When you hear the name Roberto Casula, the first thing that comes to mind is oil and gas executive at Eni and his successful career and many contributions in the energy sector. His involvement with Eni and career since 1988 has earned him the respect and admiration of his professional colleagues and he is a frequent guest speaker at conferences and industry events all over the world. His ability to make a useful contribution to the oil and gas industry saw him rise from the position of a reservoir engineer to Chief Development, Operations, and Technology officer at Eni. After sharing some of these career highlights and his successful journey with Eni, one of the global oil and gas super-players – operating in 71 countries worldwide and employing approximately 33,000 people, perhaps it is time to meet the man himself, Roberto Casula.
There is often more to a man than how much he earns or where he works. This includes his history, philosophy, family, outlook, and values. These things make up the totality of who we are and will help us understand the personal and professional success story of Roberto Casula.
A Brief History of Roberto Casula
Roberto Casula was born in Cagliari in 1962 and spent the first 26 years of his life surrounded by family, friends and teachers, learning to become the man that he is today. Roberto Casula graduated with a degree in Mining Engineering in April 1988 at the University of Cagliari. He joined eni (formerly Agip S.p.A.) in July 1988 as a Reservoir Engineer.
This explains how he found himself in the oil and gas business; he didn’t stumble upon it by accident, but rather chose this career path with intention. According to Roberto Casula, going into the oil industry was an obvious choice considering his technical background and interest in world energy problems. After getting his engineering degree, Eni wasn’t just a place to work, it was a place to learn, a place to grow and a place to impact the world around him.
At Eni, he worked in Italian oil fields in Milan and in West Africa. In these places, he worked as a reservoir engineer, chief development engineer, as a coordinator of business development across several regions, in managerial positions, and as vice president of operational and business activities.
Roberto Casula was a young man interested in science and technology and his mining engineering degree was really just the beginning. Even from the start of his career, he maintained a philosophy of success. Roberto Casula knew in his heart that a key to success was to be an individual of clarity. He was able to know what he wanted and be clear about how to get to the future he wanted for himself and the company he worked for. This required a mix of positivity and critical planning. That, together with Robert’s interest in world energy, may help in some small way explain why he became a successful executive for one of the world’s leading energy companies.
When Roberto Casula was looking for companies to work for, he knew he wanted a company that would open him up to a stream of knowledge and offer opportunities to visit and experience other cultures around the world.
Roberto Casula learned a great deal at Eni and the technical exposure and responsibility was unparalleled. On the mining fields in Milan his ability to plan strategically beforehand helped him to get tasks done more efficiently. After his few years of working in Italy, he was transferred to West Africa as a Chief Development Engineer.
During his stay in West Africa, Casula got to witness different events that inspired him to want to change things and improve the world around him. One of the things that disturbed him most is the misuse of energy in some regions of the world. With his passion for global energy solutions, Casula couldn’t help but notice that a large population of people that still use combustible fuel as a source of energy for carrying out different activities. Biomass is not just harmful to them and to their environment, it is a costly way to generate energy (in terms of the future). Roberto Casula views energy as the driving force to civilization and industrialization and knows there is a better way to harness Africa’s available and extensive natural resources.
Following Africa, Roberto Casula returned to Italy and went on to apply his work philosophies to even greater achievements.
Finding Inspiration
Asides the passion to solve energy-related problems, Roberto finds ways to stay inspired over the years. Roberto Casula is a great admirer of the TED Conferences which posts talks online for free distribution under the slogan “ideas worth spreading”. According to Casula, he finds TED not only inspirational, but a place with a wellspring of ideas for him.
Roberto Casula advises a lot of people to try to see opportunities where others can’t — even in difficult situations. This is indeed a reflection of a philosophy that Roberto has stuck to all his life, that has helped him solve real and seemingly intractable problems.
In seeking opportunities, Casula recognizes the danger of sticking within a narrow comfort zone. He explains that many solutions lie outside one’s comfort zone. In practice, Casula made it a habit to switch things up strategically without waiting for a crisis to arise. The idea of getting better results was enough. This remains a major strategy behind Roberto’s success.
Roberto Casula is also fueled by curiosity. Casula understands that curiosity is essential to success in business and life and he is driven to want to know more about a certain phenomenon because it sparks his interest and also drives solutions which in turn create opportunities.
At the end of the day, Roberto isn’t just about his career. His love for family shows through his appreciation for time spent with them. When asked about the best $100 he had spent, Casula describes a performance of the Boston Symphony he saw recently with his daughter. Overall, Roberto cherishes family and values gratitude — knowing that it is something that even more people should try and incorporate into their lives
In conclusion, Roberto Casula is an example of someone who has found a balance between career success and personal fulfillment. It is easy to see that he is driven and at the same time positive about the future. He prioritizes planning and inspiring positive organizational change with a true concern for the environment and world around us.