MEET THE PROFESSIONAL
October 2019
Talal El Awar
Talal is the President of Opero Energy in Houston, Texas. Opero Energy is a leading oil and gas engineering and fabrication company specializing in modular process systems for onshore oil and gas applications. Prior to Opero Energy, he was the Director of Operations at Audubon Engineering, a global EPCM (engineering procurement construction and management) company servicing the entire oil and gas value chain. Talal led the company onshore EPC division and oversaw project execution.
Talal is a supporter of professional networking and our mentoring program within our community. We are very excited to feature him as our professional in this month’s “Meet the Professional” series.
Below are a few questions to help facilitate this interactive connection. At the end of the page you will have an opportunity to post your own questions for Talal.
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Describe your current Occupation & Degree/s and Universities.
- Master of Engineering, Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University
- Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University
Please list any awards/recognitions/honors:
- Project Management Professional, PMP
- Professional Engineer, PE
Discuss a moment or turning point in your life that led you to your career path:
As an engineer in the oil and gas industry, I was lucky to work on one project which had me on a construction site for a couple of years and I was not relegated to an office. This hands-on experience taught me a lot about how designs get implemented and built into operating facilities. This experience motivated me to pursue opportunities where I get to be more involved in either construction or fabrication of facilities and equipment, rather than sitting in an office all day.
Discuss a role model or mentor who influenced your career choice:
Along the years I’ve had several people influence my life and mentor me, but I’d say my father is definitely the most prominent role model in my life. It helps that he had an engineering career because he was able to provide me with real-life mentoring on the pitfalls of the industry and what opportunities to pursue in order to advance my career and develop my skills.
Do you recall any specific challenges you encountered and overcame?
The same challenge I’ve encountered time and time again in my career is disagreeing with a coworker and/or with a supervisor. This is a tough challenge when your job requires you to work on a team where everyone has to agree to keep projects moving forward and maintain schedules and budgets. A really good book that helped guide me through the process is “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. I had to learn how to disagree with coworkers but work towards a solution that is amiable for both of us, learn to listen and understand the other person’s point of view, and view the problem from their perspective. Learning how to work in a team and with others is critical in any industry or profession.
Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
I hope to continue working in an organization where I can build a successful team and implement a safe and efficient company work culture.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in your field?
Try to get field experience either on a construction site or in a fabrication facility. Most of the people I know get into the oil and gas industry as engineers or designers and stay in an office environment working on designs and never get a chance to go to the field and see how it comes together, even though that is a critical step of the project lifecycle. Another piece of advice for anyone involved in the oil and gas industry is be patient and resilient. It’s a cyclical industry and will have its ups and downs, so enjoy the peaks but be ready for the troughs.
Tell us a little bit about your hobbies outside of your field:
I enjoy playing golf and I try to play every other weekend, if I can. It’s a good, relaxing sport that is also beneficial for business. It’s something I can do with friends or with coworkers as a networking activity.
A Q&A form will be uploaded shortly. In the meantime feel free to send any questions you would like to ask Talal to admin@network1017.com
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