INTERNATIONAL TALKS - Emad Gebesy

Arabic center for International Cooperation had opportunity to talk with Emad Gebesy, Sr. Principal Consultant and Founder of Optimize Global Solution which main purpose is to assure their process optimization methods to achieve the full potentials in oil & gas. Mr. Gebesy shares very important information about working in global company, he describes how one good business team should look like, he defines what is the most important in business today and what is the key to success. Mr. Gebesy also points the most famous business events in Egypt. We are very thankful to Mr. Gebesy for giving us the opportunity to make this interview and we hope that our readers will enjoy reading it.

Basic information about you: full name, place of birth, place of residence, education, position and awards.

I’m Emad Gebesy, originally from Egypt, Cairo. I have completed my B. Sc in chemical engineering from Cairo university in 2004, then M. Sc in 2007, Oil & Gas production diploma in 2010 and finally M. Eng from Surrey University, UK in 2013. I have started my career as a production engineer in Fertilizer plant from 2005 till 2008. Afterward, I joined Worley from 2008 till 2019 with many successes’ stories and remarkable achievements with UK office, Qatar and UAE offices. Since 2019 I’m running my own business of “Optimize Global Solutions” to deliver an advanced and techno-economic studies for oil & gas operators.

You are very successful in business. What motivated you to start this business and what is the secret of your success?

Exploring new avenues outside my comfort zone always intrigues my mind and challenges my potentials to achieve more and prove to myself that I can go above and beyond my limits.

What is your definition of a really good business team?

In my dictionary, TEAM means Together Everyone Achieve More. This slogan can be achieved via the following qualities. Delegation. Respect & Trust. Quality Conversation.

What are your business experiences and what are the business challenges that you are facing with?

M.Sc. Chemical Engineering, chartered engineer and professional process safety engineering license and certified in HAZOP, LOPA, SIL and QRA from IChemE in UK. Possesses leadership qualities in addition to analytical and problem-solving skills in, refineries and oil and gas industry. Practiced process engineering with flow assurance and process safety capabilities for nearly sixteen (16) years in various locations in USA, UK, UAE and Qatar. Practical experience in process optimization, computational dynamic modeling, conceptual, FEED and detailed engineering in offshore oil and gas processing, GOSP, LPG, NGL & refinery. I have a proven track record in leading and delivering a complex project for major clients including BP, BG, Shell, ExxonMobil, TOTAL, Maersk Oil, GASCO AD, Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Gas, Qatar Chemicals, Takreer refinery and ADNOC.

What type of engineering services do you provide for your oil and gas client?

a. Concept/ Feasibility Study. b. Techno-Economic Study. c. Front-End Engineering Design. d. Detailed Design. e. Advanced/ Dynamic Analysis for oil & has facilities and pipelines. f. Process safety studies (HAZOP, HAZID, LOPA, QRA, ERA). g. Advanced analytics including machine learning solutions.

Do you provide any HSE consultancy and services for your clients? If answer is positive; how do you manage and enable your clients to achieve the lowest risk during hazardous activities?

I blazed a trail in the process safety by revolutionizing the current way of working and apply machine learning and data automation in ways to explore extra dimensions to optimize the safety opportunities. In cooperation with Manja Bogicevic (founder of kagera AI) and with PetroGulf Misr and Exxon Mobile storage facilities, NPC refinery facilities, we have adopted our HSE methodology enabled with machine learning to preclude the risk of un-necessary cost while optimizing the risk reduction factor.

The services that you provide for your clients are for the upstream, mainstream or downstream?

It provides a broader spectrum of sectors such as upstream production, mid-stream and downstream processing, chemical & petrochemical processing.

Project management can be so tricky sometimes and many companies failed to handover their projects before deadline. How do you successfully manage to handover your projects befor deadline?

Our delivery system is well positioned and linked to the Scrum concept where everyone in the team is informed with his backlog and the delivery due date. An automated -based Scrum process has enabled my projects to be executed and delivered on a timely manner. Be that as it may, sometimes during the execution we might face some roadblocks, so we call for an immediate meeting to re-assess alternatives with clear-cut Action Tracker system to ensure minimum disturbances.

Is there some moment, project or business cooperation that is especially dear to you or that has brought you a big success?

Business cooperation with kagera and CEO Manja Bogicevic has been very instrumental in making big success in the area of process safety.

Have you had a hard time dealing with the unpredictable situations that business brings (like Covid-19) that greatly affect business?

Fortunately, it was a bless in disguise to pause and re-think about digitize my business and capitalize more on the online meeting, online workshop. Furthermore, this world-wide panic and project postpone was an opportunity to invest more time in learning additional stuff in project management, marketing, sales, and video editing.

Considering that you are cooperating with Serbian companies, what is your experience, what are Serbs like as a business partners?

As I indicated earlier, I have a business relationship with Kagera and I’m quite impressed with the way of how Kagera’s team is planning, brainstorming, setting goals and working towards achieving their targets.

How difficult it is to choose good employees for your team, how high the criteria are?

There is no definitive rule helps us to select the right candidate, but based on my experience, the success of this process is predicated on the qualification definition and the smart interviewer who can explore the identity of the candidate. Interview process should be sort of dynamic talk not a pre-defined questions, and hence this open talk frame along with the job description should unleash the real core / identity of the candidate. With this technique, selection process can be more effective compared to conventional interview.

You have achieved a great success, are people in Egypt aware of it and do you serve them as a role of model? You are definitely someone they can be proud of.

It is all about being honest and determined to deliver the best. Gratefully, my reputation precedes After 16 years of hard and dedicated work in oil & gas industry and resolving highly complex problems for operating companies, I eventually gained the confidence and trust as a consultant in energy sector. In addition, I guide and mentor fresh graduate engineers and senior levels by helping them boning up their technical and analytical skills.

What are the most famous business events in your country and in UK (events related to your area of work).

Egyptian Petroleum Show EGYPS: EGYPS is North Africa and the Mediterranean’s most important oil and gas exhibition and conference held under the patronage of His Excellency Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, where oil and gas professionals convene to engage in dialogue, create partnerships, do business and identify solutions and strategies that will reshape the global energy markets. Future Oil & Gas and Future Downstream provide senior executives from oil and gas operators, service providers, contractors and related suppliers, technology innovators and industry experts in Upstream and Downstream sectors opportunities to discuss the disruptive innovation and emerging processes that will shape the future of the oil and gas industry. How are digital transformation trends impacting the profitability and efficiency of the upstream and downstream sectors.

What is your advice for our readers, how to start a business and to be successful in it?

It is very essential for start-ups and entrepreneurs to understand their WHYs. More importantly, the business plan should be a comprehensive and linked with SWOT analysis. Furthermore, looking into similar cases and their business path would give a priceless insights to not repeat the same mistakes.