Up & Coming: The OGM Spotlight on Young Professionals
It’s too often that the hard work, dedication and creativity of a young professional working in the energy industry are overshadowed by those established in the industry. The industry is also known to be attached to an intimidation factor which discourages the Millennial Generation to seek a career in our ever changing industry. Well, that’s about to change! The OGM wants to turn the spotlight on young professionals, who make a difference in our industry everyday. Their commitment, endless hours of hard work and passion prove that anyone can attain a career in the energy industry.
“Creating a powerful network of young professionals facilitates personal and professional connections, which then in turn lead to leveraging who you know, not what you know. In this business, it’s all about relationships!”- Munaf Samji, CEO & Publisher
We are excited to profile individuals in every issue from various companies that truly deserve the spotlight. We want to show the world that these young professionals mean business as they have each achieved levels of success that are motivating, inspiring and rewarding.
Why vote?
This is not a popularity contest. Rather, these Young Professionals mean business as there hard work, dedication and passion for what they do has not gone unnoticed.
By voting for an Up & Comer, you are declaring your appreciation for the difference they are making in our industry and there commitment to becoming a future leader or a mentor to those aspiring to become a leader.
Voting begins with you!
Check Out and Vote for Your Favorite Current Up & Comers!
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Rob Pitcairn
Advisor, Business Development Enbridge
In 2012 Rob Pitcairn relocated to Calgary to pursue a business development career in Enbridge’s Alternative and Emerging Technology group. The Alternative and Emerging Technology group looks for investment opportunities that either: offer new growth platforms for Enbridge’s Energy infrastructure business, or the ability to improve operational performance of Enbridge’s existing assets. Prior to joining [...]
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Mike Buckle
Project Manager, Kiewit
Mike Buckle was raised in Forteau, NL, and completed an engineering degree in 2003 at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Mechanical Engineering. Mike was fortunate to graduate during the development of Newfoundland’s third offshore producing field, White Rose and was hire as an engineer by Kiewit. He has never looked back; working in various engineering [...]
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Charlie Wohleber
RunTitle.com, COO
Charlie Wohleber joined RunTitle, coined “The eBay for land title reports in the oil and gas industry,” as the Head of Business Development in August 2012. Charlie is a born and raised landman from Oklahoma with roots in New Orleans, Louisiana. During his tenure at the University of Oklahoma, Charlie honed his skills and knowledge [...]
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Reid Calhoon
RunTitle.com, CEO
Reid Calhoon is an entrepreneur from Oklahoma, and founder of the oil and gas information services company, RunTitle. Reid may be the only person in the oil patch who also has a background in social media-related startups and online sales. That said, he is still a bonafide landman who isn’t afraid of a rural courthouse [...]
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Marina Matselinskaya
Sr. Manager of Digital Marketing and Project Management, Halliburton
Marina is a global citizen; she is passionate about exploring the world and feels at home wherever life takes her. Born and raised in Moscow, Russia, she spent a third of her life living overseas for study, work and pleasure. When choosing her career path she was naturally drawn to the breeding ground of Russian [...]
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Robin Greschner
Investor Relations and Communications - Petro Bakken Energy Ltd.
Robin Greschner works at PetroBakken Energy Ltd. in Investor Relations and Communications. She completed her Undergraduate Degree from Queen’s University and later returned to complete her MBA, earning the honour of Class President. Apart from her job at PetroBakken, Robin is on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Association of the World Petroleum Council [...]
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Jonathan Klein
CEO, Cimation
Jonathan Klein’s career began in 2003 as an instrument and controls engineer specializing in the Oil & Gas industry. Mr. Klein served in lead instrument and automation engineering roles on numerous upstream, offshore projects. After spending a few years in detailed engineering and design, Mr. Klein moved into roles focused on project management, business development, [...]
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Mark Blackwell
Investment Advisor, Cenovus Environmental Opportunity Fund, Cenovus Energy
Mark joined Cenovus Energy (TSE:CVE) as an advisor within the company’s corporate venture fund in early 2012. Within his role at Cenovus, Mark works closely in scouting new investment opportunities in addition to working with existing portfolio companies and internal operations on assisting with technology transfer. Most recently, Mark worked in the Clean Technology and [...]
