University Relations In Schlumberger: The Ambassador Program And Beyond

Schlumberger operates its Oilfield Service business in roughly eighty countries worldwide and has a workforce comprised of over 110 nationalities. We believe in recruiting in every country where we work and in the internal development of our employees. In addition, our Research, Development and Manufacturing (ROM) effort is spread over at least 15 countries with multiple centers in many of these countries. To succeed in both Operations and ROM, we believe that strong relationships with universities must be developed in every country where we are active. The centerpiece of our effort is the Ambassador Program. Here we have identified a group of roughly 50 universities worldwide that are most important to the company and put in place a local management team to support and maintain continuity in the relationship. This list of 50 universities is not exclusive. We work closely with many universities that are not part of this Program, especially in areas where new business is growing rapidly. In this presentation I will summarize the structure of the Ambassador Program, explain how it is managed, and share some of the lessons we have learned over the last ten years.