Mark Albers’ path to the oil patch began more than 40 years ago

This article originally appeared in the Lamp 2007 — Number 3

To say the oil business is in Mark Albers’ blood is an understatement. The corporation’s new senior vice president recalls a memory from when he was about 8 or 9 years old:

"My father was a crew chief of a seismic crew that traveled throughout Canada, then Mississippi and, ultimately, the offshore Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. I was born when the crew was working out of Calgary. My dad used to bring home seismic cross sections and lay them out on the floor with several crayons. He’d ask my brother and sisters and me to find the faults and underground structures. I was fascinated at what lay below the earth’s surface, and with my father’s help, I identified my first fault right about that time. Fortunately, he didn’t have to rely on his children’s interpretations to make a living."

The attraction to the mysteries of geology led Albers to pursue a degree in petroleum engineering at Texas A&M University. Graduating in 1979, he interviewed with 10 companies, including Exxon.

"What impressed me most about Exxon compared to the others were the people and the breadth of activities and opportunities. There was so much going on. It was apparent that in a very short time I would be working on significant drilling and production opportunities in some very large oil fields."

South Texas learnings
After four to five years working in the Friendswood and other production fields in East Texas, Albers assumed his first leadership position as a supervisor at the sprawling King Ranch in South Texas. There was an active drilling program under way on the 800,000-acre property, mostly gas wells that fed the company’s gas plant on the northern section of the ranch.

"The activity levels were such that you received almost instant feedback on the results of your recommendations – what worked and, equally important, what didn’t.

"I worked for and with some great people in both engineering and operations. There was a strong work ethic, and you learned to spend each dollar of the company’s money like it was coming out of your own wallet. Operators spent time with me on their operating beats, describing their challenges and opportunities to increase production, well by well."

Australia bound
After a brief stint between 1989 and 1991 at Exxon Company, International, in New Jersey, where he was involved in the joint Shell and Exxon gas production and marketing venture in The Netherlands, Albers landed his first full-time international assignment in Melbourne, Australia. He was appointed engineering manager and later operations manager over the Bass Strait offshore production operations, and the Long Island and Longford gas plants.

"Australia is a special place for our family. Our kids went through their formative years of school there, and our youngest daughter was born there. We made a number of long-lasting friendships."

The family returned to Houston in 1995 when Albers was named manager of Exxon’s Western U.S. production business. At the time of the Exxon and Mobil merger in late 1999, he was in charge of the company’s Alaska interests, involved in the negotiations between ExxonMobil, BP and ConocoPhillips to "equalize" the three producers’ oil and gas equity stakes under a single all-encompassing agreement. He was also put on a special assignment involving the giant Kashagan project, making numerous trips to Europe, Kazakhstan and Japan to address operatorship issues, conduct government discussions, review development options and plan other aspects of the complex project.

Offshore and inside Africa
In 1991, Albers was appointed vice president of the Chad and Nigeria operations for ExxonMobil Development Company.

"One of my first projects was the Yoho Early Production System offshore Nigeria. This was followed by the Erha project, using a large Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel. Tied to a network of undersea wells, these vessels can process 250,000 barrels of oil a day, and are capable of storing 1.2 million barrels of oil onboard. Through these projects, I saw firsthand the strength of ExxonMobil’s organization and fundamental project approach — generating a development concept that maximizes the value of the resource, and then executing that concept flawlessly using disciplined project management systems."

He remembers the Chad project, which involved building a 600-mile pipeline to transport crude oil from central Chad through the jungle regions of Cameroon.

"We were building the pipeline through areas of Chad and Cameroon where people had never before seen an internal combustion engine. ExxonMobil and our contractors trained many of the villagers to work on the construction of the line, and after training and instituting safety awareness programs, they achieved a remarkable 50 million hours of work without a lost-time accident." Albers believes this achievement is a testament to the systems, procedures and emphasis on safety that is a core value of ExxonMobil.

He also reflected upon the positive changes that occurred in villages along the pipeline route. "Each time we visited, you could see changes in the villages, the housing, people’s work tools, clothing and their access to potable water."

An unforgettable call
In 2003, Albers received two phone calls from then Senior Vice President Rex Tillerson and Director and Executive Vice President Harry Longwell asking him to come to Dallas to work as executive assistant to Chairman Lee Raymond.

Albers says the biggest things he learned from the experience were the value of patience and the importance of timing.

"I worked 14 months for Lee, and as I reflect on it, it was an incredible privilege and honor to work for someone who is arguably a legend in the industry. He had an acute sense for timing – he instinctively knew when to move, and when to hold, and he had experience with governments that dated back many years.

"Lee Raymond’s beliefs and values regarding safety, discipline and operational excellence are not things he learned from reading a book; they are values that go to the core of who he is."

Faith in people
In talking with Mark Albers, it’s apparent he places a high value upon ExxonMobil people, and he recalls how much that belief was solidified during his three-year presidency of ExxonMobil Development Company.

"The most significant takeaway I had from my tenure at the Development Company was the experience and quality of the people. It all comes down to people. The technology, the financial capability, the project management systems all come from people, and it’s people who deliver maximum value from these capabilities every day. That’s evident not only within Development, but throughout all of ExxonMobil."

Albers enjoys spending time with his family in his leisure moments. "Some time back, Cindy and I lost our second son a few days after his birth. An event like that reinforces the value of spending time with each member of the family because you don’t know how much time you will have with them. It also tests your faith, and ours was validated and strengthened in the process."

Earlier this year the 50-year-old, who also enjoys hunting, fishing and most outdoor endeavors, was named a senior vice president of the corporation, with responsibilities for ExxonMobil’s worldwide project development, gas and power marketing, and upstream research activities. His goals are defined and clear.

"I see the upstream first and foremost building upon its success in leading industry in the unique ability to maximize resource value through superior technology, marketing, execution and operating excellence – and using that capability to see and access the next wave of quality resource additions – with an approach that is built upon a foundation of excellence in safety, environmental responsibility and operations integrity.

"All of that takes leadership. Everyone who is hired by ExxonMobil is a leader, and a leader knows how to constructively influence people, whether they are co-workers, co-venturers or contractors. We lead industry because we are a company made up of leaders. My advice to new employees is don’t look for, or wait for, a title to be the leader you are. It’s a lot harder to influence somebody without formal authority than with formal authority, so learn how to do that most effectively now."

Looking ahead
What does Albers see down the road?

"If history is any guide, the only constant is going to be change. But we know from our 125-year heritage how to capitalize on change through the leadership of our people, technology, discipline, ingenuity, patience, integrity and creativity. We don’t know exactly what we’re going to see — but what we do have are tried and true principles that will help ExxonMobil continue to maximize value and navigate well into the future."