Brede Smedsrud has joined Aker Solutions as a project manager for drilling lifecycle services in Rio das Ostras. Already familiar with the drilling business and Brazilian culture, Smedsrud will no doubt be a good asset to our project management team.
“I am very excited to start afresh on new and exciting tasks in Brazil and to move my family over there next month,” said Smedsrud, whose Brazilian wife and two young daughters will join him in the move from Norway.
Smedsrud has extensive experience from eight years of offshore work for Odfjell Drilling. He is also well acquainted to life in Brazil and speaks basic Portuguese, having completed a two-year MBA in international management in Rio de Janeiro in 2007. He also worked in Brazil for the greater part of 2010.
Smedsrud’s main tasks will be to run installation projects and upgrade projects, starting out with a derrick erection project on the Noble Drilling drillship Noble Leo Segerius. “I am a hands-on person and I look forward to starting my new job as a project manager. “To be able to implement a lot of tasks in a limited amount of time gives me a kick,” says Smedsrud who, who joined Aker Solutions on 1 February. He will spend his first month on the job in Norway for training.
Well known
Smedsrud is originally from Tingvoll in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. He previously worked for the consulting company Norhagen Projects where he interacted with Aker Solutions on several occasions, particularly in connection with the Transocean Arctic project. So he is already a familiar face to many people in our organisation. He will cooperate closely with our lifecycle engineering group in drilling lifecycle services.
“I hope to be able to practice sports in my spare time, including kite surfing and golf,” Smedsrud said. Although fairly new to the latter sport, he is an experienced pool player and thinks this knowledge will translate well into golfing. “I think I will get the hang of golf too pretty soon. After all, it’s all about hitting a ball and getting it into a hole.” “Well, that is the theory,” comments regional manager in Brazil, Per Atle Gustafson with a smile. “The only thing left then is a good execution plan, never give up and focus on the target!”
We welcome Brede to Aker Solutions, and wish him the best of luck, both in sports and the new job.