Mr Imperial said his appointment comes at an exciting time, with vast pre-salt offshore developments ongoing and planned in Brazil.

The country was ranked as the second most attractive investment destination by oil and gas professionals in the DNV GL’s annual industry outlook published this year.

“In this environment, I believe DNV GL has a valuable role to play as an independent partner, combining deep industry expertise in challenging operating conditions with a focus on how to work smarter,” he said, adding that the company is investing 5% of its revenue in research and development.

The new research unit will pursue joint industry projects with oil companies and suppliers to develop solutions for deepwater operations. The results of these will be shared with the industry, the firm said.

Mr Imperial was previously director for DNV GL’s deepwater technology centre, and based in Singapore.