Our People

Zdenek Sehnal joined IWCF as Chief Executive Officer in September 2021. With almost 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, including 33 years at Equinor (formerly Statoil), one of the world’s leading energy companies. Previous roles have included positions at Baker Hughes, DNV and Sunderland Polytechnic.

Zdenek has extensive technical knowledge and experience in drilling, completion and interventions – particularly snubbing, well control and well integrity.

Zdenek has worked internationally in Azerbaijan, the United Kingdom, Russia (Siberia), Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Nigeria and the United States. Involvement in well control began in 1989 with Saga Petroleum’s well 2/4-14- working closely with Boots and Coots, then the most expensive blowout in the world. Since then, Zdenek has contributed to numerous well control incidents, both directly and as part of investigation teams.

From 2011 to 2021, Zdenek represented the Norwegian branch on the IWCF Board of Directors and was elected as Chair in 2016 until retirement from Equinor in February 2021.

Joanna Taylor is the Head of Operations at IWCF. With over 17 years of experience in the energy industry, she has worked in various positions within IWCF, developing comprehensive understanding of the organisation's operations and strategic objectives.

Joanna oversees four core teams: Core Operations, Strategic Development, IWCFA Regional Office, and Marketing & Communications.

Joanna regularly attends industry events and actively connects with operators, drilling contractors, service companies, and industry associations. Her professional interests span both well control and adult learning sectors, and she maintains membership in various professional organisations, reflecting her commitment to advancing training and assessment excellence within the industry.

Lynne leads all compliance and audit-related activities at IWCF, working closely with the CEO and Board to ensure the organisation consistently upholds best practice standards. Lynne’s role is central to maintaining operational integrity and regulatory alignment across all functions.

Lynne provides strategic oversight of IWCF’s audit programmes and quality assurance processes, ensuring they support the organisation’s mission and meet evolving regulatory requirements.

Lynne leads the development and ongoing enhancement of a robust compliance framework that aligns with legal requirements and best practices.

As part of the senior leadership team, Lynne drives a culture of accountability and continuous improvement across IWCF.

Joyce manages the accounting function for IWCF and its subsidiaries, and, along with her team, ensures all finance data is accurate and robust so that relevant, up-to-date finance information can be provided to senior management and the Board to assist with effective decision making.

Jamie Wilson is an experienced business improvement innovator with demonstrated expertise in managing risk, HSSE and governance and with a track record of facilitating improvements across diverse industries. Among his clients are major mining, oil and gas, and electricity generation businesses.

Within the energy industry in particular Jamie is often relied upon as a sounding board by executives and operations personnel regarding their ideas and initiatives for resolving organisational challenges. Across almost 30 years he has guided organisations in developing risk and safety management programs for major infrastructure and oil and gas projects as well as managing programs for controlling major and catastrophic risk. Jamie Wilson has undergraduate qualifications in Safety and Management, a postgraduate Diploma in Safety Management and an MBA from Adelaide University.

Michael Thompson has over 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. He is Regional Director for RelyOn in Malaysia and serves as a Board Member of the IWCF. His career has focused on training and competency development, with particular emphasis on safe and effective operations across diverse cultures. He holds an MBA from the University of Gloucestershire and has completed studies in Psychology at Edith Cowan University, specialising in human performance. A strong advocate for simulator-based scenario training incorporating human factors, Michael promotes innovation that improves workforce capability and strengthens industry standards.

Nariman Mustafayev graduated from the Azerbaijan State Oil and Gas Academy with a Master’s degree in Petroleum Engineering and Management.

With over 24 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, Nariman has developed extensive expertise, progressing through various operational roles—from offshore roughneck to his current position as Director of the Baku Drilling School.

Since 2007, Nariman has been teaching well control programs and has closely collaborated with both IWCF and IADC.

In 2024, Nariman was nominated as Vice Chair of the IWCF Europe branch and was later elected Chair of the newly established IWCF Caspian branch.

Dr. Gabriella Federer-Kovacs holds a Master of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering and a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Miskolc. She began her career in 2003 as a PhD student, researching drilling fluid contamination in connection with casing drilling on natural rock samples.

She spent 14 years as an Associate Professor at the University of Miskolc, Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas, where she taught graduate and postgraduate courses in Reservoir Mechanics, Drilling Engineering, and Well Control/Blowout Prevention.

From 2014 to 2016, she worked as a Research Engineer at C-FER Technologies in Edmonton, Canada, conducting research on well-related challenges, well trajectory analysis, and laboratory testing for drilling contractors, operators, and service companies.

Since 2006, she has been an accredited IWCF instructor and assessor with Well Training Solutions Ltd. in Hungary, where she has served as Training Center Manager since 2020.

With a diverse background spanning both the offshore drilling industry and pharmaceutical sector, Raphael brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the IWCF Board. After completing his Master of Sciences degree in Bordeaux in 2005, Raphael embarked on a dynamic career journey. He began as an operations engineer trainee where he gained invaluable experience through assignments across the Ivory Coast, South Africa, Gabon, and Angola. His career trajectory saw him take on various roles, including significant engagements with major players such as ENSCO and BP in the challenging environment of the Gulf of Mexico. This experience honed his engagement, resilience, and commitment to high industry standards.

