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Jacques Bosio

John Donnelly, JPT Editor

Editor’s Note: In recognition of SPE’s 50th anniversary this year, JPT is conducting interviews with several Society luminaries about their careers, their relationship with SPE, and the changes they have seen in the oil and gas industry and the Society over the past several decades.

In 1993, you became the first person outside of the United States to hold the office of SPE President. What was the significance of this and was its significance realized at the time?

SPE was perceived as 100% US at the time. But SPE was opening new sections every year outside the US already and appeared to be going in that direction. But, let us face it, I would say that one half of the SPE Board of Directors was not very much in favor of becoming totally international. Fortunately, some Presidents before me—such as Orville Gaither (1990) and Kenneth Robbins (1985)—had vision and realized that the central gravity of the oil business was moving east. Because of the North Sea, which was being developed, and of course, the Middle East, Texas was no longer the center of gravity. So it was really time to integrate the rest of the world into SPE, and it was also time to make it known that SPE had evolved and was truly becoming international.

So the idea of a non-US President would be a symbol and I think it worked. When our members opened up their JPT one month, they had proof that SPE was going international, since the least you can say about a Frenchman is that he is a true foreigner! It was a sign of a clear evolution.

Was there much reaction from the membership?

The reaction was positive. SPE had opened a new section in France in the 1980s and in other areas already. As I traveled around—to Norway, to Great Britain, and to other places—the members all said they found the idea of SPE becoming more international to be a very good one.

Looking back, what are your thoughts about the pace of SPE’s international growth? Did it happen too slowly? At about the right speed?

Certainly not too slowly; it was an evolution, not a revolution. SPE was already on the right track, and since my term, there have been several non-US presidents. Look at what SPE has become in 15 years—half of the members are now outside the US, we have sections all over the world, and we have opened several offices outside of the US. All of this growth went together with the technical revolution in communication, which was very expensive, along with the creation of a bunch of new meetings all over the world. If you think about it, if it takes 20 years to make an adult, then 15 years to do what SPE has done is not a very long time. In 15 years, we have gained international recognition and respect. It has been a fantastic success.

What were the biggest challenges SPE faced during your presidential term?

We had some financial difficulties during that time, and I must confess that I was not really prepared to solve these problems. But fortunately, on the board and on the SPE staff, we had people who managed to put everything back on track. Of course, there was the big challenge of becoming international. For instance, we decided to open a branch office in London, and this was costly, and we really had to think twice before we did that.

Another issue was integrating a new electronic communications system. That was technically very difficult and took several years to do. Again, that was very expensive. We were very fortunate that the SPE Foundation helped us do that, otherwise it would not have happened. That is a reminder of the amazing job the foundation does in raising money for SPE when it confronts big challenges such as this.

We also expanded the scope of SPE. Fifteen years ago, exploration was not part of SPE’s business; it was separate. I used to say that we had to integrate the “gs” into SPE—geology and geophysics. At that time, exploration was considered separate from drilling, development, and production. Now, we talk about exploration and production together, but, at that time, SPE was essentially for drilling, reservoir, and offshore development, and not so much for exploration. SPE decided to become closer to the professional exploration societies. That was not very easy, and it took a long time.

SPE also started emphasizing the importance of gas during this time. In Africa, where I began my career, when we found a gas well we would call it a dry well. Gas had nowhere near the importance it has today. You always have some people who have vision. Some had the vision of SPE becoming international; others had the vision that gas would become more important to the industry.

Another issue we faced was the image of the industry. You know it makes me mad that, inside our companies, all of us are proud of what we do and we all know the amazing technical problems we have solved and we all know that health, safety, and environment is not just a slogan for us, but our outside perception is so bad. At that time, some thought SPE should become very high-profile on this issue. But the board decided that it would be badly perceived outside of the industry because we would be considered both judge and jury. We encouraged members to speak in front of schools and community groups in public about the industry and what it does, but we did not go beyond that.

What was your first connection to SPE?

