Flipping the Barrel is a podcast created to shine a light on women and men in energy by sharing the stories of successful individuals in this industry. Because everyone has a story that we can all learn from.
“Strategy Matters, Culture Matters More” with Mike Reeves CEO Rubicon Oilfield International.
Aug 17, 2020
Show notes
PESA- Petroleum Equipment Service & Association is a proud sponsor of this episode.
Growing up in the UK Mike studied to be a Civil Engineer. In the midst of finishing up his degree he decided he did not want to work as a Civil Engineer but perhaps a different Engineering role. As a senior in college he came across a big poster that said “free beer” hosted by Schlumberger, he had no idea who Schlumberger was, he was attracted to the post for the free alcohol and decided to give it a go. The recruiter at the time captivated Mike and he knew from that moment he wanted to work in oil and gas for Schlumberger.
His first job in the oilfield was as a Mud Logger field engineer. Mike is color blind and every time he would identify the mud samples they were always “grey” to him. The company man one day walked into his trailer and said “ what have you been drinking all week? Every sample you give me is the same color! This doesn’t make sense”. At this moment they decided he could not be a Mud Logger and instead got a promotion to become an offshore MWD engineer. From then on Schlumberger sent him around the world and Mike continued to grow his oilfield career through several management roles.
Mike talks about his struggles as a young entrepreneur and immersing himself into his career. At this time he lacked self-awareness on work life balance. Being an entrepreneur it is very easy to find yourself lost in your work and turn into a workaholic. He learned early on that he would have to make a change in order to keep his close relationships and continue to be successful in his career. He gives insight on how to deal with work life balance, at the end of the day you have a choice to make.
He has made a total of 7 acquisitions in creating Rubicon, this brought on a multitude of different cultures he had to bring together into one. As Mike and his Partners built Rubicon they did a round table discussion to build a structure around the culture that they wanted to create for Rubicon. They built and described this through their “Intolerables”. He explains these intolerables and how it shaped Rubicon into a successful international business.
Another key point Mike discusses is the expectation that you have to be right all the time as a CEO, which is completely unrealistic. Being more vulnerable and open when being a CEO allows you to have open discussions within the organization, which is vital to having the leadership team that you want ,and strive for, within the organization. With the intention of a global business Mike wanted the leadership team to represent this vision. He strategically placed his team to represent the countries they worked in, it was vital to Mike to represent diversity to show employees that Rubicon has all intentions to have a diverse and inclusive workforce. Mike gives advice on how to break the mold of gender specific roles and bring more representation at the board level to show diversity matters.
Mike talks about the changes happening with online buying behavior and the adaptations that are needed for the industry to survive. He believes oil and gas has a place in society but we need to let go of the past to embrace the future.
If your interested in working with us, please contact : flippingthebarrel@gmail.com
“Unleash Your Leadership” with Enrico Biscaro Director at Baker Hughes.
Aug 10, 2020
Show notes
PESA- Petroleum Equipment Service & Association is a proud sponsor of this episode.
Enrico grew up in Italy, in a small town where he became a part of the boy scouts at 7 years old. It was during these years that Enrico grew to recognize the importance of service. He learned that acting in the service of others is the most impactful thing you can do for yourself and your community. This drove Enrico to be a passionate leader, with a goal to inspire others.
Enrico wanted to travel the world and have a positive impact on his community by working within Energy. He started with Baker Hughes as a field engineer and grew into his role as the Pacific Asia Drilling Director. He believes if you stop worrying about your career progression and start focusing on providing consistent results you will become successful. At the end of the day if you continue to deliver results and are vocal about what you want to do, then people will notice.
He talks about a time when he thought he might lose his job and the toll it took on him while working in Israel. Throughout this experience he learned that no matter what you do you need to take care of yourself, he talks about how to handle these times of struggle.
With the restrictions on travel due to covid, Enrico was given back 15-20 hours a week since he can’t travel for work. He decided to use this time to be more present on social media and provide a resource to inspire others within Energy. He wants to continue to attract young talent into the industry and understood that social media would be the best way to reach the masses. He has developed a motivational platform and mentorship for those who might not be able to have a mentor themselves.
We discuss challenging the status quo to grow the company and different ways to get to a better result. Thinking outside of the box is a growing attribute needed to excel in the energy industry. We discuss how to drive change with a more methodical approach. Tune in to discover more.
If your interested in working with us, please contact : flippingthebarrel@gmail.com
“I don’t believe in Work-Life Balance” with Celine Gerson VP at Schlumberger.
Jul 27, 2020
Show notes
PESA- Petroleum Equipment Service & Association is a proud sponsor of this episode.