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Sean A. Delsnider
Manager, Business Development & Project Finance - Gaffney, Cline & Associates
Growing up on the Saskatchewan prairies, Sean spent much of his free time as a competitive jazz musician, traveling with various groups throughout Canada, the United States, and overseas. Through taking on a parallel role as manager for one of the groups, he realized his passion for commerce, which subsequently led him to the Paul J. Hill [...]
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Christina Penney
Product Data & Confi guration Manager, PanGeo Subsea
Christina Penney is a Memorial University of Newfoundland graduate who began her electrical engineering career in Silicon Glen, Scotland. After the dot-com bubble burst in the early 2000s, she made the most of a “redundant” situation and made her way back to St. John’s via South East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand! After numerous years [...]
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Amy Sturge
Arctic Engineer WorleyParsons - Intecsea
Amy Sturge was raised in Mount Pearl, NL, and completed an engineering degree in 2009 at Memorial University in ocean and naval architecture. Through work terms, Amy developed an interest in the Arctic and operating in harsh environments, and she chose to follow this path towards graduate studies and a career with INTECSEA Canada. Being [...]
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Melissa Leon
Global Customer Loyalty Manager, Nalco Energy Services
Melissa enjoys running, traveling, and is a self-described photographer from Houston, TX. She received a BBA in management in three years from Texas Tech University, graduating cum laude, with a minor in political science. Her passion for politics took her to Washington, D.C., where she worked on Capitol Hill with dreams of becoming a chief [...]
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Alex Obvintsev
Drilling Manager, Energy Partners Limited
Growing up in Nadym, Siberia, Alex Obvintsev has literally spent his entire life in the oilfield. Today, a long way from home, Obvintsev manages all drilling operations for Energy Partners Ltd. He is one of the youngest drilling managers in the Gulf of Mexico by approximately a decade. In his 15-year career, he has overseen [...]
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Stephen Wagner
Sales Manager - Eastern Canada, Baker Hughes Process and Pipeline Services
A native of Harbour Breton, NL., Stephen studied engineering at Dalhousie University, and then worked on offshore drilling projects in Nova Scotia. In 2006, Stephen joined Baker Hughes as a field engineer. Currently, he resides in Halifax, but regularly travels throughout Eastern Canada pursuing opportunities within the energy industry. We asked Steven: The OGM: Have you had a mentor? Stephen: Yes, in my [...]
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Samar Al Mafragy
Business Development and Marketing Director, AMS
Samar Al Mafragy was born in Baghdad where she completed her bachelor’s degree in English Arts at the Al Mustansyria University in 1998. Samar is the business development and marketing director for Access Made Safe Scaffolding (AMS), which is considered one of the most professional scaffolding companies in the region following the high British standard [...]
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Kirk Coburn
Founder & Managing Director - SURGE
Kirk is an entrepreneur and start-up advocate who has founded and run three companies. A seventh-generation Texan, he spent his earlier business and entrepreneurial career in Austin and the East Coast before relocating back to Houston to lead and join the SURGE project. Prior to leading SURGE, Kirk created and was the CEO of Chief [...]
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Kay She
Policy Advisor, CAPP
Kay is a government and policy advisor at the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), which represents over 90 percent of Canada’s oil and gas upstream industry. In her role at CAPP, Kay focuses on the oil sands portfolio, with a particular emphasis on market access of oil sands to the U.S. and other international [...]
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Emily Kavanagh
Structural Engineer, WoodGroup PSN
Emily, a recent graduate of civil engineering from Memorial University in St. John’s, NL, is a structural engineer in the local offshore oil and gas industry. She works currently on the site team for a major maintenance turnaround project. As a junior in the industry, she is eager to learn and explore new opportunities. We [...]
