Gayle Meikle Founder & CEO, Frontier Energy Network

We’ve just come out of Global Upstream Leaders Forum here in London or GULF as we are calling it (we love our acronyms at Frontier!) - a full room of the right people. Leaders from across the upstream value chain - investors, operators; IOC's and independents, governments and advisors - came together under one theme: Global Capital, Global Strategy: Aligning Finance and Upstream Growth. And what was clear from the outset is that while the industry is not short of capital, but access to it is becoming more complex and more selective.

Creating spaces for this industry to come together is a real privilege and something that I don't take for granted. In my opening keynote, I spoke about leadership and the role we all play in shaping what comes next. This industry is the fulcrum of global growth, and it must be led it with integrity, strong values and a solid foundation.

Global Upstream Leaders Keynote

What a privilege it is to be together- to spend time together. In the world we live in today, the value and the magic of human connection is something we really need to lean into, especially now.

I started Frontier back in 2009. Seventeen years in, and I’m really starting to enjoy myself. I built the business when my children were quite little, and now that they’re growing in independence, I find I have a little more time - and the freedom to travel, to engage, and to focus on the work Frontier was truly set up to do. I feel like I am just getting started for what is possible for Frontier | The Premier Platform for Upstream Leaders.

Our mission is simple: to bring upstream leaders together from around the world to connect, collaborate and get deals done. We deliver this through our events. We don’t see ourselves as an events company, but we do run two Global Energy Summits - the Africa Energies Summit and the World Energies Summit. These are purely upstream, purely oil and gas. We’ve never deviated from that. And what makes them special is that they are not large, impersonal expos. They are spaces where you can build relationships, make friends, and do real business. That’s a formula I truly believe in and is much needed by leaders making difficult decisions and trade-offs.

As an extension of the Summits, we now deliver the Global Upstream Leaders Forums around the world, thanks to the support of our Sponsors and Partners. We began the year in Luanda, we’re here in London today, and next we head to Aberdeen in partnership with EAGE (European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers) - which feels particularly important at a time when the North Sea is recalibrating from the devastating measures implemented by successive UK governments. Then Rio, and of course Houston.

We are a network built on trust. We aim to provide a safe harbour for the connections you need to do business - whether that’s with ministries, regulators, national oil companies, IOCs, partners or independents. Alongside this, many of you will know that we also work closely with governments and regulators globally. One thing I know how to do is market and promote, and I’m proud that in recent years we’ve delivered some of the strongest promotion for licensing rounds and bid rounds worldwide - from Mozambique’s 6th round to Zanzibar’s first, to Egypt’s extensive opportunities through the Egypt Upstream Gateway (EUG). And now, we are taking that service global into Asia Pacific and beyond.

Of course, none of this is achieved alone. I want to take a moment to say how proud I am of the Frontier team. We are diverse, we are proud, and we are very good at what we do. Thank you for your dedication and delivery - it consistently punches above our weight and continues to make a seismic impact on our industry on many levels.

I asked ChatGPT about myself this morning - have you ever done that? Apparently I’m known as an “industry connector.” I’ll take that. Because I do love connecting people. I love making introductions. And I especially love seeing those connections turn into something meaningful for the oil and gas industry.

For almost a decade now, we’ve delivered the Africa Energies Summit, growing at around 30% year on year. The World Energies Summit is our rising star, and I’m incredibly proud of what AES has become - and excited to see the World Summit grow in stature through the connections we’re building across all of the other regions; Asia Pacific, the Americas and beyond.

I want to bring us back to why we're here today. Capital in the upstream industry has been a pain point for decades. We've all spoken about it. We've all deliberated about it. But ultimately, at the end of the day, we all rely on money. We all rely on capital. And what a time it's been for our oil industry to be reminded that energy or more specifically oil and gas is of such strategic importance to the growth and development of nations in the global south and also the lifeblood of our Western societies.

We have a choice as individuals. Let's carry ourselves into the next decade with dignity and with clarity. I champion transparency and due diligence in the upstream sector in deals and licensing with governments, NOCs, regulators, partners, IOCs and independents. High standards in an industry under scrutiny is important and more important than ever.

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: Frontier

Africa Energies Summit® | Africa’s Premier Global Upstream Conference | 11th - 14th May 2026