Acquisition of Alba fields by UTP (1995). Feelings about Repsol, Alba outcome. Eventual part-ownership of Repsol by Enterprise. Changes at top of UTP, development of new culture programme. Details. Attitude of US personel to CB. Decision, in US, to trade North Sea production for business in Russia. Details of own contrary advice given; reaction of new US boss, Jim Knight. Details re staff structure at UTP, own role, increasing isolation.
Tape 4 Side A
Attitude of UTP and their analysts in US to UK sector. Possible negative impact of a dry well drilled near Britannia. Effect of cost of obtaining NS oil, temptation to go to central Asia. Involved in meetings in Russia. Impression of Russians to deal, work with. Americans' treatment of them. Arco purchase of company (1998), work finding jobs for colleagues. Own feelings about finding a new job. Explanation re UTP's long time on market for sale. Procedures pre sale to Arco. Details re own situation, possibility of job with Arco. Description of Arco, its background, culture. Description of BP which has recently taken over Arco. Arco killed by deal with UTP. Details. Decision to take a holiday, do something different. Difficulty trying to set up business enterprise in Scotland. Approach by headhunter to work, as consultant, with Enterprise Oil. Current attitude to work, career. Description of Enterprise, its approach to business. Impact of oil industry on personal lives. Industry social circuits in London. Oil industry in retrospect; involvement with risk, practical difficulties. Recollection of dealing with technical specialists. Change to gender attitudes but few women reaching board level. Recollection of Conoco hospitality of political and other advisers at Gleneagles etc.
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