Due Diligence
Westney Consulting Group
2200 West Loop South
Suite 500
Houston, TX 77027
Phone: 713-861-0800
Toll Free: 800-648-3475
Email: info@westney.com
Founded in 1978 and recognized worldwide as thought leaders in capital project strategy and risk management, Westney Consulting Group combines deep technical and execution experience with proprietary methodologies to provide an expert, independent view of a project’s predictability, and risk exposure. The result is risk-informed decision-making that drives the development and implementation of strategies that drive success.
Westney’s focus is on large, complex engineering and construction projects that carry significant risk to the financial stakeholders. These are typically in the oil & gas, renewable and alternative energy, mining & minerals, and chemical manufacturing industries, and often in difficult international locations. The company’s 30+ consultants average over 25 years of industry experience. With owner company backgrounds in financial, engineering and project management, as well as in engineering and construction contracting, Westney consulting teams bring diverse perspectives to each assignment. As a result, clients gain insights they could not have had any other way.
Based in Houston, Texas the company works on a global basis. The firm does considerable work in Canada through Westney Consulting Group Canada, ULC.
Westney perspectives and methods are frequently presented at industry conferences such as the Engineering & Construction Contracting Association (ECC), the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the Project Management Institute (PMI®), the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE International), the US Association for Energy Economics (USAEE), the Rice University Global Forum for Engineering & Construction, the Construction Industry Institute (CII) and the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS).
RICHARD E. WESTNEY
Founder/Director
Dick Westney has been internationally recognized for decades as an authority on risk assessment, decision-making, strategic planning, and performance management for large projects. Author of 5 books on project and risk management, he has served as visiting faculty at leading institutions such as Texas A&M and Stanford Universities, as well as the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He is also a popular presenter at major industry conferences.
Dick founded Westney Consulting Group in 1978, after serving in project management roles with Exxon Research & Engineering and Exxon Production Research Companies. A Fellow and Past President of the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE International), he also received that organization’s highest honor, the Award of Merit. Dick currently serves on the Executive Advisory Board of the Engineering and Construction Contracting Association (ECC) and also on the program committee for the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC). A licensed professional engineer in Texas, he is a graduate of the City College of New York (Mechanical Engineering), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Management Science), and Harvard Business School.
ERIC M. BRIEL
Managing Director
Eric Briel joined Westney in 1999 and was appointed to his current position in 2005. Responsible for the company’s full range of service delivery, he has led consulting teams for several high-profile projects such as the $30 billion Alaska Gas Pipeline. Prior to joining Westney he held management positions in the exploration and production functions of BP (Amoco), which he joined after serving as an Airborne Ranger in the US Army.
A licensed professional engineer and certified project management professional, he is a graduate of Virginia Military Institute (Civil Engineering), Regis University (MBA), and also completed the Key Executive Program at Harvard Business School.
D. KEITH DODSON
Director
Keith Dodson leads Westney’s Due Diligence, Risk Analysis and Strategy Development practices. He joined the company in 2003 with over 30 years of international engineering and construction experience. This includes 30 years in executive roles such as CEO of MW Kellogg Ltd., Senior Vice President and Business Unit Leader at Stone & Webster, President of Brown and Root Engineering & Construction International, and Senior Vice President for a major international energy company.
Keith served as Chairman of the Board of Advisors of the Construction Industry Institute (CII), North America’s leading research institution for the engineering and construction industry. He also was elected to the Board of Directors of the Engineering and Construction Contracting Association (ECC), as well as to the prestigious National Academy of Construction (NACE). A Senior Member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Keith holds a BS (Engineering) from the University of Texas at Austin and was Chairman of UT’s Engineering Advisory Board. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Rice University.
Pieter Luan
Principal
Pete Luan leads Westney’s Performance Transformation practice. Pete’s teams have helped numerous clients in the US and international locations achieve significant improvements in project and overall financial performance through the development of world-class competencies, best practice work processes and improved governance. He joined the company in 2005 with over 25 years experience as a project manager for a global oil and gas super-major, leading development projects in such locations as the USA, Latin America, and the Former Soviet Union. Prior to starting his oil & gas career, Pete served as an officer in the US Army.
Pete holds BS and MS (Mechanical Engineering) degrees with honors from Rice University, and has completed management training at Harvard Business School.