Pilko & Associates | Colette Glencross

"A Strategic Partner Who Makes a Difference"

Colette Glencross

Position: Senior Advisor
Office: New Smyrna Beach, FL
Email: colette@pilko.com
Phone: 386-314-1087
Fax: 713-357-0990

Biography

"One of the most rewarding benefits I have had in my career is being able to genuinely affect change,” says Colette Glencross. Colette has amassed her experience from many venues – as a Washington lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute, as an EHS Manager for a major oil company and as a small business owner. Her experience spans the globe: Nigeria, Angola, Kazakhstan, China, Indonesia, Venezuela, and Europe as well as the U.S.

“Across the globe the extremes in attitudes and awareness towards EHS are very divergent compared to the U.S.,” she says. “In Kazakhstan, we worked for a consortium that consisted of Russian, British, Italian, and U.S. companies, plus the Kazakh government. Trying to navigate the diversity in business principles that existed in that project was an enlightening experience!” In the year-long Kazakh project, Colette was EHS Manager/Deputy Director for what was at the time the world’s largest construction project, bringing a large abandoned Russian oil field back to life and into production. EHS challenges ranged from creating and implementing a unified EHS Management System for all the partners and national staff; developing and managing an environmental protection zone to handle the reservoir’s elevated hydrogen sulfide levels; managing the impacts and relocation of local communities; addressing excessive abandoned equipment left by the prior field operators; managing leftover radioactivity due to the practice of storing nuclear waste in the salt caverns abutting the field; and, environmental remediation due to a legacy catastrophic blowout – not to mention the challenges of working in winter temperatures of -50ºF. These along with the typical EHS, social and environmental conditions ensured there were numerous avenues and opportunities to make a difference.

In her work with a major US oil company in Nigeria, Colette saw another side of operations in developing countries: “We had to deal with some sort of takeover of a platform or drill ship on almost a monthly basis,” she says. “Managing hostage situations was an issue of negotiation. It took an understanding of the culture and what was of value to the parties we were dealing with, plus an abundant amount of patience and understanding to reach a compromise that would ensure the safety of personnel, the environment and equipment.”

Colette sees her role at Pilko as two-fold: corporate governance and transactions. “Some of my strong suits are having the capacity to act as a visionary and as a strategist,” she says – “looking at a situation from the 10,000-foot perspective, seeing where the weak links are, and developing a process to move forward. I’m a good listener, and I like to be a partner and collaborator and contributor to solutions. I like to affect change!” Her international experience also makes her a force in global transactions, where her ability to understand challenges from both a social and regulatory perspective helps businesses get up and running quickly and effectively.

In her spare time, Colette and her husband Ray (also a Pilko consultant) enjoy sailing. Colette is also an aspiring pilot, and holds a Merchant Marine Masters License. The couple has two children, Kelly, a television producer in Los Angeles, and Lisa, a psychologist in Park City.

Work Experience:

Oilfield Service Provider, Sr. Director, Health Safety & Environment: Managed department of international HSE professionals and facilitated compliance with health, safety and environmental laws and regulations for 4000+ workforce. Planned, organized and implemented the Divisional design to remain compliant with government and client standards. Developed and directed programs for oilfield health and safety; explosives manufacture, security and use; radiological source storage, security and use; and domestic and international hazardous material transport. Coordinated with clients to continue improvement in HSE performance through innovative processes and programs. Served on the Senior Leadership Team and Corporation’s HSE Steering Committee.
Consultant: Developed and implemented strategies for domestic and international client base to improve productivity, mitigate risk, resolve issues and optimize cost savings. Evaluated and managed EHS programs and business issues. Engaged with clients in all areas of project planning: application development, integration, implementation, risk management, testing, documentation, training and evaluation. Client projects included:

Aksai, Kazakhstan: Managed 300+ HSE workforce, administered a $16 million budget, developed comprehensive HSE management system and helped train a 19,000-member multinational workforce on HSE for a multi-billion-dollar construction project bringing the field into production. This field had suffered a blowout in the late 80s that left catastrophic environmental damage, and the Russians left it to decay after Kazakhstan obtained independence. In addition, salt domes in the area had been used for nuclear testing, creating issues with residual radioactive contamination. “It was an EHS person’s nightmare or dream,” Colette says, “because there was everything there you could imagine. We were part of the staff, and we didn’t leave until the field was coming up to full production.”
Denver, Colorado: Worked with Fortune 100 company to develop HSE programs for worldwide implementation, with the emphasis on competency-based assessment and customer need. Developed the template to be used both domestically and internationally.
Shekou, China: Two projects – one for a major oil company and another for a consortium – focused on developing and delivering health and safety training programs for exploration operations, and on developing and implementing leadership skills training for a multidisciplinary national workforce.
Luanda, Angola: Assisted offshore operation in establishing an active and effective emergency management program. Developed and delivered innovative method to inform and train national staff on health and safety job components.
Duri, Indonesia: Developed and delivered hazard assessment analysis for field staff. Conducted performance-based training and assessment for entire national staff.
North Carolina: Developed and implemented Bioterrorism Personnel Safety Program for State law enforcement personnel.

Major Oil Company, Manager - Safety, Health and Environment Strategic Integration: Responsible for coordinating strategic planning, developing programs and implementing performance monitoring systems for emergency preparedness, occupational health and safety issues, environmental, and public health for Texaco’s domestic and international E&P business units.

Corporate: Worked closely with domestic and international executive management to identify and achieve corporate objectives. Served as corporate representative to national and international governments and governing bodies. Interacted with diverse domestic and international workforces to improve competencies and business efficiency in all areas of HSE. Worked with business unit HSE staff to develop and implement programs for on-site needs. Developed and managed corporate performance monitoring program for all HSE issues. Managed corporate budget for Health, Safety and Environment Department, and facilitated budget development and management for international business units.
Warri, Nigeria: Developed and implemented comprehensive HSE programs for offshore oil operations. Worked with senior management to establish effective program for crisis management and emergency response for all types of situations, including civil unrest, environmental spills and catastrophic incidents. Managed hostage negotiations.

Trade Association, Lobbyist: Evaluated the potential impact of federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives on the petroleum industry, and formulated strategic positions and policies to address them. Analyzed emerging issues, took a leadership role in industry committees and collaborations, developed and presented position papers, briefings, testimony and comments on federal and state issues. Represented oil & gas industry as registered lobbyist in Washington, initiating and maintaining contacts with stakeholders and agencies to provide information and negotiate industry position.
Vehicle Manufacturer, Director - Safety and Environmental Compliance: Designed and implemented comprehensive health and safety program for 500+ workforce. Ensured compliance with all environmental regulations pertinent to the manufacturing industry. Responsible for all local, state and federal environmental and occupational compliance regulations.
County Environmental Protection Agency: Researched Federal Clean Air Act revisions and introduced implementation plan for local programs. Interacted with national, state and local organizations to develop future air pollution program goals. Reviewed and analyzed legislative findings, new technology, and various air pollution interests.

Education:
University of South Florida, Tampa
M.S.P.H.- Environmental and Occupational Health
B.S. - Biology

Professional Affiliations:
Society of Petroleum Engineers
American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists
American Industrial Hygiene Association

Publications:

Maintaining Professional Ethics in an Unethical Political and Regulatory Environment. J. Jack Hinton. Rick A. Bui. Colette M. Glencross. Wayne J. Skocypec; American Industrial Hygiene Exposition; 2006.