At a young age Celine’s parents began to teach her the deeply rooted family values and principles they follow. She lived by these principles throughout her career and life. The three values she continues to follow today is - Think outside the box, the importance of taking risks and nothing is Impossible. Knowing this was her mantra, makes a lot of sense as to how she became the first woman in Cameron to run a Global division and then went on to become the President of Schlumberger Canada.
Celine didn’t grow up following the crowd. When she graduated from University in France all her friends were taking safe jobs with bigger companies, she decided to travel across the pond and go work for a smaller trading company in Houston.
She talks about building your “Brand” and the importance of knowing who you are and how you want to be perceived. She always took calculated risk that showcased her strengths. Her Brand was built around the ability to break down barriers and bring silos together. Why you should take calculated risks is because the minute you are comfortable you are not showcasing what you are good at.
We talk about challenge status quo; Celine agrees the industry is changing and we need to be ahead of it. Know what you stand for, there should be complete alignment between what people see you as and who you really are. She goes in to talk about how having a board of advisors is crucial in your career and how to identify these mentors.
Celine started Powered by Women in Canada, to change the public image of oil and gas in Canada. She had 40 plus executives involved where they worked on changing the narrative and touching the heart of the public, to change their thoughts on oil and gas. They used social media and influencers to market the movement, it was and still is a huge success! She talks about an amazing story where she completely changed the mind of an activist on the spot. You must hear this!
In this episode, she provides her insight on work life balance and how real balance is the one you choose for yourself. She talks about finding your “True North”. Understanding your “True North” is life changing, she describes all the steps to get there. Knowing this you will have perfect alignment with your mission. To perform at your best, you must understand what you really want, deep down.
If your interested in working with us, please contact : flippingthebarrel@gmail.com
“I quit on my 1st day as a offshore field engineer.” Bill Henn -VP Canyon Oak Energy.
Jul 19, 2020
Show notes
PESA- Petroleum Equipment Service & Association is a proud sponsor of this episode.
Third generation Oil and Gas Bill Henn, grew up in a small town on a farm in Kansas, 1 of 6 kids. Life was all about God, family and work. Bill studied computer science and quickly realized he did not want to sit behind a desk and program all day for the rest of his life. He decided to switch into engineering technology.
Once he graduated, he moved to Houston in 1988 when the job market crashed. He got his first break as a field engineer working for Baroid, after his interview, they asked him to pack his bags and was immediately shipped offshore. The boat ride was horrendous, he got sea sick several times and once he arrived to the platform, he quit on his first day!
Communication, discipline and staying together as a family is a hard balance when you are working 60/30. Bill provides his insight into managing the international life and what a Global Account Manager really does. He handled growth upwards of a billion dollars during that role. He deep dives into the amount of product lines and client relationships that had to be closely linked in order to meet the company's goals.
During his time at HAL, he helped found and lead the Women's Sharing Excellence Program, which is still active today. Find out why he thought it was an important program to start and how they made it a success internally. He has always been a big advocate of Diversity and Inclusion in our industry.
30 years later, Bill is still in the industry and has had an amazing career in O&G. Listen to this episode to find out what changed, how he made his way to the top and how his career strived at Halliburton for several decades before moving into a new adventure at a start up.
If your interested in sponsoring please contact : flippingthebarrel@gmail.com
“The Next CEO” with Yogashri Pradhan.
Jul 06, 2020
Show notes
PESA- Petroleum Equipment Service & Association is a proud sponsor of this episode.
Youtube: @flippingthebarrel
Yogashri always had a knack for math and science. Starting at a young age her parents enrolled her in a life changing engineering camp. She went on to write a paper on CO2 Flooding, in High School, that won the SPE International Student Paper contest. Her first internship in the field started her career in Oil and Gas. She never turned down an opportunity to network, which helped grow her career further then she could imagine. She goes into detail about her cold emails, calls and landing her next job.
Since her first paper she has written 12 more and she is the SPE Section Chair for the Permian, while being a full time reservoir engineer at Endeavour Energy Resources. Yoga goes into detail on diversity in the workplace and how as an industry we can become more inclusive.
She is a reservoir engineer for Endeavor Energy Resources. At Endeavor, she is involved with field development planning for unconventionals in the Midland Basin. She's also worked as a senior production engineer for Texas Oil and Gas Institute and Devon Energy, overseeing various production optimization studies and field operations in the Permian Basin. Yogashri is the recipient of Houston Engineers Week Young Engineer of the Year representing SPE-Gulf Coast Section for 2018 and the International Young Member Outstanding Service Award from SPE in 2018. She graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor's in Petroleum Engineering in 2015 and is pursuing her Masters in Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University.
“Started from the bottom, now she is here.” with Jaime Butler- VP Permian at Baker Hughes.
