Originally from World Arbitration and Mediation Review

MARK BAKER:  We are extremely pleased to have Chuck Davidson with us.  I could give Chuck a much longer introduction than I know his modesty would prefer to have.  I have had the privilege to work with him for many years when he was the CEO at Noble Energy.  We dealt with some very interesting issues during that time period.  He will give us, what I think will be, a unique perspective for this conference, because he comes to us as a trained engineer, a trained business manager, not as a lawyer.  After all, that is the object of the exercise for most of us in the room.  It is the clients; it is the people that actually are making the business decisions against the backdrop of the legal advice, which we discuss with them in these very tense situations.  Energy disputes take place in every corner of the globe and it is an unfortunate reality, with a few minor exceptions, that most hydrocarbons are found in politically challenged places.  This is an excellent opportunity to hear it from the client’s perspective.  To hear it from the perspective of someone who actually had to make all of those hard calls.
As a graduate of both Purdue and the University of Texas at Dallas, it is my pleasure to welcome my friend and former client, Chuck Davidson, to the stage.  I know you will be pleased with what you will hear.  Thank you very much.

CHARLES DAVIDSON:  Thank you, Mark.  It is a real pleasure to be here.  It is nice to be introduced as a former client.  I am not sure that will hold up, but I have been now retired from Noble Energy about nine months, and so far I have not been called back on anything by Mark or anybody else.  It has been a good period of time.