A career with Gazprom International is an opportunity to have an impact in one of the most important, exciting industries in the world. Surrounded by people from a variety of backgrounds, you will be tasked with solving some of the most crucial questions facing our modern world in a collaborative and supporting environment. You will learn the skills necessary to thrive in a constantly changing business while meeting and exceeding your personal goals. Hear from some of our employees for an inside look at Gazprom International.
I have been working for Gazprom International for 8 years now. In that time many things have changed: the company has grown, many new projects have come about. But values remain unchanged: the management provides extensive opportunities for employees to develop and build their career in the area that interests them. Occasionally there are just simply unique opportunities, for instance, to learn foreign languages. This is very important as we have many projects in various parts of the world: in Europe, Asia, Africa, Central and South America. And an integral part of our work is communicating with our colleagues and partners across the globe.
At the same time, the company is always looking to apply state-of-the-art technologies – we are not afraid of trying out new things!
I particularly want to stress that the management of Gazprom International is very attentive towards each employee – and that is the secret of our team’s success.
Nadezhda Abramova, Chief Specialist, in the Personnel and Secondment Abroad Division
Why do I like working for Gazprom International? Because the company has created a comfortable working environment. By ‘comfortable working environment’, I am not primarily talking about a cosy work space with a cup of coffee in the morning – although that is by no means unimportant - but the atmosphere in the office. The main role in the creation of this environment belongs to the workforce, which in our company consists of people who not only know their own job very well but who are also willing to help you when needed. Knowing that you will not be on your own in a difficult situation and that you can get expert advice is a real help and an incentive.
I like the pace of the work. The speed at which things happen around you means you need to stay focused. Also, the variety of issues you have to deal with makes you constantly strive for self-improvement. In this context, the fact that the company provides its employees with the opportunity to attend professional development programs, language courses and the like is a huge plus.
Maxim Shkurko, Chief Specialist, in the International Cooperation Division of the Department of International Relations
In a career spanning more than 30 years, I have spent 12 years with Vietgazprom and, I have to say, I am very glad that I have. I like the fact that I have the opportunity to use my wealth of experience for the good of the company and to pass some of my knowledge on to others. Ours is a joint Russian–Vietnamese company and we work with a great number of foreign partners. The atmosphere in the office is warm and friendly, one based on complete trust. This cooperation and mutual support, along with a good sense of humor and a serious attitude to our work, make us different from other teams.
Sergei Mikhailenko, Director, Geological Prospecting, Vietgazprom
I have been working for Gazprom International since December 2012. In this time, I can safely say that joining this company has lived up my expectations – I like working here!
Firstly, it’s prestigious to work for a division of such a large and world-famous company as Gazprom.
Secondly, working outside the Russian Federation (in my case, in the Republic of Tajikistan) means you have increased responsibility on the one hand (after all, you are representing not just Gazprom, but the whole of Russia!), but on the other hand, you feel proud to be part of such far-reaching investment projects which are changing the lives of the people in these countries for the better.
I also like the fact that because of the specific nature of the work in the Representative Office, it is easy to meet new people. My professional interests include both new geological and associated disciplines as well as long-forgotten subjects from my university days. All this encourages you to progress further, increasing your knowledge and professional skills.
Evgeny Kuzmin, Chief Geologist, Gazprom International Representative Office in the Republic of Tajikistan
When I joined Gazprom International in 2008, I discovered there was new potential for my professional growth. Since then, I have worked in the company's offices in Russia and India.
New and interesting projects are always coming up, at times in the most remote corners of the planet. This gives you the opportunity to reveal your strengths when meeting different challenges. The huge international team, different languages and variety of cultures make our company really unique. The priceless experience gained from international collaborative work and from learning the specific economic, legal and technical features of projects in one country or another guarantee that the company is able to withstand crises and develops dynamically, and ensures the great professionalism of its staff all around the world.
Maxim Gubrenko, Chief Geologist, Gazprom International Representative Office in the Kyrgyz Republic
Working for Vietgazprom prolongs the active part of your life.
Let me explain: complacency, stagnation, dormancy, being bogged down and lacking curiosity – all this leads to decay.
First and foremost, I like the high standard of the challenges the company is set. Meeting these challenges requires you not only to make use of your comparative wealth of experience, but also to continuously build on your professional knowledge. The company has put in place all the conditions you need for this, and it encourages initiative. We don’t rest on our laurels, but are always aiming higher. It is vital for any member of a team to feel their worth, and the same is true for me too, naturally. My work at Vietgazprom makes me feel very good, and this prolongs my active life.
Sergey Zhilin, Operational Director, Vietgazprom
Working in Training & Development is challenging. Gazprom International needs for its license to operate in the international world of Oil and Gas industry a very competent workforce. We notice that more governments and potential JV partners are requiring the proof of this competence development. Gazprom International Training (GIT) is providing that support to gain the required competences and the required international certificates. The training courses provided by GIT with its preferred international renown training partners is world-class. GIT works closely with these training partners to provide the best solutions for our organisation, but also if needed for our business partners and potentially for OAO Gazprom and other subsidiaries. I like the challenge to work on fulfilling the training needs of organisations and to create the best facilities and support.
