Oliver Wyman is a global management consulting firm and part of the MMC family of professional services companies including Marsh, Mercer, and Guy Carpenter. We work with clients across industries and geographies on their hardest business issues including strategy development and execution, risk management, organization structure and effectiveness, M&A (including partnering and joint ventures), and operations and supply chain improvement and efficiency.

I lead Oliver Wyman’s Houston office and am a senior partner within our Oil and Gas/Energy practice. I also lead OW’s efforts in energy in Mexico. I work with clients mostly in North America on issues of upstream, midstream and downstream fuel strategy, organization and operations. During the past few years, I am spending increasing time working on Mexico energy issues for a range of clients.

In 2016, the clear trend is the increasing level of seriousness and commitment to reform by the Mexico government as evidenced by their actions to speed up certain areas of reforms to attract foreign market participation and investment. For example, the date to open the market to fuel imports by foreign companies was just moved up from January of 2017 to April of this year. I believe this move was intended to send the market a signal that speed of reforms will increase.

Our main areas of focus are: 1) helping upstream companies adapt their operating models to lower and more flexible cost positions; 2) helping downstream companies take advantage of a good fuels market right now to pursue market growth and secure volume outlets; 3) helping energy and energy services investors sort through the best opportunities to enter markets and acquire platform/growth companies; 4) helping a range of companies consider their entry/growth strategies in Mexico and what their operating models – including partnerships/ventures – should look like.

Our clients come to us with issues on:
–  Strategy, including market entry, growth strategy, asset portfolio strategy and brand strategy
– Risk management, both evaluating company and project risk and as well as putting in place better and more robust risk management processes and tools
– Organization structure and improving organization effectiveness. This also including help forming ventures and partnerships
– Operations improvement including putting in place more flexible operating models, improving their cost management and cost position, and streamlining supply chains

We approach these issues starting with a deep level of specific industry expertise so we can be both creative and practical.

First, I would consider to break-up some of the larger and integrated companies and create more medium –to-large sized, but fully scaled, flexible companies with greater focus. I believe that would drive greater industry value, progress and innovations in business models. Second, this cycle has shown that many industry players are not as effective as they need to be at managing their risks. In the coming era, I believe that being better at risk management on thinner margins will be a critical and differentiating capability to create superior returns to capital.

About Bob Orr

Bob Orr is a partner in Oliver Wyman’s Oil and Gas practice in North America and is based in Houston. Bob specializes in value growth strategy development, organization and process transformation, and change management with extensive experience consulting to clients across oil & gas upstream and downstream segments, energy/petroleum services, fuels/convenience retail, and private equity.

Mr. Orr holds an M.B.A. in strategic management from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania; a Master of International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University; and a B.A. in political science and economics from the University of Denver.