In the latest episode of the Energy Connects podcast, host Chiranjib Sengupta sat down with Peter Parry, Chairman of the Global Energy & Natural Resources practice at Bain & Company, to discuss how energy companies can work toward a more sustainable and resilient future. Peter highlighted how this strategy could convert lofty targets into tangible results by integrating digital innovation, AI-driven insights and operational efficiency. With the modern energy infrastructure depending heavily on natural gas, Peter also emphasised why the secret to success for the sector rests in aligning robust growth with climate accountability.

In this special year end podcast, ChiranjibSengupta brings together the defining voices and moments from our coverage in2025 as the global energy conversation shifts from transition to energyaddition. Featuring exclusive insights from Secretary Doug Burgum, SecretaryChris Wright, H.E. Haitham Al Ghais, Dr Sama Bilbao y León, Simon Flowers,Francesco La Camera and Jassim Al-Shirawi, this review episode explores how AI,population growth and economic development are driving unprecedented demand forpower.
Focusing on the key themes of 2025, the discussion spans the $18 trillioninvestment needed in oil and gas, the revival of nuclear and SMRs, the rapidgrowth of LNG, and the infrastructure and investment needed to deliverreliable, affordable energy at scale. With a strong focus on energy equity, theepisode underscores why an all of the above strategy is essential to meetglobal demand while ensuring no region is left behind.

In the latest episode of the Energy Connects Podcast, Edo Hoekstra, Business Line Director for Subsurface Workflows at SLB, dives deep into how the company’s XD strategy is accelerating digital transformation across the energy sector. From integrating AI and machine learning into flagship applications like Petrel and Techlog to enabling seamless cloud interoperability through the Delphi and Lumi platforms, Edoa explains how SLB is helping energy organisations evolve at their own pace. He also shares insights on customer adoption, the shift toward agile cloud environments and how “agentic” AI-driven workflows are set to shape the next phase of efficiency, collaboration and innovation in subsurface operations.

In the final episode of the Energy Connects special podcast series with Siemens, Chiranjib Sengupta sat down with John Nixon of Siemens, Gary Sheedy of TeamViewer and Roy Herbert of Veerum to unpack how visualising energy data through digital twins and virtual reality tools enables organisations to improve efficiency, streamline field operations and move from reactive to predictive maintenance. According to the panel, as global industries accelerate their digital transformation journeys, the ability to visualise operational data in real time is becoming a game-changer for efficiency, safety and sustainability. They also highlighted how data visualisation is helping bridge the traditional divide between the control room and the field, from enabling proactive decisions to reducing unplanned downtime and empowering the next generation of digital-native engineers.

In the second episode of the Energy Connects podcast series with Hexagon, Chiranjib Sengupta speaks with Joseph El Bitar, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Hexagon Asset Lifecycle Intelligence in the Middle East and Africa. The discussion focuses on Hexagon’s smart digital reality and its flagship platform, SDX2, which merges real-time data, automation and AI-driven insights to improve efficiency, resilience and decision-making across industries. Joseph highlights how SDX2 can help organisations break down data silos, supports asset-intensive sectors and enable digital twin visualisation. Underscoring how the Middle East’s ambitious digital transformation goals are accelerating the adoption of advanced technologies, Joseph outlines why Hexagon has positioned itself not just as a technology provider but as a long-term partner in building digital maturity in the region.

In the third episode of ourspecial podcast series, Chiranjib Sengupta sat down with a team ofexperts from Siemens – John Nixon, Vice President of Global Strategy for EnergyChemicals and Infrastructure, Mike Houghton, Global Head of Sales, and ShivdeepGaagat, Industry Lead for Energy – to dive deep into a game-changingtechnology: physics-informed neural networks. They discuss how this powerfulnew tool can radically alter the way the industry approaches digitaltransformation. The team breaks down how the technology can improve everythingfrom predictive maintenance to grid reliability, the practical challenges ofintegrating them at scale, and why their optimal adoption can give companies amajor competitive edge.

In the first episode of a two-part podcast series, Chiranjib Sengupta sat down with Joseph El Bitar, Vice President and General Manager of Hexagon Asset Lifecycle Intelligence in Middle East and Africa, to discuss how enterprise asset management (EAM) can help reinvent urban governance in the Middle East and beyond. At a time when the region is experiencing one of the fastest urban transformations in the world, Joseph explains how organisations can manage this complexity intelligently, proactively and sustainably through the Living City concept. He also highlights how Hexagon’s EAM platform connects with assets across urban departments not just to collect data but to analyse it, automate tasks and recommends smart solutions.

In the second episode of our four-part podcast series with Siemens, Chiranjib Sengupta sat down with John Nixon, Vice President of Global Strategy for Energy, Chemicals and Infrastructure and Mike Houghton, Global Head of Sales, both at Siemens Digital Industries Software, to unpack the secrets of how energy companies can maximise their returns on digital investment. John and Mike highlighted emerging digital technologies and data-driven solutions that can help Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) better understand the impact of a company’s financial pathway. They also explored the digital infrastructure that companies need to benefit from model-based financial optimisation, and addressed the skills and training component for CFOs and other stakeholders to start incorporating such optimisation in typical business plans and operations.