In 2015, Raphael transitioned to the pharmaceutical industry, as a maintenance manager. However, his passion for training and excellence led him back to the energy sector, where he became the Director of EFF Training in 2019.

His mission as the French Branch Chair is to support global excellence through innovative training, bringing together skills to accelerate and elevate performance. His core values of excellence, passion, and trust drive his vision for the industry, ensuring a brighter future for well control and safety worldwide.

Dirk began his career in the oil and gas industry in 1978 as a trained worker on drilling rigs. He studied deep drilling technology at the Mountain University of Freiberg and graduated with a degree in drilling engineering.

Dirk subsequently worked for German E&P companies and onshore drilling contractors for over 35 years in various positions, including drilling engineer, project manager, drilling superintendent, drilling supervisor and operations manager.

Since 2024, Dirk has been employed as managing director of the Drilling School in Celle. His activities also include teaching drilling technology and well control, as an IWCF accredited instructor and assessor. In 2024 he was elected Chairman of the IWCF German Branch and has been a member of the IWCF Board since February 2025.

Corrado has 40 years’ experience in Drilling & Completion activities, working in the Oil and Gas industry since 1986. He has held a number of positions within Drilling and Well Operations (Drlg SPV – Snr Drlg SPV - Drlg Eng – Drlg SPT – Well Operation Manager) on and offshore based, across the world, including Congo, Nigeria, Egypt, USA, Kazakhstan, The Netherlands, UK, Venezuela. He holds a degree in Drilling Engineering and a master’s degree in economics. Corrado act as Chairman of the Italian branch of IWCF from 2015. Corrado is currently senior SME for worldwide critical drilling activities and well operations.

Vincent Vincent Bouchès brings 20 years of experience in Exploration & Production, spanning HSSE, well design, operations, contracts & procurement, performance management, business planning, and technology & digital transformation.

He has held diverse roles in Shell projects across the UK, Gabon, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Malaysia, and the Netherlands. Currently serving as Chair of the Dutch branch of the IWCF, Vincent also leads Shell’s Wells Global Learning team, where he is responsible for shaping and delivering learning strategies and programs across the Wells organization.

Originally from France, Vincent holds a Master’s Degree in Science & Engineering (2005) and an Executive Master in Management of Energy (2022).

In addition to serving as a current IWCF Board Member and North American Branch Chair, Brandon Rosler is Director at Nabors Drilling Solutions, where he oversees third-party operations for NDS Automation Technology & Drilling Performance across the U.S. and international markets.

With over 20 years of global oil and gas industry experience, Brandon has lived and worked in multiple countries, holding a wide range of field and office-based roles—including Rig Manager, Driller, Senior Training Manager, and more.

He previously led Nabors’ global training initiatives, where he established and managed 9 global training centers and oversaw well control and technical training programs for more than 3,000 personnel across 13 countries. Today, he remains a key leader in Nabors’ well control strategy, serving as one of the primary focal points for its in-house training programs and as a member of the corporate well control committee.

As Chair of the Norwegian Branch of IWCF and Project Lead in the ConocoPhillips Global Wells group, Jarle Vinningland brings over 17 years of oil and gas industry experience. He holds a MSc in Petroleum technology from University of New South Wales and a BSc from University of Stavanger.

Throughout the past 13 years at ConocoPhillips, Jarle Vinningland has held a range of leadership roles, including Drilling Engineer, Engineering Supervisor, Drilling Supervisor, and Superintendent, with a focus on plug & abandonment, slot recovery, Subsea development, and production drilling. Jarle Vinningland has also played a central role in contract and tender administration, as well as project management for complex well operations.

Prior to joining ConocoPhillips, Jarle Vinningland gained international experience with Weatherford Directional Drilling, working on rotation in the UK, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, specializing in LWD and directional drilling, before returning to Norway and joined setting up Weatherford drilling services in Norway.

Clive is a highly experienced technology leader with over three decades of experience in product development, operational leadership, and digital transformation within the training and energy services sector. Joining the business in 1990 as a Software Programmer, Clive has progressed through a range of technical and executive roles, including Chief Operating Officer of 3t Drilling Systems, where he oversaw global operations and product innovation.

Now serving as Senior Vice President of 3t Technologies, Clive leads the integration of 3t Drilling Systems and 3t Digital under a unified technology centre of excellence. His focus is on aligning deep technology capabilities with customer needs, driving innovation in how training is delivered, and accelerating the Group’s digital transformation strategy.

With a background in computer science and a proven track record of developing industry-leading solutions, Clive is deeply engaged in the well control and drilling learning space. He is a regular contributor at IADC and SPE conferences around the world.

Clive’s leadership is defined by his ability to foster collaboration across disciplines, champion technological advancement, and deliver impactful results in fast-evolving markets.