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Hans Bodewes, managing consultant in hydrocarbon processing, Shell Global Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, is what I like most about working with different customers. Currently involved with PetroChina Dalian Petrochemical Company, Bodewes is enormously experienced and has travelled the world in the service of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group.
Travel and experiencing different cultures have been major attractions, says Bodewes. Before joining Shell, I was an assistant lecturer at Delft University, the Netherlands, and later, as a volunteer supported by the Dutch government, I lectured at Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria. For two and a half years my wife and I lived in a mud compound in Zaria City, which was founded in the fourteenth century by the conqueror Queen Amina. Working in Nigeria and travelling as a student overland from Iraq to Thailand changed my outlook. I recognised that multinational organisations can do much to improve the welfare of developing countries. I did not know then that I would spend 24 years with the Shell Group and eventually move to Malaysia.
I started with Shell in the Netherlands on a coal gasification project and then worked at the Pernis refinery. Eventually, I became the refinery economist, an invaluable role for providing an overview and insight into the operation of a large refinery. I then became technology manager in Fredericia refinery, Denmark a great place.
Back in The Hague, I did masterplanning and performed hydrocarbon management reviews in countries ranging from Saudi Arabia to Japan and in the Caribbean great opportunities to add value to the bottom line of our customers. As a full-time member of the change team I was heavily involved in shaping the Shell Global Solutions organisation, and it is very rewarding to see its commercial success.
For almost two years, I have been spending, on average, almost one week per month in China. Living in Kuala Lumpur is advantageous, as I am only a few hours’ flight from my Chinese colleagues and in the same time zone. Throughout the refinery world, people work in diverse ways but have a common language when talking about operations and technology. It is the operational experience that Shell Global Solutions brings to projects and the integrated way in which we work that make a difference.
My Chinese counterparts are rapidly grasping English, but I do not speak Mandarin, which can be frustrating. Sometimes I talk for two minutes and the translator only utters two words and vice versa. Chinese engineers who can also translate have now joined our team in Shell Global Solutions, which is quite an improvement.
There are great opportunities in China, Russia and other rapidly growing economies. All our clients are demanding, and rightly so. They are paying for our people, operational know-how, tools and technology; they expect quality and that we will keep promises. I think we integrate well and not only transfer knowledge and add value to our customers, but also build friendships. I enjoy working for Shell Global Solutions and with our clients, and that is important to me and why I continue to put in so much effort.
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