MIRI: Isrom Udau was born into a farming family in Tinjar, Baram, a remote district in northern Sarawak famed for its treacherous rivers, bird nests, Mulu caves and the hospitable Orang Ulu tribes.
Without the luxury of electricity and treated water supply, Isrom’s family and the other villagers had to depend on rainwater for drinking and cooking.
They bathed, washed laundry and dishes in the crocodile infested Tinjar river.
“Those days, life was a constant struggle, we only survived on food from the jungle,” Isrom said.
Fast forward to today, Isrom is now a general manager at Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) Carigali Sdn Bhd based in Miri, a position he achieved two years ago at a relatively young age of 44.
He recalled that both his parents, Udau Alobg and Puyang Lah, now deceased, had to stay at their farm hut and only return home on weekends,leaving their children to fend for themselves.
Isrom’s oldest brother, Eeden Udau, who was only 11-years-old at that time, would fill in the role of a guardian and they were forced to be independent, learned to cook and did household chores.
“I remember my brothers would go fishing at the nearest river after school and came back late in the evening with some catch. And when we ran out of fish and vegetable, we would just east plain rice sprinkled with a bit of sugar,” Isrom added.
Back in 1981, Isrom’s family moved to Subis in search of greener pastures and there, his parents worked as labourers in an oil palm estate and later at a cocoa plantation. Both earned minimum wage and the estate house in which they lived in had no basic facilities.
“Unfortunately, our family situation did not improve much after we moved to Subis,” he added.
Family hardship also forced Isrom to delay going to school because he had to babysit his little sister, Lahong and do house chores while his elder brothers were in school and his parents at work, adding, “So, I started schooling one year late at Sekolah Menengah Kelapa Sawit No. 4, Subis.”
Seven years later, Isrom’s family moved to a squatter area near Pujut and his parents had to start farming again- this time they farmed crops and rice on a piece of state land in upper Miri River some three hours journey by boat from Miri town.
The long journey to the farm forced Isrom’s parens to stay at the farm on weekdays and Isrom’s elder brothers were also away at boarding schools during weekdays.
“At that time, my two elder brothers were at boarding schools, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Luar Bandar Miri Bekenu and Kolej Tun Datu Tuanku Hj Bujang. So, my parents entrusted me with the responsibility to look after Lahong, who was only seven years old. I was only 10 at that time.
“There was no electricity or treated water supply to the squatter area. We relied on oil lamps to study at night. We used rainwater for bathing, washing and cooking. During dry season, we would go to the nearest fire hydrant which is about two kilometres away to get clean water for domestic use,” he said.
In Miri, Isrom continued his studies at Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan (SRK) Pujut Corner Miri, about two kilometres away from his house.
“Every day, my sister and I would walk four kilometres to school. My father would gives us RM1 each for pocket money every week, just enough to buy food worth 20 sen a day. It was enough to buy a small pack of ‘mee goreng’ or ‘two pieces of kuih’,” he recalled.
Despite the challenges, Isrom scored excellent grades in both Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Sijil Rendah Pelajaran (SRP).
After completing Primary Six, he was offered scholarship to further his study at Sekolah Tunku Abdul Rahman (STAR) college in Perak.
He also received an offer to study at MARA Junior Science College (MRSM) Balik Pulau, Penang as well as Kolej Tun Datu Tuanku Hj Bujang Miri after his SRP exam.
Sadly,he had to turn down those offers because he needed to look after his sister. Instead, Isrom continued his lower secondary education at SMK Baru, Miri then continued his studies at SMK Dato’ Permaisuri, Miri.
After Form Five, he pursued his tertiary education at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) with a scholarshop from Public Services Department (JPA) and graduated with a degree in Mining and Mineral Resources Engineering in 2000.
Six months later, he landed his first job in SOSMA Sdn Bhd (later known as SCOMI) as a Production Chemist and was stationed in Miri Crude Oil Terminal (MCOT). The job provided him with the opportunity to work at various onshore terminals and offshore platforms in Malaysia including Sabah and Terengganu.
“I led the company to secure several high value contracts and established the ISO14001 certification for them. However, due to my passion in reservoir and drilling, I joined Sarawak Shell Berhad on contract term in 2003 as a drilling engineer,” he said.
In 2004, PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd (PCSB) offered Isrom a permanent job as a field engineer in MCOT and after nine years working at MCOT and an offshore field, he was promoted to Field Operatons Manager for Bintulu waters.
“When I first became a manager, my day-to-day work was hectic. I had to oversee all production and operation matters in Bintulu waters including engaging with our new production partners. It was physically and mentally draining but the autonomy and empowerment given by my superiors gave me the added motivation to carry out my duties,” he said.
In 2015, Petronas transferred him to Kerteh as Asset Head for Dulang and Sepat Field at Peninsular Malaysia Operations (PMO), and in the following year he managed the Angsi Platform and Besar Field in Terengganu waters. Isrom was then transferred back to Miri in 2017 to lead the team at Baronia, Baram and BOBELA fields.
In March 2020, Isrom was promoted to General Manager of Engineering at Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd. After about two weeks in the position, the world was hit by the unprecedented crisis of COVID-19 which led to a slowdown in production and mobility worldwide, producing a significant drop in global demand for oil. The pandemic also caused delays in the oil and gas projects, and Petronas was not spared.
“During the Movement Control Order (MCO) period, we were asked to work from home, and I had to manage my new team virtually. Responding to the plunge in oil price, I had to lead a series of cost cutting exercises and reprioritisation activities. With limited budget allocation, we need to ensure safety, asset integrity and production are safeguarded,” said Isrom.
In August 2021, Isrom assumed a new role as the General Manager of Specialised Maintenance. His responsibilities include overseeing all maintenance activities related to specialize disciplines such as metering, pipeline, structural, rotating, mechanical, electrical and instrument in PCSB, Sarawak.
“I am thankful for the support and guidance given by my predecessors. They helped me build my career in PETRONAS as well as to grow in the company. I would do the same to develop the young leaders especially those who work under me as I want them to flourish and become more successful than I am.
“All my life, I had to be persistent and resilient in the face of adversities. I never blame my fate for being born poor. On the contrary, I cherished it more because through all the hardship, I become who I am today,” he said.
