Member Spotlight: Vince Okojie Bridges the Asset Management Gap

Meet Vince Okojie - a PEMAC member and recent graduate of PEMAC’s Asset Management Professional program.  

Currently based out of Calgary, Alberta, Vince has been working with Shell Oil and Gas for over twenty years, the last six years as a Maintenance & ER Team Lead. He finds his position rewarding and enjoys the team of professionals he manages. Vince is also interested in professional growth, as well as looking to expand his local network and professional connections.

​Through some initial internet research, Vince found information about PEMAC and its local Alberta Chapter. Through further investigation Vince discovered the Maintenance Management Professional (MMP) and Asset Management Professional (AMP) programs that PEMAC offered
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“As soon as I discovered more details about the AMP program, I knew that this was the perfect program for me. I have experience with asset management in my career, but PEMAC presented the topic in a new way,” says Vince. “I knew that this program would challenge me and enable me to contribute new skills to the oil and gas sector.”

Before he began the AMP program, Vince would often hear senior leaders in his organization use the term “asset management” in meetings. It was becoming a more common term at the top of the organization, but not as frequently used or understood by front-line professionals. Vince was interested in learning more about asset management and being able to add value to discussions within his organization.

"Many times front line professionals and top leaders within an organization do not speak the same language when it comes to asset management. The AMP program closes the gap between these groups so that all sides are approaching asset management strategy from a holistic view. When everyone at the table can speak in the same language, the organization's asset management strategy will be successful."

During the AMP program, Vince found the courses both challenging and motivating, by the content as well as the interaction and insights of the other participants. Delivered in an asynchronous online learning environment, participants from across multiple time zones and even countries were able to learn and contribute. The six courses in the program are designed to encourage participants to research many sources of asset management wisdom, identify the core principles and determine how to leverage them in their own organization. A large portion of that learning comes from each of the participants sharing their own insights and experiences from a cross-section of industries and roles.

“Participants in the program come from many different industries, representing different types of physical assets. It was truly beneficial to see how other organizations were approaching asset management, and hear what challenges they faced as well as successes they have had,” reports Vince. “With over twenty-one years of experience in oil and gas, it was also a great platform for me to share my experiences specific to my industry, some of which were new to other participants.”

After successfully completing the six courses within the AMP program, Vince recently became a Certified Asset Management Professional (CAMP), a designation that is aligned with ISO 55000x standards, and global Maintenance and Asset Management professional bodies of knowledge. His involvement in the program has enabled him to understand how asset management connects with other elements of an organization’s business plan. It also provided the means to connect the most senior level of the organization with the front-line professionals, so both could understand the goals of the organization and speak the same asset management language.

“The program makes it clear that for an organization to be successful, that everyone needs to understand where the organization is going and how asset management fits into that. The investment in people, and their training, is a valuable element of this success,” says Vince. 

Today, Vince is using the platform of his designation to share his ideas of asset management and how it can improve his organization. He has already been able to add tremendous value during meetings with senior leaders. He is also excited by Shell’s transition from an Operational Excellence to the deployment of a new Asset Management System to support the organizations’ overall goals. For Vince the future is bright, for the assets he is responsible for and for him.

Connect with Vince to learn more.

Update: Vincent has since gone on to complete the Maintenance Management Professional (MMP) program and become MMP certified. 

​Do you have a story to share? We'd love to hear it. Connect with Nicolle at pd@pemac.org.