One Team, One Journey — Getting It Done Together

Heritage reported a strong performance in 2022, demonstrating consistent delivery in the area of revenue generation. The Company embarked upon an aggressive drilling and workover programme, with 10 wells drilled on land and 1 offshore, all while operating 22 rigs. Combined with higher oil prices, our excellent work contributed TT$4.8 billion in taxes towards the National GDP, and was a major net earner of foreign exchange for the Government.

While geopolitical events in 2022 resulted in higher oil prices, the increase is in no way guaranteed for 2023 and industry projections are much more muted this year. As price-takers, it is undeniable that the current conditions create the real possibility of decreased revenue for Heritage. We therefore need to be efficient and focused on our lifting cost, and deliver the barrels we have promised.

We have demonstrated in the past, under the very uncertain global conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, that we can thrive in a challenging price environment. Now, as the price for benchmark Brent crude is lower than forecasted, we are encouraged to rally yet again, applying the lessons learnt from our experiences to maximise profits.

Going forward, we must consciously operate under one banner — One Team, One Journey — and because we have internalised our Core INSPIRE Values to remind us of who we are and what we are capable of, we know the journey will be a successful one.

We are an organisation that works with integrity, staying nimble in our responsiveness to our goals. We stay focused on safely performing our jobs in all areas. Our performance is achieved through innovative thinking and working together respectfully, to deliver excellent work.

Together, as a Company, Team Heritage will get it done in 2023!

How would you describe your experience as Chief Audit Executive at Heritage thus far?

Since I joined the company in August 2021, I would say that the experience has been refreshing. From the very first week, I recognised that people who work here are passionate about what they do and genuinely want to see this company succeed. I continue to witness this unwavering commitment in my day-today interactions with colleagues — even when faced with challenges — and I’m honoured to be part of this team.

With respect to the role, I have a great team and I believe that the leaders and managers have embraced the value that we bring to the organisation. For most auditors, overcoming that challenge is a very real stumbling block, but at Heritage, for the most part, I’ve not had to face that battle — and for that, I’m thankful.

How do you keep your team motivated?

The team is very new, so motivation comes in the form of being exposed to new experiences and a lot of learning. That’s one of the perks of being in Internal Audit (IA) — we have a unique view of the business because we work in so many different aspects of it.

Training is big on my agenda, so I carve out time to make sure persons are exposed to relevant external training, and I also facilitate training for the team twice a year. We each contribute towards a social fund, which we use to celebrate birthdays and self-sponsor social gatherings (after work or training), so that we spend some time getting to know more about each other. Our plan this year is to incorporate giving back to good causes as part of our team-building activities.

What has been your biggest challenge here at Heritage?

My biggest challenge is that there is much to do and few resources with which to accomplish it all. There is still a bit of uncertainty as to what IA does within the organisation and while we would like to meet all stakeholder expectations, there are times that we must prioritise requests coming from the Audit Committee, due to limited resources.

What is the most innovative project you have been involved in over the course of your career?

I led the design of a shared service model for the provision of enterprise risk management and compliance services for a consortium of 11 banks across the Eastern Caribbean. I considered it to be innovative, as there were no similar successful models from which we could draw examples. As such, much of it was based on my experience, facilitating the exchange of ideas in design sessions, and drawing on examples of what didn’t work from global counterparts who worked with much larger financial institutions to attempt.

How do you relax and unwind outside of work?

I enjoy good conversation with friends, a glass of wine (or 2), a good movie, an occasional Netflix series binge, and spending some time at the beach.

Melissa Persad, who has been with Heritage for approximately 3½ years, having started in September 2019.

Melissa is part of the Offshore Business Unit and is responsible for managing process chemicals and offering support in the area of process engineering. She enjoys her job and says that what she enjoys most about working at Heritage is being able to find solutions to optimise processes offshore.

A creative person at heart, she spends her time outside of work baking and decorating cakes, as well as doing décor for events. She also nurtures a passion for sightseeing and travelling: “I make an effort to visit at least 3 countries a year!”

A familiar face to most of us, Bevin Lewis has been with Heritage since its inception, from December 1, 2018.

As a member of Heritage’s Corporate Security Team, he serves as the Incident Investigations and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Supervisor within the department, where he is responsible for ensuring that detailed and systematic investigative actions are conducted when a security incident occurs. Bevin also supports the creation of applicable and practical SOPs to guide personnel towards compliance to security deliverables and state regulations, in ways that help reduce the Heritage asset loss profile.

As one of the first members of staff, he recalls the not-soglamorous early days as being quite demanding. Having gone through them however, he has great pride in seeing the way the Company has successfully navigated and grown.

“The most rewarding aspect of working for Heritage is knowing that my efforts are ultimately filtered towards a significant contribution to the gross domestic product of Trinidad and Tobago,” he says proudly. “It fosters my sense of national pride to serve the state-owned oil company, and to support Heritage's goals by ensuring fellow employees and stakeholders operate in a secure environment.”

Like many of his Heritage colleagues, Bevin is multi-talented: “Music is at the centre of my leisure activities; I have been involved in the performing, writing, and recording of musical productions since my early teenage years. I originally learnt music by ear; however, in my adult life, I attained up to a Grade 6 Certificate in Music Theory from Trinity College London.”

He enjoys playing the keyboard and guitar, and recently started learning to play the saxophone — but he is most comfortable on our national instrument, the steel pan, a skill he exhibited at the launch of the Heritage Social Sustainability Programme in January.