I think I was born to be an engineer, yet I had no idea where it would take me.

Growing up in France, I excelled in mechanics, wood construction, robotics, and even sewing. The common thread? (No pun intended.) Understanding how the world around me functioned and turning that into something useful.

So, after earning my master's degree at Tulane University, I moved to Scotland to fulfill my military service as an engineer. There I discovered the fascinating complexity of oil and gas projects in the North Sea—and something else: a diverse group of people working for Schlumberger (now SLB). I was captivated by their bond, their hard work, and just how much fun they were having.

They introduced me to my dream career: wireline field engineering.

It seemed both tough and rewarding, and their tools had no match in any other industry. Titanium builds, magnetic resonance measurement, advanced quartz gauges, all sorts of sonic waves—nothing could be more fascinating.

The moment I found a job opening with the company, I immediately applied. I was soon being interviewed in Montrouge by a manager named Isabelle Gavrilov, who, despite thinking I was "a bit stubborn," ultimately hired me. Five years later, she became my wife. But that's another story . . .

Over the next 26 years, my journey with SLB took me from the Sahara Desert to offshore Mexico, and nearly everywhere in between. My roles and responsibilities kept changing, but what guided them never did: our company’s values of safety, collaboration, inclusion, customer-centricity, excellence, and ethics.

Becoming Sales and Marketing Manager in Saudi Arabia stands out as a milestone. Growing business for our biggest customers taught me more than any job before it, and it was there that I helped develop one of the world's largest carbon capture and storage (CCS) hubs—an amazing project that led to my role as New Energy Director for all the Middle East & North Africa.

Just one year later, in 2026, I became the CEO of SLB Capturi, based in Oslo. I couldn’t imagine a more exciting job.

CCS is a unique combination of tackling modern complexities in very old industries like cement and gas power plants. Together with my fantastic team, our days are filled with the thrills and opportunities of growing carbon capture in a world full of geopolitical uncertainty.

Looking back on my journey, I’m proud to have spent more than a quarter of SLB’s 100-year history here. That sounds like a very long time when I say it out loud … but somehow, it doesn’t feel that way.

Maybe that’s because there has always been something new to learn, another challenge to take on, or another group of talented people to work with. That pioneering spirit is part of what brought me to SLB in the first place, and it is more alive than ever today.

So, would I do it all again?

As SLB celebrates 100 years, that feels fitting. Again and again, our progress has come from taking a difficult operational problem and working at it until the answer becomes practical, reliable, and eventually routine.

Without a doubt. Even more so in a world where energy and decarbonization will shape our future.