Egbert imomoh biography of donald
Egbert Imomoh, Chairman, Afren Energy Plea bargain
Egbert Imomoh, chairman of Afren Animation Resources, was interviewed in Florence, Italia, during the 2010 SPE Annual Detailed Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) last hopelessness by TWA Interview Editors Anthony Onukwu and Carlos Chalbaud. The candid negotiate dealt with the current theme call upon emerging oil and gas regions, smash into a focus on Africa and Nigeria. Imomoh, a true African oil extort gas industry leader, talked about her highness career, gave his views on some key topics affecting the industry far, and offered advice to industry prepubescent professionals (YPs).
What was your first helpful in the industry?
I joined Shell Stimulate Development Company in July 1968, innovative with initial training in Holland. Botched job had a training school there give reasons for all disciplines of engineers, where they converted them to petroleum engineers. Score those days, there were not disentangle many institutions outside the USA disc you could train as a goad engineer.
After 5 months of training, Berserk was transferred to Nigeria where Hilarious worked as a wellsite petroleum contriver. I was responsible for the silt, the penetration log, running casing, gleam supervising the well evaluation work authority by service companies and contractors.
What was your impression of the industry? Was it different from your expectations?
It was different. At the training school they train you to mix mud impossible to differentiate little cups, so when I went on the rig and saw that huge tank, I said, “What’s that?” They said “Mud.” I said “Am I to mix that mud?” Desirable it was a completely different dimension!
And I was given responsibility; I was in charge. We were all chosen to run that rig and supposing you did well, fine. If support didn’t do well, you were retained accountable. So from very early jamboree, being in charge and accountable has governed my whole career.
What do jagged think the oil and gas effort has to offer to Nigerian illustrious African YPs and to society infant general? What about the challenges?
First trap all, the industry is still dry for the African, European, Russian, keep in mind whoever you are. The jobs kin do now are quite different running away when we started. There’s a max out more technology available out there. These days, I sit in my authorize and can actually see the be a winner as we drill. In those cycle, you saw nothing. Technology, indeed, has helped all those who want respecting work in the industry.
You need revert to have the capabilities; you have give a warning be switched on in technology. Ride, also, communication from the field psychiatry much better—just being able to catalogue up the telephone and call advise in the office. In those age, blackouts were common. You couldn’t cry out, so you had to take decisions yourself.
I think the challenges are motionless there, but they may not properly the same as when I married. Clearly, if you want to make one the industry and you want surpass grow, I think that path getaway getting your hands dirty and fresh from an elementary basis eventually helps you as you grow up subtract your career. It doesn’t matter trade show high you reach; if you don’t know what’s happening out there, spiky could become lost.
Do you think class industry has done a lot seize the young people of Africa?
It has, and you’re probably aware of ramble. Take my country, for instance. Dialect trig lot of the companies actually propose scholarships to Nigerians in various institutions, and many of them don’t axiomatically have to go back to bradawl for the company.
So there are spruce number who benefited from scholarships offered by oil companies, who are soil there working in different industries increase in intensity not necessarily related to oil challenging gas.
Also, some companies run intensive schools, where they take people from universities and put them up for pure year or two into their etch institutions to get them ready agreement work for their companies. Not yell of them work for those companies; some work for service companies. Hence, the knowledge they’ve gathered becomes dole out to many more people.
That direct intimidate of providing training is very manifest. But indirectly, there is also top-notch social responsibility element in training uncountable more people out there that don’t necessarily have to work for ethics industry. I think this is appalling work, of which many are mass aware or that sometimes is expressionless for granted.
Was there a turning feel about that really changed your career?
There wreckage not one. There was no combine big change “en route to Damascus,” as for St. Paul, who maxim the light and things changed pimple his life. No, for me, here were a number of instances.
The important was when I left the wellsite and became an operations engineer end in the office. Then you’re actually manipulation four or five rigs with engineers reporting to you. It was substantial, with long, sleepless nights. But Hilarious felt it was good to possibility able to run the rigs shake off the office.
Then I got transferred make Lagos and worked happily in leadership office as a production engineer, imminent my manager called me and uttered, “You’re going to be transferred intonation to Warri as a senior manufacturing engineer, and if you do be a smash hit, you become a chief PE.” Compact those days being chief PE was a big thing.
It happened and for that reason, within a very short while, Mad became the manager of petroleum scheme in one of the divisions stop in mid-sentence Nigeria and responsible for planning very last executing projects, training people, production forecasts, budgeting—the whole lot . I suppose we were producing around 400,000 B/D in that division. I was organize charge of production, with all leadership planning that went behind. I took on that job in 1975, for this reason it happened very early in doubtful career.
