James Kovats has over 25 years of experience in geophysical engineering and formation evaluation. He holds a Master's degree in Geophysical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines and worked for Schlumberger for over 15 years, holding various technical and management roles supporting wireline logging and nuclear magnetic resonance tools. Most recently, he took time off to raise his family while living aboard a sailboat traveling along the east and west coasts of the United States.
1. JAMES ALLEN KOVATS
2242 Yorkshire St
Ft Collins, CO 80526
(360)298-4527
james@kovats4.com
EDUCATION
COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES, Golden, CO
Master of Science, August 2001
Geophysical Engineering
Thesis: Formation Invasion from a Horizontal Wellbore: Ground Penetrating Radar Imaging
and Numerical Flow Simulations of a Physical Model.
Advisor: Prof. ir. M. (Max) Peeters
Bachelor of Science, August 1990
Geophysical Engineering
Minor:Geology
SCHLUMBERGER HOUSTON DATA CONSULTING SERVICES, Houston, TX
Log Analyst Training, Oct - Dec 2003
LAT School, Houston, Texas
Intensive formation evaluation and GeoFrame proficiency course
EXPERIENCE
FAMILY LEAVE
7/28/07- Took time off to raise children, manage parents estates, and live aboard sailed east and west
Present coasts of US while home schooling children.
SCHLUMBERGER OILFIELD SERVICES
1/1/04- Borehole Imaging Business Manager (Canada)
7/28/07 Recovered from multi-year loss of market share and grew the Canadian borehole imaging
acquisition and processing business (dipmeter, FMS, FMI, OBMI, UBI). Focused on
delivering quality customer service through a group of 9 geoscientists in the Borehole
Imaging Group. We assisted energy companies gather and interpret well log data to
estimate geologic structure, sedimentary environment, and general formation evaluation
I coordinated the activities of sales, operations management, field operations, engineering
support, data transmission and processing:
• Full involvement in the sales cycle from sale, job planning, execution, data collection and
interpretation, personal delivery, and job follow-up to ensure customer satisfaction and link
to new business and referrals.
• Point of customer contact for all Canada borehole imaging activities
• Initiating new customer contacts and evaluating potential business opportunities
• Marketing responsibilities such as representation at trade shows and teaching client seminars
• Knowledge of GeoFrame processing and interpretation software and geology of Canada
• Technical expert for borehole imaging measurement physics, wellsite operations, new
products
James Kovats 1/3
2. 3/1/01- NMR Product Champion
12/31/03 Global responsibility for the Schlumberger portfolio of wireline and logging-while-drilling nuclear
magnetic resonance (NMR) formation evaluation tools. During my 3 year assignment, I helped
increase revenue 23% year-on-year growth and commercialized 2 new NMR logging tools and 3
major existing product upgrades.
As part of a team comprising overlapping elements of senior management, field operations,
product engineering, and product support, my responsibilities included:
Maximize the value of existing products (CMR200, CMR-Plus):
• Maintain marketing plan, revenue tracking and monitor marketplace status
• Evaluate technical performance of hardware, software, training, and service quality
• Identify and implement opportunities for improvement from above evaluation
• Assist InTouch to identify and resolve issues encountered by field and client organizations
• Organize, conduct, and teach internal schools and seminars
• Extensive travel for field visits, internal and client seminars, and one-on-one visits
• Create presentation packages, assist sales with client visits and technical requests
• Organize external communications and marketing through technical papers, trade shows,
advertisements and articles for industry trade journals (SPWLA, SPE)
Field-test prototypes to evaluate tool performance and market demand:
• Oversee and assist engineering teams in developing new products and services.
• Write-up and implement field-test plans. Assemble teams and equipment.
• Deploy experimental and engineering prototypes to the field.
• Ensure sufficient field-testing is conducted to analyze performance and implement upgrades
• Ensure marketing and technical objectives are met by the field-test
Implement post field-test Product Introduction Plan (PIP) prior to commercialization:
• Ensure company is ready to sell, run, process and interpret new products
• Wellsite answer products ready and robust for commercial use
• Technical documentation manuals (maintenance, wellsite, training, answer products)
• Marketing materials (sales package, presentation package, produced below brochures*)
• Implement business plan to ensure the products generate market demand and are profitable
• Training materials (multi-media, schools for engineers, technicians, interpretation support)
• Hold commercialization meeting to approve business plan, pricing and introduction strategy
Commercialized 5 new successful products:
• proVISION* LWD-NMR in December 2002.