After my studies in France, I went to the University of Texas at Austin and then, after 2 years in the French army, I took a position with an American consulting group, E.A. Polumbus and Associates, which was consulting on the Sahara where the French had a big field. I became a member of SPE during that time, in 1961. But I must confess that I dropped my membership until the 1980s because SPE was not known in France. We had no clue what SPE was. Then, SPE President Ken Robbins came to Paris to meet with the Chairman of my company, Elf Aquitaine, to talk about the creation of an SPE French section. I happened to be a part of that meeting because, let’s face it, I could speak better English than the big boss. This is how it all started.

In a matter of 2 weeks, we created the section, and later I became the Chairperson. Then, I attended SPE’s Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) in the US, and there I met Dan Adamson, who was SPE Executive Director at the time, and I got the warmest welcome from him and from the staff. At that meeting, I began to realize that we had missed a lot by not being a part of SPE. I managed to sign up 100 members shortly thereafter, and our section became very active.

What SPE programs or services have been the most valuable to you?

I particularly enjoy the local monthly meetings. They are close to you, and you can meet all of your friends and you have an opening to the world thanks to the Distinguished Lecturer Program and other lectures that take place. I also enjoy the annual meetings, which allow me to meet with my international counterparts.

Something that is fantastic are the Forums. They are a unique type of meeting for our industry and really offer an open ex-change of ideas. I helped organize the first Forum in Europe 20 years ago, on what was a brand new subject at the time—horizontal wells. Also very important to me and to our industry is the amazing number of top-quality papers you can get from the online library. You can find in a minute a paper that can help solve a problem that you are faced with and also possibly meet someone who has had the same difficulties.

What were your main technical interests during your career?

I spent quite some time in the Sahara. I used to call it the big beach without the sea. I also was involved in developing offshore production in Gabon and quickly moved into R&D. We developed the first real automatic subsea production system at a field in Gabon.

Then, I became head of Elf’s horizontal-well R&D project, and I presented papers on this at ATCE and the Offshore Technology Conference in the early 1980s. Elf was one of the first companies to really believe in horizontal wells. We laid the first application of horizontal wells around 1982 in a field in Italy, and it became a fantastic success. We multiplied expected production by 20 to 30 times. This is something I am very proud of. We were invited to Texas to teach some colleagues in a large company how to drill a horizontal well. Can you imagine a Frenchman teaching a Texan how to drill a well?

And, before I retired, I became involved in enhanced oil recovery (EOR), especially chemical injections.

What were the most significant changes that occurred in the industry during your career?

One major change was the coming together of exploration and production, rather than having two separate disciplines. Another was the rapid development of computers and electronic communication. The progress of seismic has been amazing; that has allowed the industry to find new reservoirs where we did not have any idea they existed. And, of course, the development of horizontal wells. And I also would mention the awakening of what I call the “EOR era.”

What do you think have been the most significant developments or milestones that have occurred in SPE during your membership?

Without a doubt, internationalization, which has triggered the growth of SPE to 70,000 members. Underlying all of this has been the total internationalization of our business. A petroleum engineer can now travel the whole world, from north to south, east to west, and feel at home with anyone he meets in the business. Also significant has been SPE’s digestion of the electronic revolution, which was a real challenge.

What individuals were most influential to you during your career?

Former SPE President Ken Robbins. He would convert anyone to becoming a volunteer and an active one. Another person who impressed me very much was Orville Gaither, who is a brilliant, open, and international personality. And I cannot fail to mention Dan Adamson. He held my hand throughout my career at SPE when I would get a bit lost. During my 6 years on the SPE Board, I met some of the most fantastic people, and I am proud to call them friends forever. The SPE Board has been made up of some of the brightest and most open people you can imagine, with bright ideas and a willingness to do many things, and this is something I came to appreciate
very much.

What advice would you give young professionals just entering the industry?

Whatever your area of work is, always remember that someone in the world is certainly working on the same subject and has the same goal. Do not try to reinvent the wheel. You are not alone. SPE is available to give you access to the most updated technology to help you enhance your professional and technical competence. Participate. Exchange. You always get more in return than what you give.

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