For any international business, conflicts in other countries can be a problem. Even if these companies don’t have partnerships in the countries disputing, it can affect infrastructure and transportation. The issues between China and the U.S. are perfect examples of how international conflicts can lead to major corporate troubles.
For the oil business, international conflicts are twice as dangerous. When foreign affairs take a negative stance against oil companies, oil rigs and other facilities end up being attacked. That’s what GPB Global Resources is lucky to have Boris Ivanov as its founder and Managing Director. Boris Ivanov worked in foreign affairs for ten years.
Boris Ivanov knows the first step to avoiding international disputes is keeping an open line of communication; that means everyone. Ivanov doesn’t just get information from the field; he sends information into the field. He makes it a company priority to know where his company fits into the local landscape of every country GPB has current operations in.
“Africa could provide a fifth of global demand for liquefied natural gas by 2025 due to huge investments in the sector and recent major discoveries.”
An interesting read by @IBTimes on the future of Africa’s energy landscape: https://t.co/auXvGgPPbc
— Boris Ivanov (@BorisIvanovGPB) December 17, 2019
GPB used to be called Gazprom and during those days, Ivanov was just an employee. He joined Gazprom in 2004 and started building the company into something spectacular. His notable success with Gazprom occurred in Africa; mainly he brokered a $1 billion with Namibia to build power plants and water systems in exchange for extraction agreements.
GPB specializes in extracting natural resources like oil and gas. When it comes to Africa, extraction projects can be costly in more than one. In some African countries, the government doesn’t have a standardized legal structure to monitor and regulate international extraction projects. In some countries, they don’t even enough infrastructures to support an extraction project in most areas. A lack of infrastructure is dangerous and can be deadly for both workers and local communities.
Ivanov is a great fit for GPB because his diplomatic skills allow him to set up mutual beneficial deals. He’s also one of the few innovators in the oil industry. As renewable energy progresses, Ivanov wants oil companies to develop cleaner technologies so they can compete.