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Bernard Madden
Cable Installation & Protection Lead, Nalcor Energy
Bernard Madden was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where he completed his engineering degree at Memorial University in 2008. Through internships, Bernard initially developed an interest in the construction industry; however, he found his niche in the energy industry through reservoir, marine installation and project engineering positions stationed in Calgary, Houston and St. John’s. Upon [...]
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Ashley Dunfield
CEO & Founder, PetroFeed
Ashley has a unique and wide range of industry experience that uniquely positions him to bring meaningful innovation to the oil and gas industry. From a young age he was being mentored to take over the private family oil company. Starting in the field he worked his way into the office where he was put [...]
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Julia Turner
Group Lead, Communications, Cenovus Energy
A communications professional by day and a photography enthusiast by night, Julia Turner is a born and raised Calgarian. She loves living and working in her hometown, but has a passion for traveling the world and venturing off the beaten path. Julia graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree in communications and a [...]
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Frank J. Ryan
Development Geologist, Chevron
Frank J. Ryan is a true Newfoundlander, spending much of his youth playing hockey, his guitar and sharing good times with family and friends—more often than not, in the kitchen. He excelled through his schooling, and completed an honors earth sciences degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he is also currently completing a master’s [...]
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Stefanie Hanz
Campus Recruiter, Suncor Energy Services Inc.
Stefanie Hanz hails from the Toronto area where she pursued her Bachelor of Human Resources Management (Hons) degree at York U. After graduation, with a strong sense of adventure and optimism she packed her car and headed for the west coast leaving her comfy home life behind with a bit of sadness. No job lined-up, [...]
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Heather Rogan
Long Lake Development Manager – Oil Sands Division, Nexen Inc.
Heather Rogan is a born and raised Calgarian that didn’t even have to step out of the NW until her third decade, thanks to the convenient location of the U of C in which she obtained her Mechanical Engineering degree with a minor in Petroleum Engineering. She has dedicated her entire working career to Nexen [...]
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Billy Abbey
CFO, 3MV Energy Inc.
Although Billy Abbey was born in Calgary and considers this great city home much of his early youth was spent under the sunny skies of San Diego. Billy touched base in Ontario before eventually coming back to Calgary to stay. Billy treasures the various life experiences growing up and feels blessed with the ability to [...]
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Gawiya Jenna Haymour
Logistics Coordinator - Asphalt & Rail Operations, Husky Energy
Gawiya Haymour is a true Calgarian, born, raised and determined to stay in her home town. Having graduated from the Haskayne School of Business with a B Comm. at just 21 she spent the majority of her career gaining experience in various departments from account management to service delivery at one of Canada’s largest railways [...]
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Marise Higgs
Business Development Marketing & Events Specialist, Saxon Energy Services Inc.
Born in London (England not Ontario), and raised in Montreal. Returned to the UK and graduated from Sheffield University with a degree in Archaeology and Prehistory. Starting as office manager with Schlumberger it soon became apparent that my skills didn’t rest in running the office but entertaining the office. I became Event’s Coordinator and moved [...]
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Eli Barakat
Field Drilling Engineer, Chevron Canada Resources
My name is Eli Barakat. I was born on July 14, 1981 in Beit Mery, Lebanon. I have an older brother Mark and two younger sisters Tracy and Christy. My father is a commercial pilot and my mom studied psychology but never practiced it. I grew up in many countries such as Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, [...]
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Devon Osecki
Project Planning Engineer, Nexen Inc.
Devon Osecki is a Saskatchewan boy with a flair for the cosmopolitan. Devon Osecki is a Saskatchewan boy with a flair for the cosmopolitan. Devon spent his youth stopping goals cross the prairies until he settled on completing a Geological Engineering degree from the University of Saskatchewan. Before officially becoming an Albertan, he tested the [...]
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Tyler Theberge
VP, Avenger Oil Tools Ltd.
Tyler was born in Calgary, moved to the Edmonton area at 1 and returned to the Calgary area in time to complete high school. He was very active in sports; playing hockey, baseball, football and soccer. Tyler was fortunate enough to see most of Western Canada playing Midget and then Junior Hockey, and following a [...]
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Current Issue: Vol. 22 #1 – Spring 2013
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