The Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago is delighted to join the national community in recognising and applauding Mark Loquan, the recipient of the Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago for his huge contribution to the development of the energy sector and culture, particularly the steelpan.
Mark’s deep commitment to country and to the development of the energy sector, distinguish him as a deserving recipient of the honour that has been bestowed on him by the Government on behalf of the people of Trinidad and Tobago. He has had a long and successful career in the industry, working with both multi-national energy and petrochemical companies and more recently leading Trinidad & Tobago’s National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC).
He served with distinction on the Board of the Energy Chamber from 2016-2022 (the maximum term limit) where he led the Energy Chamber’s Decarbonisation Task Force.
For over two decades Mark Loquan has been a highly respected senior leader in the Trinidad & Tobago energy sector and has made huge contributions to the industry through both his direct professional career at Yara Trinidad Ltd. and the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC) and his contribution to wider industry initiatives and developments. His leadership of industry initiatives has led to the creation of a strong industry-wide safety culture in Trinidad & Tobago and to significant new appreciation and commitment to decarbonisation and the creation of a more sustainable energy industry. He has helped create a sense of common purpose across the energy value chain, from upstream operators through the petrochemical producers, and through-out the supply chain. He has championed the development of skills, concerns for the environment, the export of energy services and the recognition of the importance of community engagement.
During his time as President of Yara Trinidad Ltd (2003-2008) he played a central role in the development of industry-wide safety management initiatives. Working through the Point Lisas Energy Association (PLEA) he and Eugene Tiah, President of Phoenix Park Gas Processors, led the initiative to develop a uniform basic safety awareness training course and assessment that every individual worker entering any downstream plant must successfully complete. This initiative involved getting over twenty different facilities to all agree on a uniform syllabus and to develop the system by which over twenty thousand individuals would be trained and assessed every two years. This system is central to the management of safety in Point Lisas and across the downstream sector.
During this time Mark also played a leading role in getting the entire industry, upstream and downstream, to develop and accept one uniform health and safety prequalification requirement (what became the award-winning Safe to Work programme). His ability to bring stakeholders together and to encourage them to work cooperatively for the greater good of the overall industry was important to the success of these initiatives.
While Mark was outside Trinidad & Tobago, working in Angola and across sub-Saharan Africa and then in Australia, he maintained a close relationship with the industry in Trinidad & Tobago. He contributed to the Africa Energy Initiative which sought to create opportunities for Trinidadian service exports and investments in Africa. Working in partnership with the Energy Chamber, he helped foster relationships between Trinidadian service companies and potential partners in Africa and he organised a visit to Trinidad from a group of Angolan service companies.
After Mark returned to Trinidad & Tobago in 2016, to assume the role as President of the NGC, he took up the mantle of leading the transformation of the national energy industry. Mark realised that he needed to recreate a sense of trust and common purpose among all players in the industry and that this needed open and honest communication about the challenges and opportunities that exist for the industry. He fostered communication with all players in the industry and ensured strategic dialogue at the highest level between the major companies in the energy sector.
Mark took up a role as a Board member of the Energy Chamber shortly after he returned to Trinidad & Tobago and played an important role in driving forward initiatives to transform the industry.
Through the Energy Chamber, PLEA and his direct leadership of the NGC, he ensured that the issue of the energy transition and the need to create a sustainable future was at the forefront of thinking in the sector. Through speeches and panel discussion contributions at the T&T Energy Conference, the AmCham HSE Conference and numerous other events and media appearances, he made sure that the population and the energy sector understood the challenge presented by climate change and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He chaired the Decarbonisation Task Force at the Energy Chamber and became a member of the National Commission on Sustainable Development.
Mark continued to champion safety and placed a special emphasis on the need to share experiences and lessons learnt. His support for the work of PLEA and the Energy Chamber on competency development, adult literacy and safety training was important in progressing these important initiatives. He encouraged the NGC to place a renewed emphasis on local content and supported the Energy Chamber initiatives in this area.
Jerome Dookie, Chair of the Board of the Energy Chamber said:
Truly an outstanding energy professional, Mark is a highly respected leader in the industry. What immediately comes to mind for me is his central role in the collaboration we have been able to foster across the entire industry over the past few years. I also admire his willingness to step forward and serve in so many capacities, very notably in carrying the torch for the energy transition in T&T, but also more quietly in the continued development of our people. And let us not forget his pioneering role many years ago, in achieving a step change in safety standards for our world class industry. Congratulations and thank you Mark!
Colin Bain, Vice Chair of the Board of the Energy Chamber representing the downstream industry echoes the Chair’s comments, saying:
In Mark’s tenure at the NGC, I worked with him in both the upstream and downstream. He was dedicated to getting the best for Trinidad and Tobago whilst also understanding the investor's position, and he did this in an honest and transparent manner. He is also so much more than his job, and you see that in his love for pan and coffee!
Shaun Rampersad, Vice Chair of the Board of the Energy Chamber said:
What really stood out to me about Mark was his commitment to coming back and serving Trinidad and Tobago. He could have easily retired after working all over the world, but instead, he chose to return and lead NGC. He wasn’t just focused on making the company stronger; he wanted to make the entire energy industry better for our country. That kind of national service really inspired me.
While he was at NGC, he was focused on the importance of reducing our carbon footprint and building up the Energy Services Sector. He had a real vision for where Trinidad and Tobago needed to go, and he worked hard to make it happen. It wasn’t just about his job—it was about helping the country move forward.
Dax Driver, CEO of the Energy Chamber said:
I have worked closely with Mark on many energy sector initiatives for over two decades, including industry-wide safety initiatives, exporting energy services, decarbonisation of the industry and the future of the gas industry. I have always appreciated his ability to see the big picture and work from a position of principle. He has a great skill of being able to bring together people, even when they had competing initial positions. I am fortunate to have had Mark as a colleague, an inspiration and as a friend.
We extend sincere appreciation to Mark for his tremendous contribution to our nation and the local energy sector and we are proud to have had the privilege of his expertise and knowledge.
We will leave other better qualified people and organisations to comment on his huge contributions to culture, though all of his energy colleagues continue to be amazed about his ability to contribute so successfully in both arenas.