News & Events: Reflections from the front line of energy

When EIC launched the first Survive & Thrive Insight Report in 2016, it was against one of the toughest backdrops our industry had faced in decades, with the 2014 oil price crash forcing companies across the supply chain into cost-cutting, restructuring and a fight for survival.

We wanted to go beyond documenting the downturn. Our aim was to understand how companies responded: which strategies worked, how leaders navigated uncertainty and which businesses managed not just to survive, but to grow.

That report featured just 26 UK-based companies. A decade on, Survive & Thrive is a global initiative. Our 10th edition, due in July 2026, will include around 150 companies in oil and gas, renewables, nuclear and transition technologies – our most comprehensive report yet.

We have kept the name Survive & Thrive deliberately; while the context has shifted, the challenges have not gone away. The sector still operates in a volatile environment that is shaped by geopolitics, trade disruption and fluctuating energy markets – but how companies respond has changed.

Over the past 10 years, we have conducted more than 750 in-depth interviews with senior executives. Following the oil crisis, the focus was firmly on survival – efficiency, cost reduction and cash preservation. This reappeared during the Covid-19 pandemic, when resilience again became critical.

By aggregating insights annually, we often identify market shifts before they become widely recognised

More recently, in stronger markets, companies are adopting ambitious, growth-oriented strategies by developing integrated services and long-term, relationship-based solutions. Diversification remains a defining trend, initially moving from oil and gas into renewables. Today, companies are branching into data centres and pharmaceuticals to spread risk and capture new opportunities.

Some trends have remained stubbornly consistent. Notably, expanding into new export markets has ranked as the least favoured growth strategy for nine consecutive years. That said, with global trade patterns evolving, 2026 may be a turning point.

A key strength of Survive & Thrive lies in how we gather insights. Rather than relying on submitted case studies, our senior team conducts detailed, face-to-face interviews with business leaders. These candid, consultative conversations explore not just successes but also the challenges behind them. This approach provides both depth and early visibility of emerging trends. By aggregating insights annually, we often identify market shifts before they become widely recognised.

Survive & Thrive’s influence extends beyond the report. In 2017, we aligned our awards programme with the strategies that we were tracking, later rebranding them as the World Energy Supply Chain Awards (WESCA) – now the largest programme of its kind globally. Survive & Thrive participation feeds directly into WESCA, amplifying companies’ achievements.

For our 10th anniversary, the initiative continues to grow. This year, awards will be held in seven cities, including Berlin and Milan for the first time, with 15 categories reflecting the sector’s diversity.

Above all, Survive & Thrive has built a strong community, with more than 95% of participants remaining loyal to EIC membership for at least three years.

Looking ahead, EIC’s members across the global energy supply chain will undoubtedly face further complexity and disruption, but a decade of Survive & Thrive research has shown leaders’ resilience, entrepreneurial spirit and proven ability to adapt and diversify, following the money to unlock new opportunities.

Get involved and find out more Contact membership@the-eic.com to learn more about these new developments and how to join the EIC.

Upcoming events

EIC Connect Energy Brazil 2026
13 August 2026
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil the-eic.com/Events/EICConnect/ConnectBrazil

Offshore Northern Seas (ONS) 2026
24-27 August 2026
Stavanger, Norway the-eic.com/Events/Exhibitions/OffshoreNorthernSeas(ONS)2026%7CEIC

Oil & Gas Asia
2-4 September 2026
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia the-eic.com/Events/Exhibitions/OilGasAsia(OGA)2026%7CUKPavilion%7CEIC

WindEnergy Hamburg
22-25 September 2026
Hamburg, Germany the-eic.com/Events/Exhibitions/WindEnergyHamburg2026

Check out our full calendar at the-eic.com/Events/Calendar

Latest reports

EIC Insight Report: APAC Hydrogen

EIC Insight Report: Q1 Cross Sector Decommissioning

EIC Insight Report: Global Upstream

Access to these reports and more is free to EIC members on EICDataStream. If you are not a member and want to know more, visit the-eic.com/Membership

By Helena Bezerra, Editor & Internal Communications Coordinator, EIC