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Media Releases, 19 April 2023

Five Minutes with... Pia-Marie Sitapai

Five Minutes with... Pia-Marie Sitapai
Pia-Marie Sitapai, Safety Trainer at ExxonMobil PNG, shares the importance of her role in carrying out training across the PNG LNG Project.
  1. What is your name? Pia-Marie Sitapai

  2. Where are you from? Manus & New Ireland Province

  3. What is your Profession? Chemist

  4. Where were you working before joining ExxonMobil PNG? I joined ExxonMobil PNG in 2012 as a trainee under the Operations and Maintenance program.

  5. What is your current role with ExxonMobil PNG and explain a bit about the work you do? I am currently a Safety Trainer specialising in Work Management System (WMS) training. After graduating from the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) program in 2014, I was assigned as a Field Operator to our Hides Gas Conditioning Plant (HGCP). From there I was appointed to be the Permit Coordinator for the Upstream facilities; coordinating and assisting employees and contractors with work permits. In 2018, I joined the Operations Support – Training Department where I specialise in delivering WMS training to operations staff. These training programs ensure those performing permitted tasks understand the Global WMS and fully absorb our safety philosophy of ‘Nobody Gets Hurt’.

  6. What is your typical day like? Planning, preparing, training, administration and attending to any assigned tasks. My focus is on delivering WMS training and ensuring that participants understand why it is an important part of maintaining a secure and safe work environment for all employees and contractors.

  7. What is the best part of your job, (highlight of your job)? I am so proud to say that this is my 10th year with ExxonMobil PNG and 5th year as a WMS trainer.  The experience has taught me to appreciate the multi-cultural environment I work in as well as the skills and mindset required to work safer as a team.

  8. Tell us something about your employer? ExxonMobil PNG promotes safety of its workers and is reflective in the statement ’no business objective is so important that it will be pursued at the sacrifice of safety’.

  9. What is an interesting fact about yourself? I was born in Trinidad, Tobago, a dual-island Caribbean nation, where I spent the first three years of my life with my family. Growing up my parents instilled in me positive values which I believe have moulded me to be a responsible and productive individual.

  10. What is your advice to aspiring young people or the average Papua New Guinean aiming to do what you do? My advice to young Papua New Guineans is that ’education is key to your life’, studying hard in school and perseverance will help you to achieve your dream job. Never give up and always make what is valuable a priority.

  11. Finally, where do you see yourself 10 years from now?In the next 10 years I see myself being a positive role model to my family, friends, and colleagues. Within ExxonMobil, I want to continue influencing without authority and ensure that safety and integrity can be practiced both at work and at home.