User:Gronk Oz/Peter Botten

Peter Robert Botten (born 27 November 1950) (born 1 October 1954) is an Australian business executive who served as the Managing Director of Oil Search, a Papua New Guinea-based oil and gas exploration and development company, from 1994 to 2020. He was awarded Commander of the British Empire (CBE) and Australia's highest civilian honour, Companion of the Order of Australia, in 2019.

Early life and education
Botten was born on 1 October 1954 in Adelaide, South Australia.
 * Botten was born in Melbourne, Australia on 27 November 1950. (DIFFERENT SOURCES GAVE DIFFERENT DATES)

He earned a degree in Geology from Monash University in Melbourne, and later completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Petroleum Engineering at the Royal School of Mines at Imperial College London.


 * He attended Geelong Grammar School and later earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Melbourne in 1978.
 * He earned a bachelor's degree in mining engineering from the University of Adelaide in 1974.and a Master of Business Administration from Cranfield University.
 * He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in petroleum engineering from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
 * He received a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from Monash University in 1974, and later completed a Master of Business Administration at Deakin University in 1984.

Career
After completing his studies, Botten began his career in the oil and gas industry in 1984 with Shell, working in various locations including Australia, the Netherlands, Brunei, and the United Kingdom. He held various roles within the company, including as managing director of Esso Australia's exploration and production subsidiary, before leaving in 1994 to become the managing director of Oil Search.

In 1992, he joined Oil Search as general manager of operations, and was appointed Managing Director two years later. During his tenure as managing director, the company grew significantly and became a major player in the oil and gas industry in Papua New Guinea. Botten has been credited with developing important partnerships between Oil Search and the government of Papua New Guinea, as well as with international investors. The expansion included the company's entry into liquefied natural gas production in a project which commenced production in 2014, involving a consortium of companies including ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies. He also played a key role in negotiating a landmark liquefied natural gas agreement with the Papua New Guinea government in 2009.

Botten retired from his position as managing director in 2020, but he remains a senior advisor to the company.

In addition to his work with Oil Search, Botten has also been involved with various industry and community organizations. He has served as the chairman of the Papua New Guinea Chamber of Mines and Petroleum, as a director of the Australia-PNG Business Council, the World Economic Forum's Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, and chairman of the Business Council of Papua New Guinea.

Botten has also served as a director of several other companies, including the Business Council of Australia, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association. Since 2016, he has been a non-executive director of AGL, becoming chairman in 2021 and 2022. Following this departure, he became chairman of Conrad Asia Energy and in 2024, he took on the role of chairman of the solar developer Vast Renewables.

Awards and honours
Botten was awarded the Papua New Guinea Independence Medal in 2000. He was awarded a Companion of the British Empire (CBE) in 2007 for services to the oil and gas industry in PNG and contributions to the community sector. In 2015, the Harvard Business Review and Australian Financial Review included him as one of the world's 100 top-performing CEOs. In 2019, Botten was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Adelaide.

He was awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the 2019 Australia Day Honours "for eminent service to Australia-Papua New Guinea relations, particularly in the oil and gas industry, and to social and economic initiatives".

Personal life
Botten is married to Gill and they have two children. He is a supporter of various charitable organizations, including the Papua New Guinea Red Cross and the Papua New Guinea Cancer Foundation.

Extra sources to consider