2005 BookRunner® User Group a Success Thanks to Our Presenters
By Brian Nicholson
The 2005 BookRunner® User Group meeting was held on May 5th at the Palliser Hotel in Calgary. Representatives from a number of clients attended the full day session which included presentations from Shawn Bray of Suncor, Kathy Underhill from EnCana and several members of the RiskAdvisory team. Shawn Bray from Suncor (Senior Risk Analyst) showed the delegates how the Risk group at Suncor uses BookRunner® in their day-to-day activities. Shawn summarized the daily process the risk group uses and how BookRunner® facilitates their daily valuation and reporting functions. Shawn also summarized the impact of SOX and FAS 133 compliance on their group and how BookRunner® supports these efforts.
Kathy Underhill from EnCana (Vice President of Financial Risk and Internal Audit)
presented the EnCana view on market valuation methodology and shared how their recent project to utilize SAS Risk Dimensions as an analytical tool supports this view. Kathy's free flowing presentation involved plenty of audience interaction and led to lots of questions and answers. Everyone found the discussion very interesting and candid and was much appreciated.
The RiskAdvisory presentations included a review of the past year and the impact of the SAS acquisition, as well as a review of functionality coming this summer and plans for future product direction. We took a look at the BookRunner® Collateral Management functionality (soon to be released), the new Excel add-in Query template and the new on-line BookRunner® help facility.
Leigh Parkinson from the RiskAdvisory Management Consulting group outlined for those in attendance the work he has been doing on the bi-annual Risk Management survey. The survey provides insight into the portfolio management approaches of energy market participants and the impact of commodity market events on the energy portfolio risk management activities for oil/products, natural gas and power. The survey also provides ranking tables on a broad range of service criteria provided to energy market participants by physical and financial energy market counterparties.
If you would like more information on the topics covered at the User Group event, or have ideas and suggestions concerning the 2006 meeting (planning will begin in the Fall!) contact Brian Nicholson at 263-7455.