Finally, I am CEO

An academic career was in front of me, but I sampled the oil and gas industry and stayed. Thirty years later I became CEO of an international company based in Greece. How I got there is a convoluted story involving multiple resignations, occasional redundancy and periodic recognition, a drama played out on five continents. Dr Michael Earle is a geologist by profession. His career in the oil industry since 1980 has been truly international and featured 20 years as expatriate in eight countries outside his UK base. Michael says, “It is a rare honour to be CEO of a producing oil company that has a multinational portfolio of assets. In my case, that honour came to me unexpectedly. My career was eventful, featuring many learnings about the behaviour of senior people, and the good and bad aspects of company life. Like a game of snakes and ladders, sometimes you slide down, sometimes you climb up. Staying in a comfort zone can be a career bottleneck, and at times I moved out to move up. Often living away from home created problems for my personal life, and caused me to change jobs several times. I am sure that experiences related in my book will resonate with those in my industry and in other sectors.” “An academic career was in front of me, but I sampled the oil and gas industry and stayed. Thirty years later I became CEO of an international company based in Greece.” Michael Earle’s story is full of exploration and adventure from beginning to end. He witnessed the aftermath of the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and felt the threat of nuclear war between Pakistan and India; in the Sahara Desert he crossed a minefield in the war zone between Libya and Chad, and he was attacked by gigantic hornets in the spectacular mountains of Papua New Guinea - all in the line of duty. Extensive international travel came with the territory, and the narrative contains interesting portraits of many countries, and insights into the pros and cons of expatriate life. Finally, I am CEO recounts the hard lessons learned at each stage of a tortuous path through corporate life, and how passion for work and the need to support a family strained marriages and determined career choices.

Pagina's: 344, Paperback, Troubador Publishing Ltd