ConocoPhillips Norway Sr. Drilling Engineer Bjørnar Nesland received a 2023 SPIRIT Award for his role in creating and further developing an inclusive work environment by promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

BY LINDA KJAERAAS

“I am incredibly honored and grateful for this recognition. Thanks so much to those who nominated me. My colleagues in Wells have been involved in everything we have done, and they deserve this award equally,” Bjørnar said, who was named a DEI Advocate.

Bjørnar has worked 10 years at ConocoPhillips, starting off as a graduate after having completed his masters for the company. He has also been two years in Houston and is currently working as a senior drilling engineer on the Eldfisk North project.

“I have had several positions within Wells, which I have really appreciated. The learning curve has been steep, and there is always an opportunity to work on various and interesting projects.”

Advancing DEI culture

“I raised my hand and said I would be happy to help champion one of the Wells department goals. For instance, we have goals for Health, Safety & Environment, People & Organization, etc. I did not know which one I would get at the time,” Bjørnar said, who in 2022 was responsible for the goal to advance DEI culture in Wells at ConocoPhillips Norway.

“The first thing I did was to ask colleagues if they wanted to help shape this goal.”

Bjørnar established a diverse DEI team in Wells to capture ideas and ensure wider perspectives at the workplace. His relentless engagement and creativeness were an inspiration to others.

“The focus in 2022 was on Equity. We made a timeline and found out what we wanted to do together, and the Wells management team supported our plan.”

Initially, they established an internal Wells DEI website where colleagues could go for information on events, training and much more.  

Engaging presentations

Bjørnar and his colleagues arranged several DEI events last year, including a speaker-series. A representative from the NATO Joint Warfare Centre in Norway and a member of the global ConocoPhillips DEI Council were invited in for separate events.

“NATO is an organization with many cultures and nations, and we saw that this presentation was relevant for the whole company. Therefore, we collaborated with the DEI Council in Norway and about 100 employees attended the presentation. It was great.”

Food dishes from all over the world

An event that became an immediate success was the Cultural Potluck, where employees in Wells brought dishes and cuisines from their home countries.

“At the time, we were 13 nationalities in the department. Everyone contributed beyond all expectations, bringing a wide variety of food from diverse cultures. The canteen also made small dishes from all over the world. A lot of employees from the whole business unit showed up. It was fantastic.”

Themes focusing on advocating cultural, ethnic and diverse backgrounds have been at the center of all events and initiatives they have organized, such as shuffleboard night, a pumpkin-carving competition and Christmas quiz evening.

“During these social gatherings colleagues have really gotten to know each other better, which I think has helped further improve collaboration and teamwork."

Spreading the word

Bjørnar has successfully managed to raise positive awareness on several DEI topics, promoting all the enthusiastic Wells DEI-work through internal channels in the company.

“Using the available digital communication channels as well as old-style leaflets to promote events and initiatives has created engagement. It has been important to cooperate closely with the Norwegian DEI Council, as well as ConocoPhillips’ Chief Diversity Officer Natacha Buchanan and the Global DEI Council, so that everyone in the company could benefit from the DEI activities.”

Strong doer-mentality

Colleagues turned up, contributed and were curious, so Bjørnar found championing the DEI-goal really rewarding.

“There is a strong doer-mentality in Wells, which is evident from my colleagues’ involvement in all DEI initiatives and events. I am so grateful for everyone’s contribution and participation. This has been teamwork from day one. I am proud of the Wells organization. I think there will be even more DEI focus going forward, which will contribute to an even better working environment and safety among employees in all business units around the world.”