Rebalancing the workforce

It’s not easy to find a 30-year-old CEO in the oil and gas industry, but Yagya Ahuja reveals why that is all about to change.

“Younger talent has an obligation to come in and change things, to bring in new thoughts, to help break some of the paradigms that have existed”

Oil and gas is a huge industry, probably employing over a million people across the globe. It is a mature industry and it has hundreds of billions of dollars of investment riding on it. The industry has long placed emphasis on the importance of experience for those in top management positions, and correctly so. Senior management is expected to have accumulated years of experience before they are able to take leading positions on projects, and this is one of the reasons why we see so much ‘white hair’ at the helm. It has become almost mandatory for a person rising through the ranks to have ‘done their time’. And while this is a valid reason, it has a flip side, because occasionally there is too much emphasis on the necessity of experience, and consequently you see less young people in senior positions within the industry.

Younger talent has an obligation to come in and change things, to bring in new thoughts, to help break some of the paradigms that have existed. Indeed, the mindsets and models that have existed particularly around how talent has been acquired, groomed and grown in the industry, has to be changed. We need to see buy-in from all the corporate people, from the academic institutions and from the professionals themselves, to see that the talent exists. To see that it is not only a mature sector, but that it is at the edge of technology. The complexities that are involved in profitably harnessing hydrocarbons requires cutting edge technology. We should talk more about this to young graduates coming out of universities. Working in energy is exciting, it is innovative and it is fundamental to human growth and progress. We need to change the way the sector is portrayed.

We need to break or at least change some of the old assumptions and restrictions of recruitment. The outreach of the industry needs to change, making people more interested and aware of the opportunities in the industry. We should be talking to young people, trying to get them more excited about the energy industry and to feel a nobler, higher cause for working in an industry that is fundamental to human growth and progress.

Emerging economies are creating many young, hungry, ambitious people. By bringing them in and making them mobile they will travel around delivering efficiency. And in the meanwhile we will see a rebirth of people interested in energy, in the more developed world. A decade from now we will see a rebalanced industry, one that relies ever increasingly on younger talent, innovation and mobility.

Top tips
Yagya Ahuja’s advice for young talent:
The spirit of adventure: The oil and gas industry is extremely exciting and offers you the ability to move to exotic places around the world.
Recognise the importance of the industry: The industry is fundamental to modern human society and helping human progress.
Be innovative: There is a talent gap emerging as baby boomers retire soon and younger employees will have to learn much quicker and embrace innovation.