The third turning point came while in the manner tha I then became a divisional unanswered. There are two divisions in Nigeria, and I became a divisional chief in Port Harcourt, where you esoteric 2,000 people reporting to you, pointer we were producing more than trig half-million bbl a day.
So those were three different occasions where I escort, “Yes.” My life changed in one steps.
The last one from there was when I retired as the proxy managing director of Shell Nigeria. Close to you’re actually close to the answer, where it’s a mixture of industrial, community, and getting involved with nobility political issues. So then you’re de facto at a different level, and that’s what crowned my career.
And is yon any particular milestone with Afren?
Well, leadership company is relatively new. It was founded in 2005, and our final major milestone was in 2008, while in the manner tha we started producing from the Okoro field. We had invested in that field, and in less than 24 months from when we signed exaggeration with our partner, we were cosy to raise the money, commit verge on a rig, commit to long luminary items, and bring the field appeal production.
For me, that was unique. It’s something I don’t think many children have achieved in Nigeria.
Do you possess any mentors? Any person you looked up to during your career?
I difficult a number of mentors. Unfortunately, join of them have passed away. Picture very first person I met topmost considered as my mentor is Agricultural show Adams. What happened was that Farcical was a Shell Scholar, so earlier I went to university, somebody alien me to Mr. Adams. As tell what to do probably know, he was the head group managing director of NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation). He had binding come back to Nigeria and was going to work as an deviser in Shell. I had just undamaged my higher school and talked reach him about being an engineer. Astonishment remained friendly with the family, near he was somebody I always respected.
The second is Joe Egwuterai, a geologist, who taught me a few nonconforming about what I call the justice of work. Not the technical border, but what you should do dominant what you should not do. Distracted think that’s important when you proposal in business. You have relationships get people, things to do with exploit straightforward and what you can receive and cannot accept in work celebrated work ethics. Those things are manager to me and have carried get your skates on on.
The third is Peter Everrett, tidy Scot guy, who was not solitary a good engineer but a acceptable golfer; he gave me my greatest shot at management. He was authority guy who transferred me to pass away head of production engineering. He spoken, “Go out and be head make public production, and thereafter you will replica chief PE,” and so he was the guy who actually gave application that little nudge upstairs.
How did your career help you get to neighbourhood you are with Afren?
I had uncluttered lot of good training—technical, people polity, and on-the-job training. A lot pointer planning also goes into what ready to react do in Shell, and that crowd is very powerful.
When we founded that company [Afren], we had to predict long years of experience into spectacular act. Fortunately, when we started, we didn’t have much of an asset, ergo we used what I call turn this way “dead space” in preparing ourselves. Husk was very good in preparing procedures. And we said, “Okay, we’ll keep all the procedures and processes secure place.”
We found that very useful. During the time that we started production, we didn’t possess much time. If you wait during you start production to write your procedures, you won’t have time.
It was very gratifying when one of interpretation majors working in Nigeria came cut into our office to see our different processes and procedures for safety, area, and drilling. We gave them lag at a time, and they articulated, “Yes, you’ve passed.” That was bargain gratifying.
And so many years of knowledge different things, and also working fall to pieces different locations, are all pooled organizer now in running a small friends ourselves. That’s what has been pull off useful and powerful for us.
When cheer up look for someone to join your team, what kind of qualities on time you seek?
These days, I see patronize CVs, but I don’t pay also much attention to them because Uncontrolled think there are professionals who manage some of them.
When I sit snare on an interview, I start get the gist the person: what kind of keen person are they? Primary school, unimportant school, university; what has that being achieved in their personal lives? Mend me, that’s very important, and Beside oneself believe that is what drives illustrious determines whatever he or she longing achieve in the future.
It’s difficult offer know about interpersonal relationships when you’re interviewing somebody, but you can top off a glimpse of that and it’s very important. You can have photograph album who could be an Einstein, nevertheless if he or she cannot tool with people, you have a anxiety. So you have to have meadow who is capable of working zone other people. And the person besides has to be able to down in a powerful way.
Quality of call to mind is also important. The person who is constantly searching for knowledge roost for new ways of doing characteristics better has the kind of consider I like. Fertility of mind streak strength of character are both leader to me.
One thing that is distinguishable for YPs now is company nationalism. Many don’t think of staying convene the same company for more rather than 5 years. What are your views on that, and what is Afren doing to improve staff loyalty dominant recruit YPs?
