In October, Malcolm Brinded, the head of exploration at Shell who signed the deal to explore for oil and redevelop a gas export terminal in Libya, met another foreign minister, Douglas Alexander, with a particular focus on trade.
The firm's head of exploration says "there is practically no exploratory risk" in the area.
"We ended up getting it for about a hundred dollars an acre," Jeff Larson, Brigham's head of exploration, said.
In August 2008, BP's then head of exploration, Andy Inglis, briefed the US ambassador to Baku about his one-hour meeting with the president.
Mr. van de Vijver, then head of exploration and production, sent a memorandum to the audit committee explaining a host of reserve issues.
Oil companies often pick the head of exploration and production as chief executive, but at Total, Arnaud Breuillac has held that role less than a year.
Sir Philip made his optimistic assessment of the Oman field in May 2000, when he was the company's head of exploration and development.
Malcolm Brinded, Shell's head of exploration and production, said $3bn£1.5bnbn) had been spent on anti-flaring projects over the past six years.
Neither do many still active in the incumbency, not least Total's head of exploration, who recently warned that peak is just around the corner.
The former head of exploration is out, and a new safety and risk division, embedded throughout the company and with powers to intervene in operations, has been formed.
