SHAUNA NOONAN

Photo by Emmaus Studio on Unsplash

An interview with Shauna Noonan

Oxy Fellow & Senior Director International and Gulf Mexico Supply Chain Management at Occidental

Q.1) About Shauna Noonan, where she did belong from, and what challenges did she face in making an impact in the Energy Sector?

I am originally from Canada and got my Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering (Co-op) from the University of Alberta. The “Co-op” refers to a 5-year degree program that incorporates five 4-month industry internships, so upon graduating, one has an engineering degree AND twenty months of work experience. My future vision as a student was to follow the typical career path of most Canadian engineers. You start in the field and work your way to an office in downtown Calgary and participate in the local SPE section’s activities. I had no idea then that I would be traveling around the globe both for work and SPE. What I stress to other SPE members, especially the students and YPs is that SPE opens doors of opportunity. The more involved I got in SPE, the more doors became available. SPE has helped to add rungs to my career ladder and allowed me to climb higher than I ever thought possible. My biggest challenge has been around being a working mother and finding a balance between my family and my career. Having a supportive employer and husband helped me but sometimes achieving that balance was difficult, especially since I did not have any family in the United States to lend a hand.

Q.2) As President of SPE International - 2020, what campaign and key areas did you work on to add value to this Industry and Society?

I wanted to focus on strengthening five areas for SPE to remain a trusted, unbiased source of technical information, be the membership of choice for professionals in oil and gas, and be respected both within and outside of our industry. When people see that SPE logo, it should be synonymous with excellence in terms of all our

offerings to our membership. As the President, I wanted to expand the value an SPE membership brings to both members and to companies that support their employees’ involvement in SPE. Our society is strong, yet I believe there are opportunities for improvement. The theme of my presidency was “SPE strong,” strengthening the core of our society. The five areas are:

Strengthening the technical quality of our publications, presentations, and events Strengthening the tools and methods by which we disseminate knowledge to our members Strengthening our core disciplines Strengthening the knowledge transfer in unconventional resources Strengthening the feedstock of incoming talent into the industry.

I have been working with my fellow Board members and SPE staff to develop the various initiatives around my five focus areas. I have been providing more details and updates in my monthly JPT columns and SPE Podcasts.

Q.3) With the increasing progress, Research & Development in the field of Energy Mix can we expect a diversified portfolio of SPE International and Big Oil Companies?

Big oil company portfolios are driven by what their investors want. SPE’s portfolio is driven by what members want. While our members have been asking for SPE to cover more content around the energy transition, they want SPE to continue to deliver fundamental petroleum engineering content and programs. In addition, SPE is promoting technologies around carbon sequestration and GHG emission reductions, such as those developed via the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) which is funded by many of the major oil and gas companies.

Q.4) How important is it for Academics to change the curriculum of Petroleum Engineering Degrees Globally? What courses and subjects do you consider should be part of the curriculum to make aspiring PetroleumEngineering Students all-rounded engineers?

The Petroleum engineering curriculum is centered on teaching the fundamentals and that is of primary importance. Rather than changing the curriculum, the content itself can be augmented to incorporate data science, geothermal subsurface operations, and how to measure impact on the environment. The International Petroleum Engineering Department Heads Association has been working together on modernizing the curriculum and sharing best practices between them.

Q.5) A carbon capture company named Carbon Engineering Ltd. working towards Environmental Sustainability is operating in British Columbia (Canada), it has been receiving funding from Oxy Petroleum and other oil giants. Shall we expect such miniature projects on a larger scale in the future by Big Oil Companies?

These miniature projects are pilots to prove the technology and to understand how to technically and economically bring them to a larger scale. Once that is successful, yes, you will see more companies implementing them.

Q.6) Being Director of the Artificial Lift at Oxy Petroleum, did you see a significant growth in Artificial Lift Technology driven by Data and Computational Intelligence?

For new technology and product advancements – no. For efficiency of existing systems and operations – yes. Data science works on historical data from technology that already exists. It has been very successful in finding ways to improve well uptime and extend equipment run life. For new technology developments, fundamental engineering will be necessary as there is little to no data available to apply any elements of data science.

Q.7) What special advice would you like to convey to Young Professionals seeking a career in the Oil and Energy Industry that is changing abruptly and adopting Digital Transformation?

The digital transformation has already occurred for much of the industry. This is why we are able to survive and recover more quickly from this downturn when compared to previous ones. While petroleum engineers need to understand the basic principles of data science, they are not expected to be data scientists. Both groups are uniquely specialized and will need to work together but they will need to have the skills and basic knowledge to communicate with one another.

An interview with

Nabeel Ahmed

Head of Human Resources at United States Steel Corporation / Ex Director Global Compensation at Halliburton

Q.1) A little bit about yourself?

