Viridien CEO on accelerating subsurface insight to support Egypt’s energy landscape

Sophie Zurquiyah, Chief Executive Officer of Viridien, discusses the company’s recent participation at EGYPES 2026, its 50 years of activity and partnerships in Egypt, and its continued support of the country’s evolving energy landscape through its new Cairo imaging centre.

You recently attended EGYPES 2026. What were the main highlights for Viridien?

As always, the show provided a valuable opportunity for us to engage with many of our clients and partners in Egypt and the wider region. I also took part in the “Turning AI into ROI” Strategic Programme session, where I outlined how, at Viridien, we continue to advance our technology, digital platforms, and industrial-scale HPC & AI to deliver new subsurface insights, helping our clients accelerate their decision-making and generate tangible business outcomes.

Our participation this year was particularly significant, as we celebrate our 50th anniversary in Egypt, dating back to our first land seismic crew deployed there. Throughout that time, we have gained in-depth knowledge of the unique characteristics of the country’s onshore and offshore geology. Our experts draw on this local expertise to either innovate new seismic imaging technologies that address Egypt’s specific subsurface challenges or apply the benefits of other technologies we’ve proven in other regions of the world.

While I was in Cairo, I also inaugurated our new imaging centre, which I see as a strategic investment that strengthens our presence and long-term commitment to Egypt. Purpose-built and future-ready, it has the capacity and infrastructure to support our expansion in the Egyptian market and symbolises the technical strength, professionalism, and ambition of our highly motivated local team, who continue to deliver the highest-quality imaging services to our clients.

How do you see Egypt’s energy landscape evolving, and what does that mean for the industry?

With the strong support and impetus of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (MoMPR), we see Egypt’s energy landscape moving in a dynamic and positive direction, helping attract more international investment. The current strategy is clearly focused on accelerating exploration and fast-tracking development to reinforce Egypt’s position as a regional energy hub and strengthen its energy resilience. With record exploration programs, over 100 wells planned, and a strong push to unlock untapped resources, speed and efficiency have become critical success factors. The current geopolitical situation and its impact on energy supplies will only serve to increase the momentum of this trend.

"Our primary role is to give operators the rapid and reliable subsurface insight they need to support better planning, improved recovery and more resilient long‑term energy strategies. This can be either through the acquisition and imaging of new datasets or by reimaging legacy data."

- Sophie Zurquiyah, Chief Executive Officer of Viridien

Several exciting recent discoveries have already testified to the region’s potential, not only to meet domestic demand but also to supply surplus volumes for export. With the expectation of more discoveries to come, Egypt is embracing the latest technologies and innovative exploration methods to open new frontiers in its energy sector, whether in the Eastern Mediterranean or the Western Desert, helping to diversify risk and increase supply resilience.  

Having said that, maximising known resources is just as important to increase resilience as opening entirely new frontiers. As fields mature, it is vital to have a clear understanding of remaining potential and identify where revitalisation can deliver the greatest impact. Operators are therefore increasingly focused on achieving sharper reservoir definition to make more informed redevelopment decisions.

More specifically, how is Viridien supporting these trends?

Our primary role is to give operators the rapid and reliable subsurface insight they need to support better planning, improved recovery and more resilient long‑term energy strategies. This can be either through the acquisition and imaging of new datasets or by reimaging legacy data.

Viridien is recognised by industry decision-makers as the leading provider of best-in-class seismic imaging. For example, our imaging work on the standout Atoll Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) project, which clearly demonstrated how modern acquisition combined with advanced imaging can significantly improve reservoir understanding, built a strong technical foundation for us to be awarded major offshore proprietary seismic imaging projects in Egypt.

During my recent trip to Cairo, I emphasised our commitment to delivering impactful imaging solutions that support the MoMPR’s goals. An example is our recently announced multi‑client seismic OBN program with our partners, Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) and SLB. As the largest of its kind to be acquired in the Egyptian Eastern Mediterranean, this project will provide regional de-risking with turnkey workflows. This area has great development potential but features some of the most challenging environments for seismic imaging, owing to complex faulting and the Messinian evaporite layer that masks deep reservoirs formed by complex channel sand bodies. Our advanced OBN imaging technologies will provide a clearer understanding of the region’s complex subsurface and help identify new opportunities for exploration and increased production.

Onshore, many Western Desert fields are at a mature stage of development, requiring reservoir models to be updated through the integration of modern seismic and drilling data, particularly in deeper, more structurally complex reservoirs.  Remaining potential often lies within compartmentalised reservoirs, thin‑bedded sands, and subtle structural traps that were not fully resolved by earlier datasets. Our advanced imaging workflows, including Time-Lag Full-Waveform Inversion (TLFWI), deliver high-resolution velocity models that improve depth accuracy and structural definition, reducing uncertainty and supporting more confident redevelopment and investment decisions.

It’s worth noting that recent successful wells drilled in the Western Desert were based on imaging by Viridien. Building on our role as a technology enabler, we have also invested in testing our Full-Waveform Inversion (FWI) technology for onshore data in Egypt, with impressive results that would significantly help de-risk drilling programs.

With the expected increase in high-productivity seismic activity in Egypt’s Western Desert, how can your Sercel sensing and monitoring solutions support this growth?

Our new Sercel Accel land nodal solution, launched last year, was specifically designed to enable this scale of high-productivity acquisition. It allows operators to deploy faster, cover larger areas, and deliver high-resolution data with a reduced operational footprint, supporting quicker decision-making and shorter cycle times from acquisition to drilling.

Ultimately, it’s about aligning our technology with Egypt’s ambition: accelerating discovery, optimising investment, and bringing resources to market faster, more efficiently, and sustainably.

Will Viridien’s upcoming CEO transition shift the company’s focus?

Not at all. Our strategy, priorities and commitment to our clients and partners will remain unchanged. Since Henning Berg joined Viridien as Chief Operating Officer (COO) in March, we have been working closely together to ensure a smooth and seamless transition into the role of CEO on 3 June. Henning has more than two decades of international leadership experience across operational and technology-driven businesses, and I am delighted to hand over CEO responsibilities to him while I continue as Chair of our Board to maintain strategic continuity and guide Viridien’s long-term vision.