In recognition of International Women’s Day, we had the opportunity to chat with Mazlina Khalid, Support Geoscientist at Petrosys | Interica, based out of our Kuala Lumpur office. For the past 9 years, Mazlina has been providing invaluable support to our customers, many of whom will be very familiar with her expertise and dedication.
We caught up with Mazlina to hear more about her beginnings as a Geologist at Petronas and the path that led her up to now, Mazlina’s journey in the energy industry is both impressive and inspiring. As we delve into her insights and experiences, let’s celebrate the achievements of women like Mazlina who continue to make a significant impact in our field.
Hi Mazlina, thank you for chatting with us. You have just celebrated 9 years with Petrosys, congratulations.
Thanks. Yes, 9 years! It’s hard to believe, it has just gone by so quickly.
What was your career path leading up to working with Petrosys?
I started my career as a Geologist at the Malaysian National Oil and Gas Company Petronas, where I had the chance to take up different roles within the geological domain, from managing geological operations to generating 3D subsurface models, this is also the time when I started to acquire the fundamentals necessary to be successful in the industry.
After that, I joined Senergy Abu Dhabi, an oil and gas consultancy where I had different perspectives working as a service provider extending my geological experiences mainly in the areas around the Middle East and Europe.When I came back to Malaysia, I worked with Petrofac as a Subsurface Data Manager which allowed me to explore more on the side of maintaining Well, Seismic, Records as well as Spatial data management via application projects and multiple platforms as well as performing data analytics.
What made you choose the oil and gas industry?
I chose this industry because it is a dynamic and ever-changing industry that takes you out of your comfort zone – which is why you must evolve with the market trends and new technologies to keep relevant. The energy sector has its own ups and downs, and you must know where to place yourself and find opportunities even amidst crisis as the speed and intensity in searching for new energy is ever-present.
You are a Support Geoscientist with Petrosys | Interica. Can you tell us a bit about your role?
My primary role involves geoscience-related software support and executing data management project plans and milestones. A core aspect of my responsibility is ensuring that our client’s requests are attended to the best of my knowledge and attention whenever any issues are raised and find a way to resolve them either by myself or for more complex problems I have supporting team members in Petrosys who will always be willing to help as a team and propose solutions.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
A good latte to start with and then checking and replying to emails, scheduling any meetings is usually done in the morning and of course, every day has its objectives, business needs, and interdependent requirements. The urgent tasks will always get to the top of the order and as for ongoing projects, there are daily or weekly follow up tasks that need to be performed following a certain set of milestones.
If I am traveling for training or client meetings, the schedule can slightly change and sometimes, I do need to delegate some tasks to team members. I am lucky in a way that Petrosys team members are very supportive, and we try our best to understand each other’s needs. At the end of the day, I usually look for short articles or check LinkedIn to keep myself up to date on the industry.
What are your favorite parts of the job?
My favorite part is the fact that I still get the chance to meet friends that I have formed relationships with for the past 20 years whenever I go to meetings or attend industry related events. There are those who I look up to exchange technical opinions and advice as well as support and motivation.
If you could go back to your 18 year old self, what advice would you give?
To have an early awareness that simplicity and minimalism can often be more effective since it allows you to focus on what matters, although this certainly depends on the domain. For example, you do not have to throw broken chairs; you can instead repair them and try to live sustainably. People can sometimes tend to overdo something and anything beyond the optimum level either is likely to yield diminishing returns or could be counterproductive.
Lastly, can you tell us something that you are looking forward to this year?
Career wise, I am looking forward to challenging myself again and getting new experiences enhancing my professional circles, and knowledge exchange. As for personally, I want to challenge my physical strength and improve my overall health, so I am looking at plenty of time spent outdoors enjoying nature, reading, and more healthy snacking.
Thanks for chatting with us Mazlina. We couldn’t agree with you more – here’s to many more lattes, successful projects, and healthy snacking endeavors in the days ahead!