To succeed in any endeavour, career women must always be true to self —Ibikunle

Omolara Ibikunle is an engineer and the first female health, safety and environment manager in Nigeria for a multinational company having excelled in various other male dominated endeavours. In this interview with ROTIMI IGE, she speaks about the huge demands of her career path, her successes and insights for female engineers worldwide. 

 

With over 13 years’ experience in oil and gas, can we have an insight into your career journey?

My career began in 2008, as Sand Management Services (SMS) Engineer for a major international oilfield services company. Drilling-related sand production causes major problems, including damaged equipment and clogged pores in the formation, often leading to abandonment and loss of a well.  I mastered sand control and was quickly named Lead Sand Control Tools Engineer for super major BP’s major project in Angola.  Given gender biases in the field, leading this mission critical deepwater project reflected my recognised expertise.

In 2010, I became Lead Sand Control Pumping Design Engineer in Chad.  There, high temperatures (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit) degraded fluids needed to install sand control “gravel pack” before they could be used, increasing non-productive time (NPT).  NPT is as much as 40 per cent of total project costs, so increases – like hours lost to this fluid problem – threatened the entire project.  Hours of laboratory simulation and complex analysis led to my original fluid formulation, solving this problem, saving many NPT hours, and saving thousands of dollars.

In 2016, as People Planning and Productivity Deployment Lead, I created original global completion staffing and forecast systems, ensuring staffing and competency for global operations and zero NPT related to staffing or competency issues.  This leading role – based in the company’s Texas headquarters, was critical. An average $230 million of annual company revenue comes from completion and I managed its resource planning worldwide.

As Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Manager for Nigeria since 2020, I have delivered extraordinary results, with zero work related injuries and zero COVID-19 related fatalities.

 

Out of the listed roles you have worked in, which one was the most fulfilling to you?

My career has ranged from Technical Sales and Delivery to Human Resources and HSE. Each role presented unique challenges.

My current role as HSE manager has been most fulfilling.  I created and implemented original COVID-19 procedures resulting in zero fatality cases being recorded.  No employee has been lost due to COVID-19 in Nigeria, which gladdens my heart.

 

Being the First Female Health, Safety and Environment Manager in Nigeria for a Multinational Company, what advice do you have for upcoming female engineers?

Gender is no barrier to achievement.  Women, especially in the male-dominated energy industry, must define success, tackle challenges and sustain momentum.  My success is attributable to striving toward the extraordinary across the industry.

One extraordinary original contribution I created, for example, was my 2013 development of sand control technology for major oil and gas company, Canadian Natural Resources International (CNRI). Traditional sand management in their Ivory Coast field had failed, CNRI losing millions of dollars.

CNRI partnered with my company for its next project phase and I led the charge to address this major problem.  Realising different layers of rock below the surface produced different amounts of sand and debris – making traditional, “one size fits all” approaches ineffective – I studied field history, used detailed scientific simulations of completion scenarios to test different layers and invented new sand control methods which both solved the problem and have since been implemented worldwide.

 

Could you briefly state the importance/relevance of a Safety, Health and Environment unit in the upstream/midstream sector? 

Oil and gas is extremely hazardous – operational conditions, chemicals, and the end product all poses serious safety and health threats.  Robust HSE culture requires organisational commitment.  HSE managers must use that commitment to guarantee all operations are safe, preventing accidents and injuries.  This is a heavy burden. I have effectively shouldered it, with zero recorded injuries or fatalities since I became HSE manager.  Sustainable development and effective HSE provide ongoing benefits, cost savings and an attractive workplace culture.

 

Having worked and served in different capacities within and outside the African continent, comparing both worlds, what are the fundamental distinguishing factors that impact greatly on the industry which are lacking here in Africa?

Deep offshore is replacing onshore drilling as the source of new reserves.  French super major oil and gas company, Total estimates deepwater reserves may contain 350 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE), with two thirds of deep offshore oil and gas resources yet to be discovered.

Deepwater exploration has risks, including ever increasing water depth, remote operations, low reservoir pressures, and difficult installation of complex subsea equipment.  These require new technology.

Research and technology have unleashed unconventional drilling in the “developed” world and supercharged exploration –recently finding the U.S. Marcellus Shale contains several times the original estimated reserves, for example.  That is where Africa lags behind.  Africa must develop original research and technology tailored to its own needs to make its energy industry effective and efficient.

 

What, in your opinion, is the future of SMS in the oil and gas industry and how can the African government position itself adequately in the future to their own advantage?

The US Gulf Coast, the North Sea, China, Canada, California, Venezuela, Western Africa, Indonesia and Malaysia all have sand control problems.  Sand control is essential to completions and improves well performance and productivity.  The market is growing quickly.  Market Research Future (MRFR) analysis predicts the global sand control systems market will reach $3.2 billion by 2025, from an estimated $2.1 billion in 2020.

SMS’ future lies in development of sand control technology that delivers across well environments. African governments must sponsor research and enable innovation in order to share in that estimated growth.

 

What would you consider as the greatest challenge so far in your 13 years’ career experience and how were you able to successfully handle it?

My Completion People Planning and Productivity Lead position was very challenging.  A major industry downturn had resulted in significant losses of competent completion employees just prior to 2017.  Having lost so many seasoned workers, we lacked competent staff to lead new operations, as the industry began to recover.  Working with what we had became the only option.

Therefore, I led my team to invent the ‘Workforce optimiser’. The system accurately predicted the required employee competencies needed for each new project and then helped assign competent employees to the tasks for which they were best suited, also indicating workforce shortages and excesses by location.  Headquarters can now distribute staff across the world where their expertise is most needed. North American Offshore (NAO) operations alone saved several million dollars in losses avoiding NPT and lapses in service quality related to staff competency.

 

Are you involved in any form of mentorship of young people, whether Africa or abroad as a way of giving back to society?

Absolutely! Given the uniqueness of SMS technology, development systems are badly needed to develop seasoned SMS engineers and managers.  I have always personally mentored young SMS engineers, leading to my appointment as SMS career staffing manager in 2015. There I developed engineers and prepared succession plans to stimulate growth and promote employee exposure to varied well environments. As Knowledge Delivery manager, I also produced original training materials for SMS engineers and personally supervised its implementation.

 

Considering the demands of your job, how are you able to maintain a work-life/family balance? What practical tips would you give to career women struggling in this regard?

I am fortunate to have a highly supportive husband, and we are blessed with two children.  My career has been mobile from the onset – requiring frequent and unpredictable travels around the world – and my spouse and I have always created time for family, sometimes embarking on my work trips together to maximise that time. My mother and mother-in-law assist also are a major help, because there is nothing like a supportive family.

For career women, my advice is; be true to yourself.  Realise what is truly important for your happiness – don’t let go of that for temporary gain or be too power-driven at the expense of your happiness, family, or friends.

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