Andrew Graham Tugwell

BEng (Hons) CEng FEI Chartered Petroleum Engineer

Born in Redhill Surrey in 1951, Andrew attended Ottershaw boarding school near Chertsey. Upon leaving in 1969 he spent a year with VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) teaching at a Mission School in the Volta Region, Ghana. Upon returning in 1970 went to Exeter University, Devon, graduating (1973) in Physics and Electronics.

Although with aspirations toward the RAF the lure of the O&G industry beckoned with the UKCS just opening up so Andrew joined Schlumberger Wireline services as a logging and formation evaluation engineer, training in Pau, France before being posted to Aberdeen on 2nd January 1974. He was responsible for logging many “discovery” wells – many of which resulting fields remain in production today. 1976 to 1978 was spent in Saudi Arabia where Andrew was responsible for the introduction of Schlumberger’s (then) new computerized logging units (CSU) to the Middle East.

Having spent 5 years with Schlumberger a new technology, MWD (Measurement While Drilling) was being developed so Andrew joined Teleco as their 7th Field Engineer in 1978. This led to a keen interest in Directional Drilling (navigating a borehole to a pre-determined target location) and he subsequently became one of the first half-dozen British Directional Drilling Engineers working on the UK Continental Shelf.

In 1981 Andrew joined Smith International where he spent the next eleven years – initially as a Directional Engineer but then as the Manager for their Directional services, building the group to equal-largest such supplier by the end of the 1980’s. He was latterly Managing Director for Smith International (North Sea) Ltd. A subsequent disposal led Andrew to a small independent mud-motor service provider, Drilex Systems Ltd. where he stayed for some six years lastly as Eastern Hemisphere Manager, before starting his own consultancy business in 1998.

In 1998 he introduced a new drilling concept to the 3i group who made an investment in Cambridge Drilling Automation, the company that invented and commercialized the revolutionary, what is now commonly known as “Rotary Steerable” drilling technology. Andrew joined the Board and was subsequently responsible for it being acquired by Gyrodata Ltd. Andrew remains a non-executive Director of the group.

Andrew joined forces with Robert in 2005 as co-owner and Operations Director for ADM, and together they have built the company as a high level consultancy, engaged in managing wells for smaller Operators as well as performing due diligence, dispute resolution, mentoring and well examination services (among others!). Both he and Robert regularly lecture and tutor at the Robert Gordon University for Masters courses related to Oil and Gas. Andrew is a Fellow of the Energy Institute. He has acted as an Independent Expert Witness for the High Court in London and is also External Examiner and Mentor for a major Drilling Contractor having an accredited IMechE Graduate Development programme.