Farmer, Economist, and a Landman to a CEO
Chris Bakker C.E.O of Avanti Energy has an undergraduate degree in Economics from Queens University, a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Victoria, and an MBA from the University of Calgary. In this interview, Chris talks about his educational experiences in undergrad school, grad school, and his MBA as well. He highlights some of the pros and cons of each institution and the programs he has attended. Upon graduating he discusses the contract work he had with the Ministry of Agriculture of British Columbia. The work included dealing with economic issues and developing GIS data, this does provide for some fruitful conversation. The interview marches into the next chapter of his career in becoming a landman and what this entailed. He provides a clear and insightful description of the daily activities of a landman in petroleum and mining as he has worked in both areas but has concentrated on petroleum more so. In the interview, the listener will get an appreciation of how the petroleum industry works. And with that, he takes us through the different organizations he has worked for in this field including going overseas and working in Eastern Europe; there are some real surprises here. His career did eventually take him to work for the multinational firm Encana. He talks about his career extensively in Encana and the various roles he has had. He illustrates the corporate culture and what it is like to work for such a firm. The conversation does dig into the unpleasant years of the restructuring phase as well. The interview progresses into the next phase of Chris’s career becoming C.E.O of Avanti Energy a producer of helium. There is a lesson here in science as to what helium is and what it is used for - this is educational for sure. How this resource is found, extracted, and all the expertise that is required to accomplish this is also talked about. More importantly, how a business venture like this materializes itself from concept to being a public traded company. This interview will benefit anyone interested in a career in economics, being a landman, a career in the petroleum/energy industry, a career in mining, working for a multinational corporation, entrepreneurship, science of helium, and above all, career development as Chris is a good example of someone who has unconventionally done a lot. A real eye-opener and inspiring.