Jay Rampersad

Jay Rampersad

Strategy, Operations and Change Leadership

Upstream
 
United States

1. What is your profession? Or if you are retired, what was your profession?

Vice President of Operations

2. What are your areas of expertise?

Upstream: General Management, Operations, Sales, Project Management, I.T./Digital

Upstream Areas: Offshore, onshore

3. Current Employer:

Top secret information

4. Previous Employers:

Stratum Reservoir, Schlumberger (Various positions around the world)

5. How did you end up in the Energy Industry?

I come from a small island in the Caribbean, but from a place that is quite industrialized. I always wanted to be an engineer and having been a boy scout for several years, I’ve always had a great love for the outdoors, and made friends from different countries at various jamborees. When Schlumberger called and invited me to start a job in Egypt and, moreover described a career where I’d spend more time in the field than in an office, and get to travel and interact with people from all over the world, I felt like I’d won the lottery and jumped at the chance!  

6. Why do you like working with Start-Ups?

These are spaces where excitement, creativity and innovation exist, spiced with just a hint of fear of the unknown and a notable absence of bureaucracy. Start-ups are where you will consistently find passionate, focused, and dedicated people with optimism and positive outlooks for the future.

From a personal standpoint, I genuinely love helping and working with people, and whenever I can add diversity of opinion and feedback in places where I can actually witness the value of my input, I find it extremely rewarding. (And, maybe I get to meet the next Steve Jobs or Larry Page, along the way…)

Okay, now for some fun things about Jay…

7. What are three of your interests outside of work?

  • Enjoying the great outdoors

  • Running

  • Cricket

8.  What are your top 3 accomplishments (personal or professional)?  Don’t be shy!  Give ‘em to us.

  • Growing the Wireline Business in the Caribbean/Guyana region by over 600% in 4 years.

  • Raising three very different children, but all of whom are amazing, caring and trustworthy people.

  • Getting over shin splints which limited my running to 2 miles, to completing a full marathon and five half marathons.

9.  If I were a superhero, my superpower would be               .

Always understanding the perspective and motives of other people.

10. When I was 5, I was pretty sure I'd be a                 when I grew up.

I actually don't remember (!) It was definitely before 10 when I decided I wanted to be an engineer though...

11. If I weren't so damn good at what I do now, I'd probably be                 .

Operating a commercial aquaponics farm, and training less fortunate people back in the Caribbean on how to utilize smaller land spaces to sustain themselves.

12.  My favorite song is               by            .

Hmmmm.... unfair question to ask a fellow from the Caribbean who enjoys soca as much as he enjoys Reggae or Hard/Classic Rock, 80s Pop, Alternative/Grunge: Depends on the day and the mood I'm in I suppose.

13.  If I won the lottery tomorrow, I'd          .

start a(an) Aquaponics company

14.  The best piece of advice I've ever been given is                              .

Take time along the way to smell the roses (Be ever mindful of the present).