When the final citation for the Dratech Engineering Leadership Excellence Award 2024 was read out at the just concluded Dratech International Conference, the hall responded with sustained applause. The name behind that moment was Mr. Oludayo Sofoluwe, an experienced energy professional whose career in offshore oil and gas, subsea systems, and field operations has been defined by calm decision making in high risk environments.
He was selected from a pool of 15 nominees for the award and ultimately emerged among the top 10 recognised winners after meeting all judging criteria. For the organisers and jury, his leadership represents exactly what this category is designed to highlight, disciplined engineering stewardship that delivers safe, reliable and efficient operations in one of the toughest corners of the energy industry.
The article you are reading is being prepared for immediate publication on the official Dratech International website, a few moments after the close of the 2024 conference. It reflects not only the outcome of an award ceremony but also the professional journey that made Mr. Sofoluwe a natural fit for this recognition.
A career built around difficult environments and clear outcomes
For more than two decades, Mr. Oludayo Sofoluwe has worked in some of the most demanding parts of the energy value chain. His experience covers offshore oil and gas, subsea systems and field operations, fields where daily decisions carry real consequences for safety, asset integrity and long term production performance.
He is known for turning complex engineering challenges into practical, safe and efficient solutions, especially in deepwater environments. That reputation has not been built on theory. It has been earned through long exposure to real projects, real assets and real teams that must deliver under pressure.
His career includes major upstream roles at TotalEnergies in Nigeria, where he has led subsea maintenance, life of field operations and special engineering projects. These are the kinds of assignments that often sit in the background of the industry, far from public view, yet they determine whether offshore assets remain reliable year after year.
In those roles, he has supervised routine and emergency subsea interventions, managed key service contracts and supported new and ongoing projects with strong technical guidance. The picture that emerges is of a professional who is consistently trusted with responsibilities that cannot be taken lightly.
His earlier work provides further context. It includes commissioning leadership for a major deepwater development, reservoir engineering, facilities engineering, petroleum engineering, subsea support engineering and project execution across well hook ups, pipelines and process facility installations. Taken together, these roles show a career that has touched the full span of upstream operations, from subsurface considerations to surface facilities and subsea infrastructure.
For a jury tasked with identifying engineering leadership in the real sense of the term, this track record offered clear evidence. It is not a story of one role, one breakthrough or one headline project. It is a story of sustained involvement in the complex, interconnected systems that keep offshore fields productive and safe.
The discipline behind the recognition
Awards that focus on leadership can sometimes be misunderstood as purely symbolic. The Dratech Engineering Leadership Excellence Award 2024 is very different. At its core, it recognises professionals whose decisions, practices and habits have visible impact on safety, reliability and performance.
By that standard, the case for Mr. Sofoluwe is straightforward.
He deserves the Dratech Engineering Leadership Excellence Award for consistently leading high stakes engineering operations with clarity, discipline and measurable results. His work shows a steady pattern of improving safety outcomes, strengthening asset integrity, refining operational processes, mentoring teams and driving practical innovations that keep energy operations reliable and efficient. His leadership reflects the values that define this award.
Those values are not abstract. Improving safety outcomes in offshore and subsea operations means fewer incidents, fewer unplanned shutdowns and better protection for people and assets. Strengthening asset integrity means equipment that lasts longer, functions as designed and responds better when conditions change. Refining operational processes means teams can execute work with less ambiguity and more confidence.
His mentoring of teams is another point that stands out. Across his roles he has earned a reputation for clear communication, disciplined risk management, strong mentorship and a commitment to safe, reliable offshore operations. In practice, this means younger engineers and technicians do not simply receive instructions, they understand why certain decisions are taken and how to approach similar situations when they eventually carry their own leadership responsibilities.
In a sector where experience can sometimes remain locked within a small circle of specialists, this willingness to share knowledge and build others is not a minor detail. It is a key part of sustainable leadership.
Making complex work understandable and actionable
Engineering in deepwater and offshore settings involves sophisticated tools, advanced modelling and a host of technical parameters. Yet the day to day reality is that teams on the ground need clear instructions, simple priorities and practical checklists.
One of the qualities that colleagues often highlight about professionals like Mr. Sofoluwe is the ability to translate complexity into clear, workable plans. Supervising routine and emergency subsea interventions, for instance, requires technical insight, but it also requires organising people, aligning contractors and communicating risk in simple terms.
Managing key service contracts demands more than commercial awareness. It means ensuring that contractors deliver to specification, that their work integrates smoothly with operator processes and that any changes are handled with a full understanding of how they will affect field operations.
Supporting new and ongoing projects with strong technical guidance is again both a technical and human task. It involves advising on design choices, operational strategies and maintenance plans, while staying mindful of cost, schedule and long term operability.
In all these areas, Mr. Sofoluwe has built a reputation for disciplined risk management and clear communication. The Dratech jury interpreted this as a sign of genuine engineering leadership, where expertise is used not to complicate issues but to make them easier to act upon.
Academic depth and strategic perspective
Behind this practical record of field work lies a solid academic foundation. Mr. Sofoluwe studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ilorin, a discipline that anchors many areas of industrial practice, from thermodynamics and fluid mechanics to design and materials.
He later added a master’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from Heriot Watt University in the United Kingdom. That programme is widely recognised for its emphasis on reservoir behaviour, production systems and the broader science of hydrocarbon development. It gave him a deeper understanding of how reservoirs respond over time, how wells behave under different conditions and how field development plans can be optimised.
These academic qualifications have supported his ability to work across reservoir engineering, facilities engineering, petroleum engineering and subsea support engineering. They provided the framework needed to move comfortably between subsurface discussions, surface facility design meetings and subsea operations planning sessions.
