BINTULU: Peter Majid Tandom was one of the brightest students at St Joseph’s Primary School and St Joseph’s Secondary School, Kuching, in the 1970s and early 1980s.
He passed his exams with flying colours and earned much respect from his teachers and schoolmates.
However, at home, life was a constant struggle for Peter and his family. They were living from hand to mouth because his father’s salary as a police constable was hardly enough to support a large family.
“My father was the sole breadwinner of the family at that time. He had 10 children to feed. I’m the second youngest child,” said Peter, now 56, and currently working as the head of Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd–Sarawak Gas (SK Gas) here.
To supplement his family income, Peter helped his parents sell vegetables door-to-door in the weekends. He also worked as a labourer at construction sites, and a slipper manufacturing factory in Kuching, during the school holidays to earn some pocket money.
In school, Peter had to depend on government assistance for textbooks and often stayed back to study at the library or classroom because his parents could not afford to send him for tuition.
“Studying was very tough because I could not buy books. I had to rely on free textbooks from the government. I had to learn by myself because I couldn’t afford to pay tuition fees.
“My parents could not read, write or speak English so they were unable to help me apply for book loans and financial assistance. I had to do all that myself,” he recalled.
Against great odds, Peter excelled in his studies. His financial burden was finally lifted when he received a scholarship from national oil and gas company, Petronas.
The scholarship helped with his allowance as well as pay for his textbooks, school uniforms and other essentials.
“My exam results were good despite the challenges faced by my family. Because of my success and family circumstances, I was given the ‘Biasiswa Kecil Petronas’ when I was in Form Two. I was very thankful and proud to be the only one in my school assisted by Petronas at that time,” he said.
“When I was in Form Five, a team from Petronas came and gave a talk on the oil and gas industry. After that, I started to dream of becoming a geologist at Petronas.”
Peter passed his Form Five exams–known as the Malaysian Certificate of Education (MCE) exam back then-with distinction and received three scholarship offers to continue his studies overseas.
“I chose the scholarship from Petronas because to me, it was the best scholarship to pursue a geology degree,” he said.
Armed with the opportunity, Peter made his way to a private college in Canada for a pre-university programme. He had to quickly adapt to the culture and the climate over there.
“I have never travelled outside Sarawak before, so naturally I had a culture shock when I arrived in Canada. I also had to acclimatise myself to the weather and get used to the food there. But language was not a barrier because I was taught in English since primary school,” he said.
Peter then attended Laurentian University, in Ontario, Canada, to study geology.
“My first year as an undergraduate was all about discovering the university experience. It was then that I made many friends from various countries. The second and third years were about reinforcing what I have learned and strengthening my core knowledge in geology. My final year was focused on getting my Bachelor of Science in Geology and looking forward to returning to Malaysia and serving Petronas.”
Peter graduated in 1988, when the world was undergoing economic recession. The job market in Malaysia was badly affected by the event. So Peter was grateful to be employed as an intern by Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd (PCSB), Baram Delta Operations in Miri.
“My internship was supposed to be for one year but after three months, I was absorbed into PCSB as a trainee engineer in the Petroleum Engineering Department (PED).”
He was immediately seconded to Sarawak Shell Berhad (SSB) as a wellsite petroleum engineer for two years, working on drilling rigs offshore Sarawak. And in 1989, he was reassigned to the Baram Delta Operation (BDO) as its development geologist.
His career continued to flourish. In 1995, Peter was sent to Vietnam as a production geologist at Petronas Carigali (Vietnam) Sdn Bhd (Vietnam Operations).
He was a member of the team that first delivered oil from the Ruby field in Vietnam.
“We did it within budget and 10 days ahead of schedule. It was also the first time Petronas produced oil from the granitic basement,” Peter said proudly.
In 2000, he was transferred back to PCSB, Sarawak Operations to become manager for the Baram Development Projects. Four years later, he was sent to Petronas’ operations in Turkmenistan where he was part of the team that successfully delivered the Extended Well Test project for the oil and gas development in Block 1, Caspian Sea.
“In 2007, I was assigned to become the head of Exploration for Petronas Carigali (Turkmenistan) Sdn Bhd, where we made one of the biggest oil and gas discoveries for Petronas in Block 1, Caspian Sea,” he said.
Peter was posted back to Malaysia in 2010, to become the head of geoscience at PCSB PED in Kuala Lumpur. Four years later, he became the head of Sarawak Resource Management in PED, responsible for the oil and gas development in offshore Sarawak.
In 2016, Peter was appointed as the head of Resource Development and Management at Malaysia Petroleum Management (MPM), where he oversaw the oil and gas developments for all contractors operating in Sarawak waters.
He returned to his home state again in July 2019, to head SK Gas, a position he holds until today. “SK Gas is set to be the biggest Petronas asset in Malaysia in the next five years,” he said.
The company manages Petronas’ offshore gas operations in Sarawak and supplies gas to local customers such as Sarawak Energy, Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis, Asean Bintulu Fertilizer and other small industrial users.
SK Gas also looks after four Production Sharing Contracts under PCSB, namely Kumang Cluster PSC, MLNG Dua PSC, SK8 PSC and SK316 PSC. It is the operator of the overall integrated gas network for Sarawak waters and the Bintulu Integrated Facilities.
“I was surprised when I was appointed as the head of SK Gas. I’m trained as a geologist and subsurface is my core work in Petronas.
“I have limited experience in production and operations, but this role has pushed me beyond my comfort zone. It is a daunting task, but I accept it with an open mind,” he said, adding that his mission is to make SK Gas the most attractive company to work for, and to be the leading gas producer in Malaysia.
Peter hoped that his life story and journey in Petronas would inspire the younger generation, especially those who hail from less privileged backgrounds, to beat the odds and excel in their studies.
“I know it is not easy for the ones struggling with less than fortunate circumstances. But they must study to the best of their abilities. They must not allow anything to stand against their pursuit for good education, which will only lead to a better life.
“Be humble and never forget your roots. When you are successful in life, give back to your parents, families and society,” he said.
