SBM Offshore on Thursday announced that Guyanese business and finance specialist Martin Cheong will be appointed to the post of General Manager of SBM Offshore Guyana, effective March 1, 2022.
SBM Offshore N.V. is a Dutch-based group of companies selling systems and services to the offshore oil and gas industry.
Cheong, whose current role is Project Support Manager with SBM Offshore, had been based in the Netherlands and Brazil over the last year, a release from the company said. Prior to joining SBM Offshore, Cheong served as the Human Resource Manager at the GTM Group of Insurance Companies. He also has experience in finance and business support, having held senior positions in these fields for 19 years at the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) and the Bank of Nova Scotia. The release said that Cheong is a certified Corporate Financial Planning and Services Professional, and the holder of a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of West Indies.
“As a Guyanese, I am pleased to be given the opportunity to play a key role in a company that is integrally involved in the production of a resource that is expected to be transformative for my country. SBM Offshore is committed to utilising and developing the skills of Guyanese—a drive that I am committed to supporting in my new capacity,” Cheong stated in the press release.
Guyanese hold senior positions at SBM Offshore in Guyana, the release added. It said that the Human Resource and Finance Department are both headed and completely staffed by Guyanese. The company has also been recruiting and training technical personnel for its offshore operations.
The current General Manager, Francesco Prazzo, said that Cheong was being prepared for his new role for some time.
“This is not something that was decided at the last moment because Martin was hired more than one year ago. We put him on an international journey, moving into different roles within SBM Offshore. We want to continue to be the employer of choice and social value creators in Guyana,” he stated.