Coming from very humble beginnings, I was born, raised and completed high school from Abu Dhabi. Started Bachelors of Commerce at Commecs Institute of Business Education in Karachi but then after 3 semesters transferred over to Mississippi State University to continue my Bachelors in Information Systems in 2002 and then as a Graduating Teaching Assistant completed my Masters in HR from the same University in 2004. I have been in the oil and gas industry for more than 16 yrs and for the most part have been in progressive HR leadership roles. Have worked on a short-term basis or long term assignment in 10 plus countries. I have 2 beautiful daughters who are 11 and 7 and time away from work is spent with the family or playing sports.

Q.2) What made you consider Human Resource as a Profession?

I landed in the profession by coincidence. My first job was with Weatherford in Dubai in their IT department. Within a year I realized that I wasn’t enjoying IT and could not do it long term so was going to quit. I had helped their regional HR Director, Guy Bennett, at the time with his technology setup. So when he heard that I was contemplating leaving Weatherford, he called me and we had a very honest conversation. Guy was a 25+ years oil and gas veteran and he took me in HR and started to mentor me in areas such as recruitment, HR generalist, HRMS, Comp and Benefits. To this day, I still wonder if Guy had not called me that morning where I might have ended…

Q.3) What do you like most about working in Human Resources?

Human behavior is generally a very intriguing topic. HR specifically is a unique function in that it provides ample opportunity to influence others and be influenced by others. I thoroughly enjoy meeting and spending time with young professionals from around the world who have extreme passion and desire to change the world and I get the opportunity to guide/mentor them through their journey. At the same time, I am able to constantly observe, adapt and learn from others. If you get to do all of the above and get paid for it then it is a fairly good deal and working in HR provides for it.

Q.4) During your professional life, how do you deal with unethical situations?

In my opinion, ethics are black and white…there are no other shades. So if it is an unethical situation, then response has to be in accordance with guidelines whether statutory local laws or organizational policies. For instance, if an employee is found to be involved in a code of conduct violation then the repercussions have to be in accordance with the policy. Exceptions should not be made just because the employee is a good performer or critical to business etc. So I deal with unethical situations in accordance with law or guidelines consistently without making any exception.

Q.5) What brought you to become a

Certified Fitness Instructor during your

Bachelor’s Degree?

When I was studying in Karachi I did not know many people as I had recently relocated from Abu Dhabi. So I did not have any friends in the city of lights as such. To spend time I started going to a local 18

neighborhood gym in the evenings and this was my first exposure to fitness. When I moved to the US, I had limited financial support so had to work long hours doing odd jobs at a local gas station. Somehow I would still take some time out to train at the University gym. This is where I met the fitness director, Greg Altorfer, and I told him I was looking for a job for the summer to be able to save up for college tuition. He called me for an interview and realized that I didn't even know the basics of exercise sciences. He still took a chance with me and put me through a series of fitness training courses and took the certification exam. I learned a lot during that period and used to work 16-18 hours every day for 4 months. This is how I developed a passion for fitness that exists to date.

Q.6) How much do you find leadership important in the oil and gas industry?

Leadership is critical in any industry so I would not carve out the oil and gas industry specifically to highlight the significance of leadership. The leadership competencies that are critical in this cyclical industry might be slightly different from other industries but it is essentially a different flavor of the same. In the last 10 years or so the industry has been extremely volatile so leaders have to adapt constantly between short cycles of fast paced growth and severe downturns. Leaders have got to be able to connect with the workforce or in these periods of highs and lows, you can quickly alienate the workforce from the leadership group. Now more than ever we need all dimensions of diversity in our leadership ranks and be able to embrace it wholeheartedly.

Q.7) Can you describe the significance of soft skills and its importance to succeed in Corporate?

Technical skills can only get any individual to a certain level in the organization. Beyond that, even in a technical career path, soft skills become critical to your success. I would categorize soft skills into two categories as well: • Individual soft skills which you can develop that includes creativity, work ethic, time management etc.

• Group soft skills which you learn over time with exposure and experience of a varied situation includes interpersonal skills, ability to collaborate, political savviness, conflict management etc.

The most important of all soft skills that influences the success of anyone, regardless as an individual or group is the ability to effectively communicate. Communication is a soft skill you never fully acquire but always continue to improve upon.

Q.8) Due to the CoronaVirus Pandemic many people are laid off from their jobs. As an HR person, what is your view on job eliminations?

My humble opinion is that this pandemic is going to change the way we live in this world for good. Human beings are a very resilient species and we will adapt and evolve out of this crisis, no doubt in my mind.

Job elimination doesn’t concern me as much but in the long term we need to prepare our next generation for major job replacements.

Simple example…currently technical or soft-skill training in most organizations is conducted by trainers in a classroom setup. We will transform towards virtual classrooms and the infrastructure and skill sets required to effectively deliver training in that environment is very different.

Similarly, brick and mortar retail stores are getting replaced by online shopping portals and it is evident in the revenue numbers of these businesses. People won’t just switch back to stores. So from customer service reps in stores, we will need more online delivery or customer experience reps…again, a very different skill set required.