Can you describe your career pathway? Your professional journey?
I graduated from the National School of Geology in Nancy. I chose to follow this course because I was passionate about earth sciences and its fundamental disciplines (structural geology and sedimentology ...), which are the basis of oil research. My choice was supported by the multiculturalism, the dynamism of this sector and the scope of the projects. Then, I decided to continue my specialisation by joining the IFP (French Institute of Petroleum) School. Its international reputation would guarantee me to travel, my second passion!
At IFP School, Perenco sponsored me. I was attracted by the responsibilities that the company promised. At the end of this training, I was recruited as a geologist. I was offered a role either based at the head office or in the field ... without hesitating, I chose the field!
At the age of 24, I left for Muanda in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on rotation. My tasks included reservoir studies and a more operational part too. I had the opportunity to discover various trades and to follow geologists working on operations, production engineers, and onshore and offshore drilling teams. This first assignment lasted a year and a half. It was exciting and I learnt a lot.
What does your role entail and what challenges do you face?
My main role is to support development of fields operated by Perenco, whatever the country. My task is to make a 3D model of the reservoir from well data (cores, logs, tests ...) in order to understand the distribution of the reservoir, its quality and the type of fluid. I am also involved in the petro physical evaluation, that is to say the log analysis, to evaluate the key parameters of the modelling (porosity, hydrocarbon saturation and net producible thickness). This dual role allows me to deepen my work in order to target potential areas and propose a development plan integrating for example new drilling, additional perforations and deepening wells, etc. I am in constant interaction with multidisciplinary teams that also integrate geophysicists, reservoir engineers and well engineers.
On top of this, I participate in evaluation studies for the New Business Department as part of project acquisitions. This gives me the opportunity to work on an incredible variety of reservoirs: carbonate, fractured, salt, in countries where Perenco is not always present. These preliminary studies last from a few weeks to a few months. It is also an opportunity to collaborate with other companies that may have different approaches and visions. It is an intense and multicultural work that suits me well.
Today, I am preparing to go to the Gabonese subsidiary as a Development Geologist. I am preparing for a new life, away from my family and from my loved ones, but I am very excited by the challenge. This is a great opportunity. A new adventure!
What do you like most about your job?
Understanding the rock to best model our plans. Imagining what its paleo-environment deposit was - fluvial channels, carbonated platforms, or Turbidites …? Imagining its geometry, its orientation in space, its size... It takes creativity, imagination and conviction. It is exactly what I like.
Which project are you particularly proud of?
Working at Perenco is stimulating and demanding, since it is partly a question of finding and proposing feasible and promising development plans for so-called "mature" fields, that is to say, fields that have reached their peak of production -or at least that are categorised as such (laugh).
For my part, I learnt a lot from my first collaborations with the New Business Department in the context of block evaluations, before meeting potential partners. These are both professional and social learning experiences where you have to know how to take initiatives and show adaptability and perseverance.
What do you think is your greatest contribution to Perenco?
I love my job, its disciplines and the travelling part, which means that I work enthusiastically, with a smile!
How would you describe Perenco?
An independent company with a large portfolio of assets, very personable, a family spirit. The great characteristic of Perenco is not only how close the teams work together, but also the closeness between employees and top management. We can show them our work and have their feedback directly. It is incredible.
What is more, the company offers real opportunities for both vertical and lateral mobility: everything is possible at Perenco!
Which corporate value(s) do you most admire at Perenco?
Optimism
What would you say to convince someone to join Perenco?
Whether it is for the variety of projects, the location of the company, and the togetherness of teams at the head office or in subsidiaries, or for the flexibility of management, or for the attention to the well-being of the employee ... everything is conducive to human and professional development.
