MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

YPF contracting “outstanding professionals” to develop technology department

CEO Miguel Galuccio wants ‘national technology’ to launch YPF projects

Argentina’s nationalized oil and gas corporation YPF announced the incorporation to its staff of two “outstanding professionals” for its technology department, Bernard Gremillet and Gustavo Bianchi, which at some time belonged to the company but had left for personal reasons.

Gremillet is a German engineer graduated in Paris with a long working experience at Schlumberger, the world’s leading company in services and support for the development of oil fields, a company where he shared tasks with Miguel Galuccio YPF’s new CEO and who now is contracting him.

Bianchi is an scientist who worked for the Argentine National Committee on Atomic Energy, later as head of Repsol-YPF technology department until 2007 when he left to join presidential hopeful Roberto Lavagana’s team as the main energy advisor.

The two contracts are in the framework of YPF applied technology development project which is headed by Galuccio and the head of Argentina’s Science and Technology ministry, Lino Barañano, according to the company.

“To collaborate in the project we have incorporated engineer Gremillet who had outstanding posts in Schlumberger as Vice-president and general manager for Latin America”, said Galuccio in his presentation.

In the nineties Gremillet also held a top job in downstream technology in YPF, before he was sent to Spain by Repsol-YPF and later joined Schlumberger in London.

Bianchi is a chemist and PhD in Material Sciences, and was head of Applied Technology in YPF from 1994 to 2000. He is also a visiting professor at several engineering universities.

Gremillet becomes YPF Chief Technological Officer and Bianchi chief of Technology.

YPF said that the technology area “will implement important projects in seismic, geo-mechanics, hydraulic stimulation and environment policies with the purpose of promoting the development of products and services of natural origin”.

“The YPF strategic plan has begun to develop with the target of changing the energy paradigm of Argentina and will demand more and more top qualified staff making the company once again a major attraction for the industry’s professionals”, underlined the release adding that Gremillet and Bianchi have returned to the Argentine oil company “attracted by the challenge of the new management headed by CEO Galuccio”.