Dr Colin Phipps
Obituary

Dr Colin Phipps 1934-2009 will be remembered for many things but one of his major achievements was as a pioneer of the British Independent oil sector.

It is hard to know where to begin to describe a life that was so varied, rich and full.

Fundamentally Colin was a geologist graduating with a first class honours degree from University College London in 1955. On the back of this he was awarded a Shell Postgraduate Studentship to undertake a PhD at Birmingham University. He completed this in just two years with a thesis entitled 'The Structure and Stratigraphy of the Silurian Rocks West of the South Malvern Hills'. With F. Reeve he then published a number of papers on the geology of the Malvern Hills.

In 1957 he joined Shell as a geologist where he spent seven years working in the Netherlands, Venezuela and the USA.

In 1964 he took the brave decision to leave Shell and set himself up as a consultant in the UK. It is hard to believe nowadays just how bold a step that was - the North Sea was in its infancy as an oil province and work was scarce. However, as he did on so many occasions, with his entrepreneurial skills and strong technical background, he built up a very successful consultancy Dr Colin Phipps and Partners.

In 1972 he set up Phipps Oil and in 1973 Clyde Petroleum, and as if this was not enough to keep him occupied, he became the Member of Parliament for Dudley West in 1974.

Throughout the 1970s Clyde continued to grow picking up interests in the UK, USA, Italy and Ecuador, where Clyde acquired the Anglo Ecuadorian Oilfields from Burmah Oil in 1975. It was becoming clear that the scope of Clyde required a dedicated technical team and in 1979 Clyde merged with Dr Colin Phipps and Partners and the company became established in the Malvern area. Colin became Chief Executive of the company which was now recognized as a significant force in the UK. Colin's interest in politics continued and he became a founder member of the Social Democratic Party in the early 1980s.

In 1983 Colin became Chairman of Clyde and was also elected Chairman of Brindex, the association of British independent exploration companies.

He retired from Clyde, aged 60, in 1994 and was fittingly described by Malcolm Gourlay (Colin's successor) as follows: "Colin Phipps provided the spark that gave life to Clyde. A professional oilman of great ability and gifted in very many other ways, he was determined to see the British independent sector in general, and Clyde in particular, play a significant role in the development of the North Sea."

Of course Colin had no intention of retiring. He set up Phipps and Co which became a diverse family company and turned his attention to an area which had long fascinated him, the Falkland Islands.

He had visited the Islands on numerous occasions since his first visit in the mid-1970s as a member of a Parliamentary delegation and his oil instincts told him of the hydrocarbon potential offshore. As a result when a Licensing Round was announced Colin, with his customary persuasive flair set up Desire Petroleum which was awarded a number of licences in 1997. Drilling followed in 1998 with encouraging signs of oil and gas but not in commercial quantities. With the international oil industry in the doldrums from 1998 to 2004 most of the exploration companies left the Falklands. Colin however continued to believe passionately in the potential of the area and his determination kept Desire afloat. When fund-raising opportunities arose again, Colin raised money firstly for seismic and then for drilling.

Unfortunately he did not live to see the fulfillment of his dream of finding commercial hydrocarbons in the Falklands. He will always be regarded as the icon for exploration in the Falklands, inspiring not only Desire, but also other companies to look for oil in the area.

Colin had great influence on many lives, through his professional and personal activities over many years. Many tributes have already been paid to him, from around the world reflecting the great respect in which he was held. Some of the qualities remarked upon and often repeated include: enthusiasm, inspiration, visionary, loyalty.

Colin leaves his family, to whom he was devoted, his wife Ninky who has been by his side for over fifty years, his children Stephen, Helen, Anna and Ceri and his fourteen grandchildren of whom he was so proud.

I have known and worked with Colin for over thirty years and it is a privilege to have known such an exceptional man and I know I speak for many when I say he will be sorely missed.

Dr Ian Duncan