Patricia Vega heads up HR in Latin America for Baker Hughes

“Diversity, simply defined, is all the ways in which individuals are unique, different and similar,” says the former oilfield techie

Patricia Vega: at Baker Hughes, many complex issues to deal with.

Petroleum engineer Patricia Vega has a rich history on the technical side of the oil industry, but in May 2009 she transitioned to the post of human resources director for Baker Hughes (Houston, TX) for Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and the Caribbean as well. It’s an unusual career progression to move into HR after fifteen years as a petroleum engineer in technical, operations and business positions. But Vega is still using her petroleum savvy while she enjoys the new challenges.

Baker Hughes serves the worldwide oil and natural gas industry with reservoir consulting and products and services for drilling, formation evaluation, completion and production. The company is a leading provider of high-performance technology that creates value from oil and gas reservoirs. Virtually every product and service it provides is designed to lower costs, reduce risk or improve productivity during activities directly related to hydrocarbon extraction. Baker Hughes operates in over ninety countries serving independent, international and national oil companies.

Tech backgrounds welcome
As a source of high-performance technology, Baker Hughes needs a lot of highly skilled technical employees. So it’s not too surprising that the senior leaders who direct these techies often have technical backgrounds as well.

“My job involves all aspects of the HR function: talent acquisition and development, mobility, administration, compensation and labor relations,” Vega explains. “There are 3,500 employees in the Latin American region of Baker Hughes and we expect to increase the numbers significantly as we continue to grow our business.”

Vega’s group works across many different countries, so there are many complex issues to
deal with. “For example, the challenges and situations in the Andean countries, Mexico and Brazil are very different compared with Argentina or Venezuela. We have a variety of legal requirements and regulations, different languages, cultural similarities and differences,” she says. “At the same time we have to maintain the morale, commitment and motivation of our employees and run a profitable business. We have to understand the challenges and opportunities, and find a compromise that will work for all.”

A history in oil
Vega’s history of involvement on the technical side also gave her an intimate acquaintance
with the needs of the business. Before receiving her BS in petroleum engineering from the Universidad Industrial de Santander (Bucaramanga, Colombia) in 1994, Vega had several internships with companies like Total (Elf Aquitaine), Ecopetrol and Oxy, and started working
as a well engineer for a British Petroleum drilling operation in Colombia.

“At BP I became really aware of my capabilities and potential. For twelve months I had to work a schedule that involved two weeks at the well site, one week in the office and one week off. The shifts in the field involved a lot of physical work, and I had to rotate through all positions on the drilling rig. I did shifts as roughneck, derrick-man and driller, all the way up to company-man assistant. I not only had to watch the activities but to do the work myself. I did the same physical and engineering work as my male counterparts. That helped develop my confidence and even eliminate some of my own biases,” Vega says.

After BP she joined Schlumberger and started her international career in Indonesia, followed by assignments in a number of Latin American countries as a wireline field engineer, progressing to general field engineer and then leader for production services.

After she had her second child, Vega left her field engineering behind and moved to a new job as operations manager for Remysa (Reynosa, Mexico), a family-owned company that provided civil engineering services for the oilfield.

When her husband was transferred to the U.S. in 2000, she took the opportunity to start work on her MS in engineering and technology management from Oklahoma State University while waiting for her work permit. She began her career with Baker Hughes in 2001 as a Centrilift project manager, participating in high-tech projects in Brazil, Mexico and the North Sea.

She moved through several U.S.-based jobs with Baker Hughes, working with various business segments in drilling, reservoir monitoring and production optimization, increasing her responsibilities and gaining experience in the operations and commercial aspects of the business. From 2007 to 2009 she was operations VP for Latin America for Baker Hughes Petrolite. During that time the business improved profitability and grew 40 percent, and its market share increased throughout the region. Then she transitioned to her role in HR, supporting all the company’s business segments in the region.

A high-functioning team
Vega is very comfortable working with diverse functional teams and employees at all levels. She notes that HR has its own distinct culture, and a different perspective on the business.
“As an engineer I’m very process-oriented and analytical. As a business woman I am very driven and results oriented. This varied background enables me to bring diversity of thinking and business acumen to my HR work and to my team,” she says.

“I am working to make my team members true business partners. I’m helping them improve their business acumen and their capability to understand and respond to the needs of the business with timely and adequate people strategies. We have a very high-functioning team. And for my part, I am also increasing my knowledge of very critical aspects of the business and strengthening my softer skills.

“You have to realize,” she adds with a smile, “that there is a lot to learn when it comes
to people.”

Developing talent
Talent development is what really attracted Vega to her new job. “We are continually looking
to replenish our talent pipeline and strengthen our bench. Identifying and developing talent is crucial,” she says. “At Baker Hughes we are certainly a high-performance culture, but we also really care about our people. In HR we work not only to identify our talent and their potential, but also to understand the desires, aspirations and special considerations of our employees. Based on this assessment and our business needs, we make nominations and lay out career development paths.”

Vega is actively involved as a champion of the Baker Hughes diversity steering committee. Nichola Jenkins, global diversity and leadership manager at the company, points out that
the company’s senior leadership firmly believes that Baker Hughes is “stronger and more competitive as we collectively focus our efforts on the recruitment, development and retention of a talent pool that reflects the diversity of the markets in which we operate. Diversity, simply defined, is all the ways in which individuals are unique, different and similar.” This year the company is setting up a formal diversity and inclusion strategy.

Enriching experiences
Vega, the daughter of a petroleum engineer, was born and spent her early years in Colombia, then moved to Mexico when her father was transferred there. Through her work in several countries in Latin America, North America, and Asia, and her experience leading projects in Europe and the Middle East, she has learned to appreciate the similarities and differences in each of these cultures. That has been very enriching, she says. She also had the experience
of being the only female in her petroleum engineering class, and going through college as a married woman with a baby.

Vega’s husband, also an engineer, is a senior manager with another service company in the oilfield industry. The family is currently based in Brazil, and with their older daughter pursuing an engineering degree in college in the U.S., Vega is now getting ready to start her MBA.

“As a dual career couple, over the years we’ve had to work hard to maintain career and family balance, while allowing opportunity for both,” she says. “I am fortunate to have an extremely supportive family. I feel very passionate about both my career and my family, and proud of what we have accomplished. I am really happy about the contribution that I am making through this job,” Vega says.