VIEW FROM THE TOP
PLAYING A POSITIVE SUM GAME FAISAL BAKAR Country Head Mexico of PETRONAS
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Q: How does Mexico play into PETRONAS’ global strategy
fruitful commercial dealings stem from ensuring we
and how can the company contribute to industry growth?
discard zero sum game approaches to the benefit of long-
A: PETRONAS’ operations are spread over numerous
lasting business relationships. We establish a symbiotic
countries, covering Southeast Asia, Africa, Central Asia,
environment that works and pushes for solid, long-term
the Middle East and also the Americas. We are always
relationships. We recognize and admire the fact that Mexico
looking for opportunities to help our business prosper
has more than 80 years of experience producing oil and
and to sustain our reserve-replacement ratio. Mexico is
gas. However, thanks to the Energy Reform, previous
among the countries that our technical team believes has
Mexican experience may now benefit from fresh views and
the potential to deliver resources due to the high number
new perspectives. PETRONAS can provide this new scope,
of underexplored areas. Our local presence and our
particularly in the deepwater arena. In this way, PETRONAS
ability to thrive in a bevy of countries is part of our value
can materially contribute to Mexico’s growth.
proposition in Mexico and the company’s accomplishments are highlighted by our performance as an integrated oil
Q: How can the company improve the local quality and
and gas business. Additionally, we also believe in Mexico’s
quantity of its yields in Mexico once E&P operations begin?
potential and are willing to make investments to ensure
A: Despite our newcomer status, our dealings in the
mutual success.
rest of the world and in Malaysia show that we are costefficient and commercially successful. Historically, our
Our technical and commercial prowess and our ability
successes have been founded on our ability to ascertain
to work in different environments and with different
and develop the necessary infrastructure and expertise in
stakeholders are at the heart of our results. PETRONAS’
every country where we are looking to build our footprint.
VIEW FROM THE TOP
WORKING WITH GIANTS ALBERTO DE LA FUENTE Director General of Shell Mexico
Q: What capabilities have made Shell a successful player
happened with Qatar Petroleum. At the same time, we
in the licensing rounds?
identified blocks where we were comfortable enough to
A: Before participating in the licensing rounds, we defined
bid on our own.
the areas we would like to develop and the partners with whom we would like to work. Both Qatar Petroleum and
This shows our commitment to the country and how
PEMEX are strategic and long-term partners for Shell.
strongly we feel about our capabilities regarding these
PEMEX has been our partner since 1993 in the Deer
projects. Thanks to this strategy, we have now built
Park Refinery, and we are now working together both in
a significant deepwater portfolio in the Perdido and
deepwater and on shallow-water projects. The latest bids
Campeche areas, thus diversifying the geological risk we
simply reinforced our previous partnership. The same thing
might face.
