Research shows that delegates are more receptive to training when they have a clear understanding of why they are there and how the training will help both themselves and the business. 

Joining the team less than 18 months ago, Susan Steyn, Add Evergy’s Vice President of North America, could not have predicted the challenges that the region would face during 2020.

Based in the Houston office, Susan led her team through a turbulent year. From political unrest, racism protests, severe weather issues, and low oil prices, the team had a lot to handle before even factoring in a global health pandemic.

In this article, Susan takes a look back over the last 12 months and discusses how 2020 was her most successful year to date, lessons learned and her plans for the future.

REFLECTION

Leading Add Energy’s Asset and Integrity Management division from its HQ in Aberdeen, Peter Adam, Add Energy’s Executive Vice President, has found 2020 a challenging, yet insightful year that brought his team closer together despite working further apart than ever before.

With a future focus on technological innovation to deliver operational excellence, the interface between data and people has been and remains a key priority for Add Energy and Peter is eager to deliver on the opportunities awaiting the business in 2021.

In this interview, which forms part of our ‘The Big Picture: leading our team into the future’ series, Peter reflects back on lessons learned from 2020, shares inspiring insights, and hones in on how success can be achieved beyond the pandemic.

REFLECTION

Coping with the unforeseen challenges and restrictions caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic has taken its toll on many of us and has changed the world we live in.

During the month of March, restrictive measures were put in place to protect our health and attempt to control the spread of the virus. People were asked to “stay home” and the world stood still.

The effect of these restrictions triggered a raft of issues for our people and the economy, ranging from a significant increase in mental health issues to a plunge in oil price.

In this article, Add Energy’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Ole Rygg provides his insights into how this year has changed the way he does business and the skills that he’s learned along the way.

REFLECTION

Before joining Add Energy as Technical Manager, Stuart Murray had worked his way up from maintenance, reliability and operations engineering roles to the Head of Maintenance for an international FPSO operator. 

Responsible for managing global maintenance execution and strategies, optimizing maintenance effectiveness and providing expert advice on maintenance issues, Stuart has experienced and overcome many common maintenance and operational challenges throughout his career. We have asked him to share some of the biggest challenges and lessons he has learned as Head of Maintenance..

The energy industry was already in flux prior to the spread of COVID-19. At the beginning of 2020, weakening economic growth, political risk and intensifying trade tensions were predicted as the biggest challenges that the industry would face. As well as the operational and financial impact to the sector itself, lockdowns across the globe have caused the demand for oil to plummet, a surge in unemployment and a massive decrease in consumer spending.

As a result, there has been an increase in the cost of production within the UKCS and a decrease in the number of projects approved, tightening budgets further. 

It is no secret that there is a lack of female leaders working within the energy sector, with research showing that less than 10% of senior leaders within the oil and gas industry are female. We want to explore what it takes for middle managers to progress to the top, where they are focused on leading the vision and strategy of companies, and assuring delivery of this. 

Susan Steyn joined Add Energy as our Vice President for North America in 2019, leading a team of over 25 asset management experts and overseeing company growth throughout the Americas and project delivery. Starting her career in supply chain, research and planning roles, she rapidly worked her way up to leadership positions due to her drive, determination and dedication - and being recognized as someone who will tackle a challenge head on and see it through to completion. 

During a time where budgets are being scrutinized and cut, we are forced to work smarter with less resources. This is particularly true for maintenance teams due to maintenance being commonly viewed as an expense rather than an opportunity to save money for an asset. 

To use maintenance and materials management as a mechanism for saving money, we need to strike the perfect balance between cost cutting and risk mitigation - where maintenance and materials can be streamlined to gain efficiencies and reduce costs, but integrity and production are not compromised.