Jun 29, 2020
Show notes
PESA- Petroleum Equipment Service & Association is a proud sponsor of this episode.
In this episode we speak with Jaime, she describes the influence her dad had on her life growing up and the life changing moment during a baseball game where she met the President of Hughes Christensen Drill Bits . She talks about her experiences as a female leader in the industry.
Even with a learning disability, Jaime did not let it hold her back… In 2009 Jaime was headed home from an international trip, when she received a phone call, that turned into the most pivotal moment in her career. She was unsure if she could take on the role presented to her but she said yes to the opportunity.
“If you serve others, then everything will come naturally. Focusing on others around you and their success is important,” she says. “It’s the one big piece of advice that I offer young professionals. That, and be a ‘learn-it-all’ rather than a ‘know-it-all.’ I tell my team to make sure they listen to understand, not to respond.” -Jaime Butler [Quote taken from Hart Energy interview.]
If your interested in sponsoring an episode please contact : flippingthebarrel@gmail.com
“From Field Engineer to CEO” with Dave Christmas.
Jun 15, 2020
Show notes
In today's episode Maise & Jamie zoom with Dave Christmas, CEO of Fluid Delivery Solutions in Midland, TX. They cover everything from starting his oilfield adventure in his twenties, as a wireline field engineer, in the Iraqi deserts. To writing letters to his soon to be wife, who was thousands of miles away. Dave had enough of the long distance relationship, back in those times the internet did not exist and having a relationship from afar were not as easy as today.Mind you there are no cell phones, google maps or tender at this time. He quit his very 1st oilfield job for love and to be with his partner back in the UK. Funny enough, he ended back at SLB through not one but two mergers.
David had a successful career in the oil and gas industry. He spent over 3 decades working for Schlumberger around the world. He moved to 10 different countries and held various positions from starting as “wireline field engineer” all the way to being a Managing Director for the Permian operations. In 2019, he made a significant pivot and left his comfort zone to become the CEO of Fluid Delivery Solutions in Midland ,TX.
If your interested in sponsoring please contact : flippingthebarrel@gmail.com
“It felt like a Divorce… with Joana Araujo Pescarini.
Jun 08, 2020
Show notes
In this episode we sit down with Joana Aurajo Pescarini. Joana spent 20 years in the Oil & Gas industry while working for Schlumberger. She several positions within the organization, is a mom of two, a wife and an excellent coach. She moved around the globe with her family to pursue both hers and her husbands career. She is the perfect example of a strong woman who does it all.
Joana explains how to ask yourself – “Am I living the life I want as opposed to am I living the life that was presented to me”? She goes into to depth on how she dealt with constant change, having over 10 different HR roles in 8 different countries and the impact that had on her newborn. We ask her about managing a dual career from both the employee and company perspective, finding work-life balance, dealing with the effects of the choices we make and finding your purpose.
Joana wrote an amazing article that she published in ISSUU Magazine- We totally recommend to check it out:
If your interested in sponsoring please contact : flippingthebarrel@gmail.com
“How to Reinvent Yourself” with Leslie Beyer, President of PESA.
May 27, 2020
Show notes
“Reinventing yourself" , with Leslie Beyer - President of PESA
Outside of leading as a Woman in a male-dominated industry, Leslie talks about the powerful reason why a culture of inclusion is so important: everyone is working against something, no matter where you come from.
She gives us a look inside the White House, politics, and what it was like inside the Bush Campaign. From a political background to becoming President of the largest oilfield trade association, PESA, she talks about developing a passion for the industry and changing the face of the Association into a successful, advocating trade association for the Oil and Gas service sector.
Thank you to PESA (Petroleum Equipment & Services Association) for being a sponsor and a supporter of Flipping the Barrel Podcast.
Find out more about PESA, please visit : www.pesa.org
If your interested in sponsoring please contact : flippingthebarrel@gmail.com
“Girl, Raise your hand”, with Stephanie Hertzog -CEO Sodexo North America
May 20, 2020
Show notes
Stephanie Hertzog, Sodexo CEO Energy & Resources North America, is conscious of the role she can play to develop the leaders of tomorrow in an evolving but still rather traditional, typically male-dominated industry. She joins Flipping The Barrel to discuss her journey to the top, imparting some wise advise for young women navigating the energy industry.
Stephanie always took risk and didn’t shy away from a new opportunity. We dig deep into Stephanie’s story and how she learned how to navigate working full time, traveling, running her own P&L and having her first child. She provides advice that we have never had on the podcast before, including the top tips her Mentors gave her that truly impacted her life.
Thank you to Sodexo North America for being a sponsor and a supporter of Flipping the Barrel Podcast.
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