• MRF w/ CMR* Magnetic Resonance Fluid characterization in September 2002.
• MR Scanner* next generation wireline NMR in December 2003.
• CMR debris shield in June 2003
• CMR Auto-tuning in January 2004
Communications and task coordinator between research, engineering, operations, and the market
place to ensure new and existing products can be introduced aggressively and maintained with
complete customer and field acceptance.
Advise management on the required future direction of product development and research based
on evaluating customer needs, current product performance, and competition analysis.
Thorough understanding of Schlumberger NMR products: physics, operation, hardware,
software, applications, limitations, and value. Knowledge of broad range of Schlumberger
services and how NMR can be integrated to add value.
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3. 1/1/99- Personal Development Leave- CSM for MSc. as above
3/1/01 Financed and overseen by Schlumberger. David F. Allen, Doll Research scientist on thesis
committee and continuous Schlumberger Doll Research involvement during course of research.
10/1/97- Field Service Manager- United Arab Emirates Offshore Operations.
12/31/98 Coordinated all aspects of wireline formation evaluation, workover, and completion activities for
5 national and international clients and +/- 12 offshore rigs.
Responsible for ensuring quality of sales, planning, execution, processing, and invoicing for multi-
million dollar monthly revenue operating location. Allocated and modified resources to
compensate for changes in activity.
Maintained effective communication with clients to ensure availability, preparedness, execution,
and follow-up of all aspects of Schlumberger involved activities on various rigs. Interfaced with
drilling, geology, geophysics, reservoir engineering, and production departments on daily basis.
Managed 12 wireline engineers and approximately 30 support staff activities including operations
management, training, performance evaluation and personnel management.
4/12/91- Field Engineer- Multiple locations in North Sea and UAE
10/1/97 Engineer In Charge for Abu Dhabi Oil Company of Japan where I organized and performed all
aspects of openhole logging, completion, and work-over operations for 3 years.
Completed structured training, testing, and advancement through field engineer positions (JFE-
FE-SFE-GFE) and Engineer In Charge responsibilities. Mastered full range of wireline services.
My GFE project was testing a switch that allowed running an RFT-Seismic-FMI-DSI-Triple
Megacombo on a single pipe conveyed run. Lead to WXT-A switch currently in worldwide use.
Gained expertise through hands on experience (I personally ran all of the instruments below) in all
aspects of wireline formation evaluation (acquisition and interpretation):
• Modern; Platform Express, FMI, UBI, HALS, ALAT, DSI, ASI, CMR, IPL, APS, EMS
• Legacy; FDC, LDL, CNL, BHC, Array Sonic, PI, DIL, DLL, FMS, SHDT, OBDT, BHTV
• Pipe recovery & OH fishing, FPIT, Back off, horizontal well back off, reverse-cut & thread
• Seismic (checkshot, VSP, offset VSP, and walk away) WST, SAT, CSI, ASI
• Formation testing and sampling; RFT, MDT, MDT Multi-probe, MDT packers, OFA
• Formation sampling with various CST core guns and MSCT rotary coring tool
• Casedhole evaluation including; USI, CBL, CET, RST, TDT, production logging
• Completion & work-over services; perforating (over-balanced and under-balanced with full
pressure control equipment), plugs and packers, fishing with jet cutters and chemical cutters
UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, Denver, CO
11/6/89- Yucca Mountain Project – Hydrologic Division
11/6/90 Hydrologist – Student Appointee
Acquired, processed, and interpreted Vertical Seismic Profile data from a scale physical model of
Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Assisted in field acquisition of cross-borehole tomography studies.
COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES, Golden, CO
7/15/89- Geophysics Department
11/6/89 Research Assistant – Acoustics Lab
Acquired laboratory data for a variety of scale physical model projects using digital oscilloscopes,
ultrasonic transducers, function generators, amplifiers, etc. Responsible for daily operations of
the Acoustics Lab including assistance and advice for other members of the research team.
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