Rob Veersma, Director Training and Development, Gazprom International Training (Netherlands)
I am a new employee at Gazprom International (but please disregard my age!). That is why my first impressions, which everybody knows are the most vivid, are still rather fresh.
After my first visit to the company’s offices, the interview with my future boss and meeting my co-workers, I returned home and told my wife, "I think they are all Hare Krishnas."
"Why do you say that?" she responded, surprised.
"They all have these happy faces, I said, everybody smiles at you. It is like they have been waiting just for you all their lives."
After a while, I added: "You know, I want to work with these ‘Hare Krishnas’. I want to be that happy, too."
I mean, I was simply fascinated. This manifested itself in a feeling of absolute confidence in the company that I had joined, in its management. I did not even really care (it happens!) about exactly how much I was going to be making – until I got my first pay check. That was a first for me.
Okay, seriously, I am really glad to be working at a company with a global reputation, a brand that is known for doing things properly, efficiently, and with accountability; a company that combines high demands of its employees with concern for their welfare; a company in which the people are smart, highly professional, courteous, and sharp-looking.
Here, I can really put to use the extensive experience I have acquired over the course of my career, my knowledge of languages and, what really matters, my knowledge of the mindsets and customs of the representatives of those countries where my work has often taken me, and where it continues to take me.
I never forget that our primary goal when working with our partners all over the world is to protect and manage our investments, and I also do not forget that a state gas company is the hallmark of the entire country, and therefore we must not only be experts in our respective fields, but also diplomats.
And it seems to me that Gazprom International is excellent at handling these tasks.
Carlos Aguirre, Manager of African and Latin American Projects Section
Once, while talking about the establishment of Vietnam's oil and gas industry, one of our prominent statesmen, former Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, shared the following ancient parable in his own particular way:
"At the very bottom of the seas of Vietnam, a beautiful princess was sound asleep for thousands of years. And then one day, a dashing knight came from distant Russia and awoke her. They fell in love with each other and got married. Thus, the Vietsovepetro family was born."
You know, as funny as it might sound, this parable has something to do with us. I mean Gazprom International, where I am currently employed. I am now living in the home of these "knights". They help me expand my knowledge, acquire the professional skills that I need, master the highest standards of business ethics, and so much more.
Here, I feel genuine affection not only towards myself, but towards the entire Vietnamese nation, and this, for me, is especially pleasant. We have a wonderful, friendly team and favourable conditions for productive labour. There are people from all over the world working together here, and the experience that we share with each other is truly invaluable. Despite the fact that we are all very, very different, here we are a united team.
And I thank my good fortune that I am a part of this team.
Nguyen Phuong Anh, Chief Specialist of Finance and Economics Division
I started at Gazprom International in 2009 as a manager for the Algerian project. A lot has changed since then, in terms of both the company itself and also my personal development.
What attracts me about our company is, first of all, the interesting and varied work. Our portfolio of assets stands out due to its geographic breadth and its complexity. On top of this, our projects are at various stages: from exploration to declining production. Most of them involve working alongside numerous partners, and they are also very different – from giant national corporations to small private companies. So you have to travel a lot, regardless of the distance and holidays, at times holding very complicated negotiations, hammering out the required solutions.
Second, thanks to all these trips, visits by delegations, negotiations, you come to understand other cultures, different mentalities and, because of this, you develop spiritually. At some point, you suddenly realise that different perceptions of time and space in different cultures are by no means a metaphor, but reality itself and that you have to deal with it. And you have to factor this in when planning operations.
Finally, I would like to make special mention of the people who work in our company. They are also very diverse: from recent students to professionals with several decades of experience, from high-placed diplomats to seasoned industry veterans. And, for my part, I try to delve into all aspects of our projects. I am glad that there are people in the company that I can learn from, that I can consult with and that I can share experiences with.
Ildar Safin, Head of Oil and Gas Assets Division
The main evidence of a good workplace – regardless where – is, in my opinion, a single but very telling indicator: employees’ desire to come to work. It is quite evident that the people at Gazprom International have this desire, and this speaks for itself.
The working conditions created by company management make it possible to find solutions to a tremendous range of tasks and give all of our specialists an opportunity to accomplish something professionally both on land and at sea, as they say.
Our company is rather young, but aggressive enough, in a good way, in terms of project development – in the area of exploration, in the extraction and sale of hydrocarbons, and also in related fields such as power generation.
The ability to apply best global practices at work, to improve their level of professionalism at our own training centre – this gives specialists with many years of experience an opportunity to not rest on their laurels, while allowing younger ones to work to improve themselves.
I wish everyone all the best.
Sergey Reikhert, Deputy Head of Offshore Field Development Equipment and Techniques Division - Head of Offshore Field Infrastructure Development and Operation Section.