Managing director never forgets major acquisition: “Those news hit hard”

When one door closes, another one opens. And if you have a positive attitude, change usually leads to something good. That was the lesson Managing Director & Head of Country Services at TotalEnergies Upstream Danmark Christina Heineke Petersen learned when, almost eight years ago, she was told that her employer would no longer be Maersk but TotalEnergies.

Can you describe the most important day in your working life so far?

“On Sunday, August 20, 2017, at around 9 p.m., my boss at the time called to tell me that A.P. Moller-Maersk had decided to sell Maersk Oil to the French energy company Total.”

”It came on the heels of an intense, exciting, and very busy year, during which I, as head of strategy, had been working on how to separate Maersk Oil from the A.P. Moller-Maersk group as part of the company’s business strategy change. The energy companies were no longer to be an integral part of the group, so we were working on scenarios for what an independent Maersk Oil might look like. The energy and optimism in the company were high, the culture had been strengthened, and I had built up a fantastic team over the previous two years. So the news hit hard.”

What made this day particularly significant for you?

”The call marked a turning point, and the first thoughts about the future began to emerge. On a personal level, I had to decide whether to take a leap into the unknown and give Total a chance or rather seek other paths when the time came. However, my personal considerations were secondary to what it would mean for my team. What role could they play in the transition and what would their career opportunities look like? We were a head office function, so even though Total wanted to maintain activities in Copenhagen, the strategy function would not be part of the future local organization. This meant a great deal of uncertainty for my entire team, and it was therefore also a management task to help them through the subsequent period and listen to their individual concerns about the future, without knowing the answers myself.”

What was your role and what challenges or tasks did you face on a daily basis?

”I quickly decided to throw myself into the integration process, first as head of the Integration Management Office during the planning phase, and after we went live with the new organization, as overall head of the implementation phase. This meant that I had the opportunity to influence the process and the work of creating a new organization. Today, I am proud when I look back on what can only be called a successful integration of an acquisition, both in terms of the synergies we realized as well as the respectful and inclusive process that my Maersk Oil colleagues and I went through.”

If you could change anything about that day, what would it be and why?

”I was really glad that my boss called me that Sunday evening. It gave me time to process the news and the potential consequences before my team and the rest of the company were informed the next day. It was a big change and a lot to take in for the many colleagues who had proudly worked under the Maersk star for many years. With news like that, you have to pull the band-aid off quickly, so I don’t think it could have been done any other way.”

How do you remember that day today? Is it a good or bad memory?

”I would say it’s both. I can still remember the disappointment, the feeling that all the hard work was now meaningless, and the concern for what would happen to my talented colleagues when I hung up the phone. That said, even though the outcome was different than expected, the period from 2016 to 2017 is still one of the most educational in my career, and I really appreciate being part of TotalEnergies and the energy transition today.”

What did you learn from this experience that you have taken with you in your career?

”When one door closes, another one opens, and if you have a positive attitude, something good usually comes out of change. In my case, I landed an exciting job at TotalEnergies and have had the opportunity to advance my career over the past eight years as well as work with renewable energy and CO2 storage. In addition, I also proved to myself that I am quite resilient, both as an individual and as a leader, and that is a good foundation to have.”

English edit by Christian Radich Hoffman