What is your background? Why did you choose Perenco?
I followed an Engineering program at the university of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil. In 2007, I was selected to join the double degree program at Ecole des Mines in Nancy. I spent two years in France where I studied general engineering with a specialization in Energy. In 2010, I graduated in both courses.
To specialize in the oil field, I completed my training at the IFP School with a further course in Development and Exploitation of Deposits (former PEPD).
After my graduation in 2011, my goal was to start my professional career on the ground and apply what I had learned during my studies. That’s why I joined Perenco, a young and dynamic family business.
I started my career in Africa, working rotation (5 weeks on site / 5 weeks off site) initially in Congo where I worked as a field production Engineer for one year before moving to Gabon. In Gabon I worked as a field project Engineer for four years which allowed me to consolidate my experience by participating in various projects. In 2016, I joined the Projects department in Norwich, UK, and this time as a full-time expatriate.
Today, I am Offshore Installation Manager of the Polo Pargo platform in Brazil.
Throughout my career, Perenco has offered me great opportunities to develop and progress.
What is your job? Which missions and challenges do you face in your role?
I am responsible for staff and facilities management at the Pargo field in Brazil. I oversee the efficiency of our operations, while ensuring the health and safety of our women and men. I also guarantee the integrity of our facilities while preserving the environment within which we operate. To do this, it is necessary to have a good technical knowledge, a sense of responsibility. To be able to manage several teams and ensure that activities remain in compliance with the local legislation.
This work is even more challenging and exciting when setting up a subsidiary in a new country. Pargo was the first offshore mature asset with its rights transferred from the national oil company Petrobras to a foreign private group. The most exciting challenge is transmitting Perenco’s culture and stabilizing the operations of a field that was no longer a priority or an investment target to the previous operator.
What makes your job at Perenco different?
The autonomy and trust that I have been granted within Perenco enables me to carry out my job in a unique way. I was also lucky to be given a wide range of responsibilities from the very beginning, which allowed me to evolve quickly and pragmatically develop skills across a broad spectrum of fields. And after almost 10 years with Perenco in three different continents, I know I made the right choice.
Which perenco value are you most attached to?
Passion. In my opinion, it is the key to our success. It is what drives me every day and what strengthens my will to carry out each project I undertake.
What is your best memory at Perenco?
I have gathered many great memories over these 10 years. I worked for a long time as a field project Engineer and my favourite memories are related to the commissioning of new installations. It is truly satisfying to see new equipment working after months or years of work. The launch of a new power plant or the commissioning of a pipe laying barge in Gabon are some examples. More recently, precisely at midnight on the 9th of October 2019, Perenco officially became the operator of Pargo, succeeding Petrobras after a few months of intense preparation. It was an extraordinary moment!
