MIRI (Bernama) – Life can be tough growing up deep in the interior of Sarawak, which is bereft of modern amenities and basic infrastructure and where it is easy to fall by the wayside for lack of opportunities.
But none of these shortcomings stood in the way of Isrom Udau who was born into a farming family in Tinjar, Baram, a remote district in northern Sarawak famed for its treacherous rivers, bird nests, Mulu caves and the hospitable Orang Ulu ethnic group.
The longhouse he grew up in, Long Sepiling, is located along the mighty Tinjar river in the interior of Baram which is totally cut off from the outside world. The only way to reach the longhouse is by express boat and a journey from Miri would take about six hours.
Isrom, who has come a long way from his days of foraging for food in the jungle, is now the general manager at Miri-based Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd (PCSB), Sarawak, a position he achieved two years ago at the relatively young age of 44.
The father-of-three, who joined PCSB in 2004, said all his life he had to be persistent and resilient in the face of adversities.
“I never blamed my fate for being born poor. On the contrary, I cherished it more because, through all the hardship, I became who I am today,” he added.
Expressing his gratitude to his predecessors for the support and guidance extended to him, he said they helped him to build his career at Petronas as well as to grow in the company.
“I would do the same too to develop the young leaders (in the company), especially those working under me as I want them to flourish and become more successful than me.”
A CHALLENGING EARLY LIFE
Recalling his early life in Baram, Isrom said his family and their fellow villagers depended on rainwater for drinking and cooking. They bathed and washed their laundry and dishes in the crocodile-infested Tinjar river.
“Those days, life was a constant struggle. We survived on food from the jungle,” he said.
He said his parents Udau Along and Puyang Lah, now deceased, had a farm inside the jungle and used to stay in a temporary hut there so that they could tend their crops.
“They only returned home on weekends. On weekdays, my three siblings and I had to fend for ourselves. We were forced to be independent, learned to cook and did household chores,” he said.
Isrom still remembers his eldest brother Eden Udau, who was 11 years old then, going fishing at the nearest river after school and returning late in the evening with some catch for their dinner.
“And when we ran out of fish and vegetables, we would just eat plain rice sprinkled with a bit of sugar,” he said.
In 1981, Isrom’s family moved to Subis, Miri, in search of greener pastures. There, his parents worked as labourers in an oil palm estate and later at a cocoa plantation. They earned minimum wages and their estate quarters had no basic facilities.
Family hardship also forced him to delay his primary school enrolment by a year because he had to babysit his little sister Lahong and do household chores while his parents were at work and two older brothers went to school.
Seven years later, Isrom’s family moved to a squatter area near Pujut, Miri, where his parents cultivated crops and rice on a piece of state-owned land in upper Miri river, a three-hour journey by boat from Miri town.
He was 10 years old then and studied at Sekolah Kebangsaan Pujut Corner Miri, located about two kilometres from his house.
“At that time, my two elder brothers were studying at boarding schools, so my parents entrusted me with the responsibility of looking after Lahong, who was only seven,” he said.
“There was no electricity or treated water supply in the squatter area where we stayed. We relied on oil lamps to study at night. We used rainwater for bathing, washing and cooking. During the dry season, we would go to the nearest fire hydrant which is about two kilometres away to get clean water for domestic use.”
OPPORTUNITIES COME KNOCKING
Despite the challenges, Isrom scored excellent grades in both his Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Sijil Rendah Pelajaran (SRP) examinations.
In fact, after completing Primary Six, he was offered a scholarship to study at STAR College in Perak. After completing Form Three, he received offers to study at MARA Junior Science College Balik Pulau, Penang, as well as at Kolej Tun Datu Tuanku Hj Bujang Miri.
Sadly, he had to turn down all the offers because he needed to take care of his sister. So Isrom continued his secondary education at SMK Baru Miri and SMK Dato’ Permaisuri Miri.
He later pursued his tertiary education at Universiti Sains Malaysia with a scholarship from the Public Services Department (JPA). He graduated with a degree in Mining and Mineral Resources Engineering in 2000.
Six months later, Isrom landed his first job at SOSMA Sdn Bhd (later known as SCOMI) as a production chemist and was stationed at Miri Crude Oil Terminal.
The job provided him with the opportunity to work at various onshore terminals and offshore platforms in Malaysia including Sabah and Terengganu.
“I led the company to secure several high-value contracts and established the ISO 14001 certification for them. However, due to my passion for reservoirs and drilling, I joined Sarawak Shell Bhd on contract terms in 2003 as a drilling engineer,” he said.
PROGRESSING WITH PETRONAS
In 2004, PCSB Sarawak offered him a permanent job as a field engineer at Miri Crude Oil Terminal. Nine years later, he was promoted to field operations manager for Bintulu waters.
“When I first became a manager, my day-to-day work was hectic. I had to oversee all production and operation matters on Bintulu waters including engaging with our new production partners. It was physically and mentally draining but the autonomy and empowerment given by my superiors gave me the added motivation to carry out my duties,” he said.
In 2015, Petronas transferred him to Kerteh, Terengganu, as asset head for the Dulang and Sepat Field at its Peninsular Malaysia Operations (PMO), and in the following year, he managed the Angsi Platform and Besar Field on Terengganu waters.
Isrom was transferred back to Miri in 2017 to lead the team at the Baronia, Baram and BOBELA fields.
In March 2020, he was promoted to general manager of engineering at PCSB Sarawak. Two weeks later, the world was hit by an unprecedented health crisis namely COVID-19, which led to a slowdown in production and mobility worldwide, producing a significant drop in the global demand for oil.
The pandemic also caused delays in oil and gas projects and Petronas was not spared.
“During the Movement Control Order period, we were asked to work from home and I had to manage my new team virtually. Responding to the plunge in oil prices, I had to lead a series of cost-cutting exercises and reprioritisation activities. With limited budget allocation, we had to ensure that safety, asset integrity and production were safeguarded,” said Isrom.
In August 2021, Isrom assumed the role of general manager of specialised maintenance at PCSB Sarawak.
His responsibilities include overseeing all maintenance activities related to the company’s specialised disciplines such as metering, pipeline, structural, rotating, mechanical, electrical and instrument.
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