The establishment of Santos's new Global Support Centre in PNG is set to provide a new avenue for leveraging local talent and promoting them worldwide.
The PNG Global Support Centre was officially launched by Prime Minister, James Marape, in Port Moresby, and is being described as a milestone achievement for Santos in PNG and around the region.
The facility will operate as a hub for providing critical support services to Santos' worldwide operations, using local highly skilled workforce.
Prime Minister Marape acknowledged Santos for being consistent as a corporate citizen in PNG and for adapting to a call to add value to its core business through investment in human resources.
“We do acknowledge the global outreach Santos has in respect to mobilising not just capital and resources for projects in PNG but more importantly, mobilising opportunities for the Human Resources that work within us,” Prime Minister Marape said.
Santos Executive Vice President of Eastern Australia and Papua New Guinea, Brett Darley, welcomed and thanked the Prime Minister for his presence in witnessing and officiating at a historical milestone for the Santos workforce in PNG as the company continues to fulfil its strategic intent to help position PNG for future growth opportunities.
“Our intent is that this Global Support Centre will be a catalyst for employment opportunities, harnessing the potential of local talent and creating pathways for skills and leadership development for our workforce into the future,” Mr Darley said.
He said the launch of the Global Support Centre is a testament to Santos' long-standing partnership with PNG and its dedication to supporting the country's economic growth as the company remains committed to investing in PNG and fostering a mutually beneficial relationship for years to come.
Santos Country Chair, PNG, Leon Buskens said the PNG Global Support Centre initiative and the new roles that come with it will support the broader Eastern Australia PNG asset portfolio resulting in “in-sourcing” of engineering and maintenance activity as the initial phase, from Australia and overseas contractors to PNG and direct employment of nationals.
“This initiative is consistent with both our commitment to grow local employment in PNG and complements the PNG Government’s aspirations found in its National Content Policy framework,” Mr Buskens said.
The PNG Global Support Centre aims to increase employment, consequently achieving the company’s ultimate objective which is to shape a brighter future for PNG, filled with opportunity, economic prosperity, and technological superiority.
The primary phase of this project will focus on enhancing PNG's maintenance and engineering services. The Global Support Centre project was a multi-year initiative, and the (Centre’s) tag line "One World, One Team" signifies that though Santos operates in different regions in the world, every individual belongs to One world, and are part of the One (Santos) team.
The PNG Global Support Centre will operate initially through a team of six national professionals that will be stationed in Port Moresby, with plans to expand to Santos’ Australian operations by July 2024.
As the initiative gains momentum, more national employees will take up these roles.