In this post, we meet the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) & Strategy Subcommittee Lead, Mr. Kester Mgbodille of Shell.
1. Introduce yourself and tell us about your journey to OPTS
I started my career in the oil and gas industry at Shell initially as a field engineer, and then moved on to other areas of the business including business planning, economics, exploration portfolio management and currently commercial both in Nigeria and the UK. Between 2008 and 2010, I was on secondment to the Government of Nigeria where I served as the Senior Technical Assistant to the former Special Adviser to the President on Petroleum Matters. The experience of working for Government afforded me the unique opportunity to observe Nigeria’s oil and gas industry through government lenses. I joined OPTS PIA and Strategy (P&S) team in October 2012 and in January 2021 I became the team lead. I hold Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Chemical Engineering from Enugu State University of Science and Technology and University of Lagos respectively, and an MBA in Strategic Management from Aberdeen Business School, UK.
2. Introduce your subcom and its importance within the industry
The primary responsibility of the P&S team is to develop strategies to support OPTS advocacy on industry reform, PIA and other important matters affecting the industry. As OPTS is made up of international, independent, and indigenous companies, the importance of the P&S team becomes crucial because of the need to balance the views of all members and find common ground that meets OPTS advocacy aspirations, in a manner that adheres strictly to anti-trust guidelines.
3. What has been most rewarding about your role?
The fact that I lead a very experienced team that is at the center of OPTS advocacy and strategy is very satisfying. The quality of the work we do and the support we provide has earned the team the trust of the OPTS leadership.
4. What is most challenging about your role?
As already stated above, the team is made up of members from different Companies who are also competitors both in the Nigerian and the global oil and gas industry. Being able to pull every member and every Company together to find common ground for OPTS advocacy can be quite challenging at times.
5. Tell us about your major accomplishments as the subcom lead
I take pride in the fact that the PIB was eventually passed into law in my time as the P&S team lead, after many years of failed attempts to pass it. While not taking credit for the passage, it’s fair to say that the effective support the team provided over the years helped in no small way to shape and drive an effective OPTS advocacy during the evolution of the Petroleum Industry Act.
6. Share something about yourself that nobody in your Subcom knows about you.
I like music and I listen to most genres of music. My mood determines the kind of music I listen to. However, of all the music genres, you are most likely to catch me listening to heavy metal rock and roll music, with Van Halen as my favourite rock band. I have tried very hard to develop interest in jazz and classical music with little success.
I also read fiction novels, especially espionage and crime thrillers. I had a target to read all Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum novels by end of 2020, but I have only managed to read about just 70% of them.
7. How do you keep a healthy work/life balance?
I spend a lot of time with my family and engage in exercises. Before Covid-19, I made it a point of duty never to take work home. It would have taken a major work ‘emergency’ to make me open my laptop or read my mails in the evenings. It has been difficult to maintain this since the onset of Covid-19 and the subsequent work from home requirements, but I seldom engage in official work during weekends.
8. What is your philosophy on life?
I am a firm believer in treating people with respect notwithstanding status, age, gender, race, or religious beliefs. I will not do to others what I do not want them to do to me, which is the basis for mutual respect.