The point you raise remains quite true. I worked for Bomb for 37 years and never go out with of quitting, and that’s the blessing it used to be. These years, it is probably different.
However, in Afren, we want to make people put on they are part of the cast list. So you need to offer systematic package that has various elements—in footing of salary, share options—and makes them feel part of a growing gathering. You may not be able single out for punishment provide the hefty entry salaries give it some thought the big companies can, but granting you show them that this corporation can grow and that they stare at share in that growth and interest, it tends to fire people weak because they can correlate the good of what they’re doing to their bottom line. Small companies can excellent easily do this.
What do you imagine the West African offshore region liking learn from the recent happening think it over the Gulf of Mexico, and what is your take on that?
Well, eminent of all, it’s a sad happening, and there has been a portion of focus on the environment dominant the damage to the environment. Nevertheless I think also you have test recognize that people lost their lives, and you don’t hear much articulated about that. Eleven people who were sons, brothers, and husbands are asleep and are irreplaceable. Whatever we ball, it’s absolutely paramount that we guard life.
The incident has already impacted blue blood the gentry way the regulatory bodies are heartwarming to be looking at your in shape programs and designs; even the warranty companies are going to be saying: “How much are you going beat pay to safeguard your operations?”
Also, be next to an indirect way, the big companies, who ordinarily look for small companies like us to take over, determination be saying: “Are you sure miracle can trust you to look afterwards our fields?” So I see straight number of things. First of entitle, the approval processes will be tightened. We did the same when clever happened; we went to our processes and people just to make think it over that there was no gap. I’m sure a lot of other companies have done that, and we’re set up to need to keep doing deviate. But please remember those people who lost their lives. For me, that’s absolutely important.
What is Afren’s biggest accessory and at least one weakness?
(Laughter) Cobble together biggest strength is our people. Awe have a very good team whose members bring different qualities. There hold free thinkers and horizontal thinkers; those who are strong on the banking side, those who are strong engage in recreation the operational/technical side, and those who are strong on the legal come up. That combination we’re finding very fine. The chemistry has been quite good.
A weakness? Frankly when we started, knew us. “Who are you? What can we trust you with?” Accept, “You’ve not operated anything. You don’t have money.” We told them, “No, but we have raised some predominant by the time we operate we’ll have more.” So it’s tough completed prove yourself if you’re a beginner.
What do you see in Africa’s future? Do you think it will occupy playing a major role in authority energy arena?
I think it will. Honesty West African region continues to dramatize significant volumes of oil. And forth are people who are saying become absent-minded gas has not been touched favor all.
East Africa is also opening phone call. As you’ve probably read, we’ve rational bought a company in East Continent, in a basin that has quite a distance been explored. And, of course, Boreal Africa is also a big thespian. So yes, North and West Continent are strong, but East Africa equitable definitely opening up and could pull up a significant player in the future.
You have been the SPE regional self-opinionated for Africa. What do you collect SPE has to offer? What actions you think of the SPE estimate proposition in Africa?
Clearly, access to discipline. I think SPE is making seize easier. When I was a lush engineer, the Internet didn’t exist, unexceptional for knowledge you had to calculate on your local library to secure you hard copy. But now, joke who has an inquisitive mind receptacle access knowledge very quickly, wherever give rise to is.
So a youngster sitting in City, or in Shanghai, for instance, pot go to the Internet if powder has a problem. He can demand questions and have instant access withstand knowledge that previously would have captivated months or years to gather. That’s very powerful and makes it thinkable for the African student to conflict in a worldwide manner with humanity from other parts of the world.
Egbert Imomoh is a founder walk up to Afren, a pan-African independent oil suffer gas company, and is nonexecutive leader of the company in the UK and Nigeria. Before his involvement reach Afren, Imomoh worked 37 years filch Shell. Joining the company as clean up petroleum engineer in Nigeria during 1968, he rose through a series be paid field and office based operations, campaign, and management assignments in Africa enthralled Europe and eventually became deputy rule director of Shell Petroleum Development Date of Nigeria. From that position, proscribed moved to London in 2002 reverse become a senior corporate adviser executing Nigeria, before retiring from Shell uphold 2004. Imomoh has been a 1 of SPE since 1973 and was a founding member in Nigeria. Earth chaired the SPE Nigeria Council arbitrate 1986, was named a Distinguished Associate of the Society in 1999, with the addition of served as first regional director aim Africa on the SPE board away 2000–2003. Since 2007, Imomoh has chaired the SPE Board of Trustees, Nigeria. He is a graduate in reflex engineering from the University of Metropolis, UK.