Shell Long Service Award 2010

Last Friday night, Shell celebrated long service award for more than 100 staff. They clocked in a total of 5610 years! The evening was marked by a sumptuous nice dinner ...

Lobster cold dish. Honestly, I didn't really taste any lobster meat. So just wonder where they have gone to! 

A large pomfret ... a nice dish

A colleague made these cup cakes!

The dinner menu

This group celebrated their 35 years of long service. Some of them look surprising young. 

My wife received her 30 years service certificate. Each one also get a special pewter photo frame engraved with the grand old lady.

Stephen Pang moving on ...

After almost 30 years in Shell, Stephen finally decided to move on to greener pasture.
Moving on to greener pasture is something that is unthinkable for many people especially after staying on in a company for such a long time. But he took the courage and move on. I wish him all the best and may the greener pasture gives him more satisfaction and happiness for many more years to come.
He appreciates the hard work put in by the secretaries... Bibi Gawan and others
Secretaries and Belinda (Stephen's wife second left). Bibi, Matzini, Esther
Ivy and Veronica (daughter)
Colleagues

Elizabeth Jala and Stephen.

Farewell Andrew

The so call MOR (re-organisation) is causing much staff movement. It is also an opportunity for many to work overseas, especially the younger ones. Tonight our (ex) boss organised a dinner to bid farewell to Andrew, who has been our colleague for a short period of time.




Back row: Robert, Albert, Alan, Lawrence, Howard, Bobby, me
Andrew, Ivy, Rosni, Yee NT
Well, Andrew, we all wish you all the best! Finally he is going back to his home sweet home in Scotland!

Finally ... CVs submitted

Our company is currently undergoing the so called Managed Open Resourcing.

In simple term, it is a reorganisation and restructuring exercise. The last one was some 10 years ago. The result of this exercise is that the company should be leaner, more effective and more profitable. The bad news is that some jobs will be lost. No one knows how many will have to go.

So, all of us need to apply for job! There will only be a certain number of "vacancies" and we must all write our own CV and apply for the jobs being advertised.

The good news is that after spending many hours writing our CVs and browsing the jobs available, we have finally submitted our applications. Lets pray that we can all have jobs.

Do you believe in mentor?

Recently Shell CEO, Peter Voser, was interviewed by Fortune magazine. Shell has move up to become the world largest company in 2009!

I like what he said. So I extracted some and put it here.

"I like to be direct and open. I like to listen and engage with our staff, our investors, customers, partners, and other stakeholders, such as governments. I have a hunger for information. I like vigorous intellectual discussion and then to make firm decisions.
I like to keep things simple and clear in the way I run the company. For me, the execution needs to be competitive. It's about absolute clarity on strategy and what you want on operational performance. It's about focus, speed, and accountability for delivery. Everyone needs to know what is expected of them. You need to measure performance, have resources to deal with the highest priorities, and leave behind anything that isn't necessary to carry."

"Leaders should have vision and conviction. Leaders should set targets. Leaders should develop people. Leaders should be willing to take risks and be themselves. In a job like mine you must have all these qualities.
Getting the best out of every member of your team is essential. You also need to be able to drive accountability but at the same time empower people and foster localized entrepreneurialism.
You mustn't lose yourself in detail, that's one of the biggest challenges you have as a CEO of a company this size. You need to make sure you can operate with less information and still make decisions. You need to get the waste out of your system, and actually focus on those things you really need to deliver."

Have you had important mentors? Who are they? How specifically did they influence you?
"I don't believe in having mentors. I learn from everyone -- internally and externally to get the best view. I like the contact. It has to be real with real people. I need to be out there and hear what's on people's minds.
In terms of Shell being influenced by others, I get concerned when some suggest we are moving to be like another company. Culture is not a copy game. Our DNA is our DNA. You can't change the DNA of a company but you can optimize it."
Click here to read the whole interview.

The good old days

I was looking through my album for photos to be digitised and recovered. Then, I noticed these photos which I took in 1991 of our IT Function Year End Dinner. Wah... look at them. How many faces can you recognise?

I can see a few have moved on with their lives out of Shell. One has been ... haih.. so young leh!
From front row: Yvonne, ???, ChewKah Hin, Teresa;
Kim Seng, Judith, Anna Chai, trainee, Leslie, Tam Chee Lin;
Lau NK, Hellen, Lau King Ting, Lucas Ting (Aus);
Poh Kah, Salam, Lee Teck-Fui, Phan Fah-Kiong, Suhaili

Oh, my wife was singing "Alisan" with all the "interesting dancers"...


Man... weren't they a great bunch!?


I still remembered that this piece was a huge success!

... for obvious reason!