Neil Evans is a highly accomplished and experienced senior global exploration leader with a remarkable track record over 26 years in both petroleum and minerals.  He is the former head of North America Metals Exploration and the Gulf of Mexico Petroleum Exploration Group for BHP, the world’s largest natural resource company.   He spearheaded numerous oil and gas discoveries in Trinidad & Tobago, Southeast Asia, and the Gulf of Mexico, and a copper discovery at Ocelot in Arizona. Throughout his career, Neil has demonstrated expertise in running large multi-functional teams, setting exploration strategies, and executing multi-million-dollar work programs. His strong strategic and operational background stems from his experience working both domestically in North America and internationally.

Neil is a systems-based geoscientist who emphasizes the importance of understanding earth processes from first principles to achieve exploration success. He received a BSc from Imperial College London and a PhD in structural geology from the University of Leeds.  He also undertook postdoctoral research at the University of London, University of Ottawa, and University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse. 

Neil is passionate about promoting the important role geoscience plays in the stewardship of the planet and its people and is currently collaborating with the UNESCO International Geoscience Programme on an initiative to explore the future of geoscience set against a background of declining student numbers at university.