Importantly, he is not standing still academically. He is advancing his strategic understanding of the energy transition through an Executive Master of Management in Energy at IFP School and BI Norwegian Business School. This is a strong signal that he recognises the sector is changing and that future leaders must be comfortable thinking beyond single assets or traditional oil and gas boundaries.
For an award that focuses on engineering leadership, this combination of deep technical grounding and forward looking strategic study is significant. It demonstrates a commitment to continuous learning, not for its own sake but to stay relevant and useful in a changing energy landscape.
Leadership that aligns with a changing energy world
The engineering and energy sectors are in a period of transition. While hydrocarbons remain a central part of the global energy mix, the expectations around how they are produced are shifting rapidly. Safety requirements are more stringent, environmental standards tighter and public scrutiny more intense.
In that context, leaders who understand both the technical heart of offshore operations and the broader strategic shifts of the energy transition are particularly valuable. Mr. Sofoluwe’s profile fits squarely in that space.
His grounding in offshore operations, subsea maintenance and field support gives him a realistic view of what is possible, what is risky and what needs careful preparation. His continued academic engagement with energy management shows an interest in how traditional operations can align with emerging priorities such as lower emissions, better efficiency and stronger governance.
For younger engineers and students watching the Dratech International Conference 2024 and reading about this award, his trajectory sends a clear message. It is not enough to be technically competent in one narrow area. The future of engineering leadership lies in combining operational credibility with strategic awareness, technical depth with communication skills and personal excellence with a willingness to build others.
Why this award matters
The Dratech Engineering Leadership Excellence Award 2024 sits within a broader effort by Dratech International to highlight individuals whose work strengthens critical systems, particularly in Africa and across the wider energy ecosystem. These are not awards for visibility alone. They are designed to shine a light on people whose decisions improve reliability, safety and performance, often far from public attention.
By selecting Mr. Oludayo Sofoluwe from 15 nominees, and by recognising him among the top 10 winners who met all judging criteria at this year’s conference, the jury has made a statement about what kind of leadership the sector needs.
It needs leaders who are comfortable in high stakes environments, yet remain methodical. Leaders who insist on safe operations without compromising efficiency. Leaders who treat mentoring not as a side obligation but as a central part of their work. Leaders who see the energy transition not as a threat to traditional expertise but as an opportunity to apply that expertise in more thoughtful ways.
These are precisely the traits documented in his professional journey. From his early roles in commissioning and project execution, through reservoir and facilities engineering, to his present work in subsea maintenance and life of field operations, the thread has remained consistent, practical leadership in complex settings.
Reflections on impact and responsibility
Looking across his career, one can trace a simple but powerful pattern. Whenever there was work that demanded careful planning, clear communication and disciplined follow through, he was trusted with it. Whether it involved subsea interventions, key service contracts or special engineering projects, he responded with the same approach, understand the problem deeply, consult widely, plan clearly, and execute with discipline.
The significance of this approach goes beyond any single asset or company. Offshore oil and gas operations are tightly interconnected. A decision taken in one part of the system can influence performance elsewhere. Leaders who understand those linkages, and who treat each intervention as part of a larger picture, help keep the system stable.
His commitment to safe, reliable offshore operations has a human dimension as well. Behind every metric on downtime, incident rates or production efficiency are people, technicians working on platforms, engineers in control rooms, divers and subsea specialists operating in difficult conditions. Leadership that keeps them safer while enabling them to perform at a high standard is leadership that deserves attention.
For professionals like Mr. Sofoluwe, excellence is not a single moment on a stage. It is the cumulative effect of hundreds of smaller decisions, often taken quietly, over many years. The Dratech Engineering Leadership Excellence Award 2024 simply brings that long history into public view.
A signal to the next generation
As this year’s conference wraps up and attention begins to shift toward future editions, Mr. Oludayo Sofoluwe’s recognition sends a clear message to the next generation of engineers and leaders.
It tells young professionals that there is enduring value in mastering the fundamentals of their discipline, Mechanical Engineering at undergraduate level, Petroleum Engineering at postgraduate level, and then continuously expanding their understanding as the industry evolves. It shows that roles in operations, maintenance and project execution, sometimes seen as routine, can be the foundation for significant impact if approached with care and conviction.
It also underlines the importance of character in leadership. Clear communication, disciplined risk management, strong mentorship and a commitment to safe, reliable operations are not add ons. They are core traits that set apart those who simply occupy positions from those who truly lead.
The Dratech International platform exists partly to document and celebrate such examples. In doing so, it helps shape expectations within the wider engineering and energy community.
Looking ahead
The close of the Dratech International Conference 2024 marks the end of one event but not the end of the work that earned this recognition. Offshore and subsea operations will continue to demand steady leadership. New projects will emerge, new regulatory expectations will take shape, and the pressure to deliver energy more efficiently and responsibly will only grow.
In that context, professionals like Mr. Oludayo Sofoluwe will remain central. His blend of operational experience, academic depth and forward looking study positions him not just as a seasoned practitioner but as a leader who can help guide the sector through its next chapter.
The Dratech Engineering Leadership Excellence Award 2024 is therefore more than a plaque or a moment on stage. It is a public acknowledgement that his contributions have already strengthened critical systems and a quiet expectation that his influence will extend even further in the years ahead.
As the lights dim on this year’s ceremony and the official photographs are taken, one fact is clear. In recognising Mr. Oludayo Sofoluwe, Dratech International has placed its spotlight on the kind of engineering leadership that keeps offshore operations safe, keeps energy systems reliable and helps prepare the industry for a future that will demand even higher standards.
For the Dratech community, for Nigeria’s wider engineering and energy sector, and for the young professionals watching closely, that is a story worth paying attention to.
