Bio

Vicente Duncan is an accomplished legal professional with extensive local and international experience, specialising in the strategic management of legal groups within the dynamic energy sector. His distinguished career has been centered on pivotal upstream offshore and onshore exploration and production of oil and natural gas projects across Brazil, Angola, and the United States.

He possesses deep expertise in complex contractual negotiations (including service contracts and joint ventures), meticulous drafting, and comprehensive management, alongside providing insightful counsel on corporate governance, regulatory affairs, and pertinent laws and policies.

With a solid foundation in upstream operations, Mr. Duncan is adept at effectively settling controversies and claims, consistently aligning legal strategies with critical business plan priorities and stringent cost management. His project execution prowess spans significant offshore and onshore fields in Espírito Santo and Bahia, Brazil, as well as LNG operations in Luanda, Angola, covering both partner-operated and non-operated assets such as Frade, Papa-Terra, Atlanta, Oliva, Maromba, and various exploratory blocks, including the Pampo and Enchova clusters. He also brings invaluable experience in incident response.

Currently at Trident Energy, Mr. Duncan’s holds the position of Executive Director and focus is on leveraging his profound legal expertise to revitalise mid-life oil and gas assets, ensuring strategic growth through innovation and advanced technology. His mastery of contractual negotiations, compliance, and regulatory affairs, paired with a keen knack for forensic analysis, enables the redevelopment and re-energisation of fields for significantly increased and sustainable production. This instrumental work has been critical in the successful acquisition and management of key assets.

Previously, as Head of Legal at EnP Energy, Mr. Duncan underscored the vital importance of strategic alliances and innovative business models within the Brazilian energy sector, fostering the synergies that propelled the company to a leadership position. Throughout his career, his ability to execute business priorities while adeptly managing costs has been central to his success, complemented by an unwavering commitment to integrity, close client cooperation, and excellence in every legal solution delivered. Mr. Duncan is a dedicated mentor, actively promotes diversity, and maintains a strong level of influence and communication with key stakeholders, consistently safeguarding company reputation and integrity while embodying a robust safety culture.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

Periods of instability and crisis are into the Oil & Gas Industry DNA and since inception. The Legal Strategy is to think ahead, have plans in place, training, the right people in the right place and immediately act. To have the right and best connections, linkage of trust and strong stakeholder engagement in advance. Authorities need to know who you are, what you do, how you do, where you do before a crisis emerges. Reasonability, good sense, emotional intelligence, expertise, all that counts to minimize the impact of a crisis. Have all the resources ready for deployment and strong financial capability.

What are the major cases or transactions you have been involved in recently?

Management of joint ventures with significant operating and international companies, negotiations with partners, contractors, and authorities, importation of goods, vessels, services. Execution of Major Capital Projects, decommissioning, acquisition, reworks. Elimination of contractual, operational risks and financial pendency. Management of Contracts and Upstream Projects (new and old ones). Arbitration (won significant confidential case, civil, labour, and administrative litigations, inquiries. Oil & Gas commercial deals, new transactions, innovative deal structure. Attendance of authorities’ requirements, input on potential change of law, new regulations leveraging the sustainability of the business. Representation of the Company in Associations, specific projects, and industry interests.