“Olímpia is the capital of the universe.” Engineer Pedro Mathias talks about his hometown in rural São Paulo State with a touch of humor and nostalgia. Despite his strong roots in the Brazilian countryside, the youngest of seven siblings soon learned to admire different cultures.

Married with two children, Pedro has worked in Gabon and the Netherlands. Just over a year ago, he moved to South Korea, where he is Project Director for the construction of drill ships Norbe VIII and Norbe IX. Although it took a while to get used to the local language and cuisine, he guarantees that life in that country has many attractions. “Koreans are wonderful people. They’re very friendly and, like the Brazilians, they love to have fun.”

An oil drilling expert, Pedro joined Odebrecht Perfurações Ltda. (OPL) in 1983 and worked at the Organization’s first oil drilling subsidiary until 1997. Then, in May 2009, he returned to join the team at Odebrecht Oil & Gas (OOG), OPL’s recently created successor. Based on nearly 30 years’ experience in the oil business, Pedro views honing people’s skills as one of his biggest challenges at this stage of his career. “We are responsible for grooming professionals who can serve their clients anywhere in the world,” he says.

Outside of his busy work schedule, which includes inspections, equipment tests and regular team motivation activities, among other tasks, Pedro visits friends, goes hiking, looks after the family dogs and travels. “My wife, Fernanda, and I have our own personal PA (Action Program), which includes visiting as many Asian countries as possible.”