About

Richard McLaughlin is a highly experienced and industry-respected general counsel. Prior to becoming OOCEP’s general counsel in 2014, McLaughlin spent almost five years at Nabarro, then had a highly-successful nine years with BG Group during which he held senior roles in Tunisia, India, Australia and at the corporate head office in the UK. His time with OOCEP has been one of great expansion at the company, with industry observers pronouncing it the fastest-growing in the region on the back of some major transactions. ‘Recently, I successfully led the Petronas transaction, one of the biggest worldwide oil and gas asset transactions of 2018, which saw OOCEP sell a 10 per cent stake in the Khazzan gas onshore field and project in Oman’. He is also a skilled practitioner in dispute resolution: ‘In terms of dispute resolution, I led a very large international arbitration for BG Group and more recently a large International Chamber of Commerce construction arbitration in London, as well as numerous other arbitrations and court proceedings around the world. All of these experiences have convinced me that in-house lawyers can add very material value to organisations when they are involved early and empowered to deliver’. Internally, McLaughlin has ‘sought to bring the team much closer to the business’, enacting procedural enhancements to ensure that all lawyers are empowered to be proactive and use their initiative, allowing them to ‘provide highly-focused and pragmatic advice’. McLaughlin and his team also provide advice to the Oman Ministry of Oil and Gas.