Local ‘boy’ makes good in Petronas
KUALA TERENGGANU: Ever since Petronas (Petroliam Nasional Berhad) ventured into Terengganu in the early 1980s, it was the dream of many denizens of the state to work for the oil and gas corporation.
This was not really surprising as Petronas was generally regarded as a “hotbed” of knowledge and landing a job there gave one the opportunity to not only learn new things but earn a good income as well.
In 1981, Petronas drilled its first appraisal well in the Duyong gas field, and achieved its first oil discovery at the Dulang oil field, both off Terengganu. Two years later, it opened its first wholly-owned refinery plant in Kerteh, Terengganu.
Ahmad Ramudzan Muda, 57, is among the local “boys” who made good in Petronas. Born and raised in Marang, he rose through the ranks to become the general manager (Production) of Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Petronas.
Ahmad Ramudzan, whose expertise was in oil well operations and offshore production, said before the arrival of Petronas in Terengganu, petroleum engineering diploma holders were considered “second-class” graduates in comparison with graduates of other disciplines like surveying.
“The people here thought highly of those who graduated in other fields as they felt they had a better chance of getting highlypaid jobs and faced a brighter future,” he told Bernama, here.
He said the general perception then was that petroleum engineering graduates were only fit to work as petrol pump attendants as not many people were aware of Malaysia’s oil and gas industry potential.
The misconception was rectified with Petronas’ entry in the oil-rich state of Terengganu and petroleum engineering graduates became much soughtafter.
Ahmad Ramudzan, who retired from Petronas Carigali in 2016 after serving the company for 34 years, obtained a diploma in petroleum engineering at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur in 1982. After graduating, he joined Petronas Carigali as a technical assistant at its Kuala Lumpur headquarters.
“I faced a lot of challenges at work, the main one being my inability to communicate well in English. My job required me to deal with other officers all around the world and I would shudder each time the phone rang.
“Worse still, some of them would speak in their own dialects and not in standard English,” he recalled, smiling.
Ahmad Ramudzan is grateful to Petronas for focusing on human capital development as it has helped many of its staff to improve their soft skills and technical skills as well.
“Petronas always gives its staff the opportunity to enhance their potential as it believes in their abilities. It also supports any form of human resource development programme,” he said.
Ahmad Ramudzan himself was sponsored by Petronas to pursue higher studies at the University of Tulsa in the United States and by the end of the three-year degree course, he had acquired more knowledge on new technologies, and management and supervision of upstream and downstream industries in the oil and gas sector.
Ahmad Ramudzan said throughout his 34-year career with Petronas Carigali, he had worked with oil and gas workers in various countries, including Sudan, Iraq, China, Russia, South Korea and Turkey.
The experience he had gained from working with people of different nationalities was enriching as he learnt to understand and respect other cultures and customs because the work culture differed from country to country.
“As general manager, I had to manage up to 400 staff but, fortunately, I have had no bitter experiences, only sweet memories,” he said.
He also advised Malaysian youths to emerge from their comfort zones and explore job opportunities in the oil and gas sector.
“If you are sincere and focused in all your undertakings, you will enjoy what you do and your efforts and sacrifices will be worthwhile,” he added. – Bernama