Has experience from 20 years and 8 different types of work in «oil»
Every week we ask the same 10 questions to different Tekna members. This week is Espen Torgersen’s (47) trip:
Occupation: Performance Analyst in the Improvement department in Drilling & Well at Aker BP.
Education: Master of Science in Industrial Economics.
– What’s your morning routine?
– My wife is the principal of a primary school, so she goes to work early. Thus, it is my responsibility to get two boys of 12 and 15 years out the door and go to school. We also have a dog (Toller), named Alf, who also needs a walk. Then I get on the bike, and ride quietly for 25 minutes along the Gandsfjord from Sandnes to Aker BP, which is located in Stavanger.
– What does a normal working day look like for you?
– A couple of years ago, I was so lucky to be part of the start of Aker BP’s digital journey through the EurekaX project. Here, send all digital initiatives that will develop Aker BP to become the leading operating company on the Norwegian shelf. Since I had recently trained myself in the Agile working method SCRUM, I became “Scrum master” to keep.
– This was a revelation both for me and the team in terms of structure and openness (transparency), and I decided early on that this was something I wanted to take with me back in the line when I a few years later chose to do it . So back to the question of what a normal working day looks like, it consists of a (schedule of meetings (heartbeat) which goes over 2 weeks (sprint). Deliver what we have promised.
– What are you working on right now?
– I am very fond of changes and new challenges, and am on my way from the Performance Team to the Improvement Team here in drilling and well. In my new job, I will be working to facilitate Agile working methods to store projects called King Lear (new felt) and NCP (New Central Platform at Valhall).
– What we want is to bring visibility and speed into this important planning phase. By using Agile working methods, which include meetings such as; Stand up, Sprint Planning, Retrospective, Anchors & Iceberg, we want people to work more effectively together in the team. It turns out that this works very well in this challenging covid time that we are in.
– What is your strong trait in the job?
– After over 20 years in “oil” where I have been in everything from offshore arbiding, drill bit sales, gas sales, drilling engineering, business development, business consulting and IT, I must say that in the position I am in now (Performance Analyst), I thrive best with so far. Here I work to get everyone to work in the same direction and understand what Aker BP needs in terms of improvements and not just what each of us wants. To achieve this, you need to remove all blinders to try to understand how IT systems are related to finance, logistics, operations, etc.
– We work to tear down silos, and make people feel that there are other “important” departments in our farm. I think has a good quality in getting people to talk, and understand each other’s needs. I am also a culture builder who helps arrange parties and other social gatherings to bring some life to the camp.
– What is the funniest / weirdest thing you have experienced at work?
– For me, this question is difficult to answer. I have fun and fun all the time, and have experienced many different differences. In short, my education and choice of profession has led me around the world. Early in my career, I was going 2 x 3 weeks on a course in Houston, after which I put on 10 kilos after way too much food and Frozen Margaritas. Before returning home, I had to deal with new clothes. I have sold drill bits in Midland Odessa. Then we drove a large pick-up and stopped by the land rig. I have worked at BakerHughes’ office in Perth Australia, and was on bike rides to Fremantle. I have worked at BakerHughes’ office in Copenhagen which at that time was in Nyhavn !! (slightly effective after lunch😊).
– If I have to recall a memory, it is when I was on a business trip to Provo Utah (the factory for Intelliserv / wired pipe). It was a different city. The weekend was spent at Alta Ski Resort, which is a fantastic ski resort in Utah. The following week we had team building in GuantaJuato, Mexico! An absolutely beautiful one of which is on UNSECO’s world heritage list. And so I could continue.
– Why did you choose this profession?
– Since I’m from Oljebyen Sandnes, it just happened like that. Always liked to screw things up; Have a 1966 Vespa 125 which I trimmed up to 221 ccm! Bought a 1978 Porsche 911 SC from San Francisco in 2012 which needs a lot of maintenance. So it’s probably like I’ve been interested in mechanical things and wanted to find out how things work by becoming an engineer.
– Why did you organize?
– I probably signed up for the education, and saw early on all the benefits that being a member of Tekna could provide. When I got older, I realized the importance of being a part of something that cares about my / our interests and rights in working life.
– How can we best recruit children and young people to choose science?
– I think it’s about creating curiosity. Children and young people must be introduced to all the exciting career opportunities that science offers. I think the most important thing is that children and young people experience recognition and mastery in what they are doing. Then maybe more people will choose science.
– If you could ask a question to a historical person, who would this have been and what would you have asked?
– Since I am a big fan of racing and old racing heroes, the question had probably gone to Niki Lauda who was a race driver from Austria who won Formula 1 3 times in the 70s and 80s when I was a little boy. The question for Niki had been whether he would be with me for lunch at Cafe De Paris in Monaco where one of the Formula 1 races goes😊
– What do you think you will look like in 10 years?
– There will clearly be a need for engineers in the oil industry as well. We are moving towards a green shift, but it will take time. What becomes important is that we are willing to change and not least digital. If you have the two qualities, then you as an engineer can choose to wreck in exciting jobs in the future. If you want to go from oil to wind power, we have the basic education at the bottom topped with a solid experience in oil and gas that you can take with you on new adventures.