From the humble beginnings of a single office based in the small northern province of Salta to a booming operation that has spanned the entire country, H&P’s Argentina office celebrates 25 years of expanding the company’s footprint in a foreign country and leading the way toward Argentina’s energy independence.
“We’ve had the tremendous opportunity to contribute greatly to the country’s success,” said Brenden Owen, who began his career with H&P Argentina 15 years ago as an administrative manager and now leads his team as the region’s finance director and controller. “It’s been a learning experience. We’ve always had the support of senior management and have built an excellent team here that has really taken the reigns. It’s a very different operation than when we first started.”
Some of those differences include H&P’s advanced technology that has revolutionized the Argentina office’s ability to expand its reach and improve overall drilling performance.
“I’ve been amazed at the innovation that H&P has led and brought to Argentina over the years,” said Jose Luis Bolanos, maintenance supervisor at Neuquén Yard. “I’ve had a front-row seat to see the advancement in technology that H&P has pioneered for nearly 14 years. When I transferred to Argentina’s offices from the H&P Venezuela region, it was like traveling to the future from the Stone Age. It’s thrilling to know that the company continues to improve the technology to make employees work safer and more efficient.”
According to Owen, Bolanos and their team, the transformation the Argentina office has undergone over the course of a decade stems from a combination of the work started by H&P’s initial team of ex-pats who modernized the previously informal Argentine organization, the company’s continuous advancement of quality equipment, and the ongoing dedication of Argentina workers who worked their ways up from warehouse roles to now leading various departments in the region.
“I’m very proud of the journey that H&P has had in the last 25 years,” said Ana Cristina Cretu, general manager of H&P Buenos Aires offices. “We’ve built a local team full of talent and potential over the years. We are truly improving the lives of Argentinians through the work we’re doing.”
Cretu, like many who grew up in areas outside of Argentina’s larger cities, recalls a life without consistent access to natural gas and the challenges that come from those limitations. Her life experiences drive her to be a true believer in the work H&P is doing to improve Argentinian’s quality of life, and this passion is one that is shared by her team, along with a unique perspective of opportunities that foreigners may not quite understand.
“My own quality of life improved drastically when I moved to Buenos Aires, where natural gas is available everywhere,” said Cretu. “My hope is that we continue to grow and expand to be able to provide energy to more remote areas. We can’t wait to see where the next 25 years take us.”