engineers , consultants and decision makers , many of whom are from an older generation and more cautious about new technologies .
“ How do I get an aging work force to adopt new things ?” he asks . “ That ’ s usually very difficult . We have to see that becoming digital was largely about a new mindset . It ’ s a radical change in the way we do things – we ’ ve run a tonne of programmes to get people who have not used technology to embrace it .”
An initiative which has fostered innovation internally is Idea Lab , which allows employees at all levels to submit pitches in a venture capital style , progressing through various rounds until a winner is chosen and their idea funded .
Harnessing innovation by attracting new talent is altogether a different challenge , especially when it comes to luring younger , tech-savvy recruits into oil and gas .
Partnerships with educational institutions like Mexico City ’ s Tec de Monterrey will help to bridge this gap . Pemex Drive was hosted on one of its campuses , and Becerra Mizuno says Pemex is working closely with the
“ HOW DO I GET AN AGING WORK FORCE TO ADOPT NEW THINGS ? THAT ’ S USUALLY VERY DIFFICULT . WE HAVE TO SEE THAT BECOMING DIGITAL WAS LARGELY ABOUT A NEW MINDSET ”
— Rodrigo Becerra Mizuno , Corporate Director and CIO , Pemex
university to develop interest in oil and gas IT careers .
He cites his own example of leaving a private technology giant for a public- Technology oil and gas firm . “ When I was at Microsoft , it was an extremely optimised company , so the things that I was able to do were very narrow . They were perfect , but they were narrow .
“ At Pemex , there ’ s so much to do , and we need so much help . If you ’ re someone that is ambitious , that is young and can see the silver lining coming to work for us , it ’ s the perfect place . That story has not been told or communicated yet – we ’ re seen as a monolithic company and what we ’ re trying to show is a different kind of Pemex . We ’ re open , we ’ re looking for talent , we ’ re looking
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