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Open Comments: S2 Ep.1 - E is for Exploring The Open Group OSDU® Management Committee (OMC) with Einar Landre

• The Open Group • Season 2 • Episode 1

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Journey through the evolving landscape of technology and energy as Einar Landre shares his remarkable career path from computer scientist to an Oil and Gas industry veteran. Dividing his professional life into two distinct chapters, Einar takes us from his early days maintaining software in Oslo through an exciting consultancy phase—where he developed solutions for the European Space Agency's space module and Olympic security systems—to his current two-decade tenure with Equinor (formerly Statoil).

What makes this conversation particularly illuminating is Einar's philosophy toward problem-solving and continuous growth. He describes recurring seven-year cycles throughout his career, points at which he naturally seeks new challenges to avoid stagnation. His childhood fascination with building models and experimenting with physics evolved organically into a professional approach characterized by curiosity and resilience.

Perhaps most valuable are the hard-earned insights Einar offers to those in technical fields: master something to the level of peer recognition, never stop learning, and practice being "egoless" by detaching your identity from the products you create. His reflections on mentorship—supporting others' growth while honoring their unique strengths—reveal the deeply human side of technical leadership. 

Whether you're navigating your own career in technology or simply fascinated by how four decades in rapidly changing industries shapes one's professional wisdom, this episode offers both practical guidance and thoughtful perspective on successful adaptation in complex environments.

Further reading: https://blog.opengroup.org/2024/11/26/sitting-down-with-einar-landre-operator-representative-the-open-group-osdu-management-committee-omc/ 

Coming up on Season 2: Lifelong Learning (Mini Episode), Insights from Huub Streng (TotalEnergies) on effective collaboration, and lots more!

Subscribe to Open Comments for more conversations featuring industry veterans sharing their unique journeys and lessons learned along the way and much more.

Copyright © The Open Group 2023-2025. All rights reserved.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Open Comments with myself, ash. Today's guest is Ina Landry. He's a computer scientist by training, with a master's degree in software engineering. Thank you for joining us today, ina. Please can you start by telling us more about you and your career journey so far?

Speaker 2:

Okay, thank you, ash. I think I'm looking back. I think my career is four decades. But I think, looking back, I think my career is four decades, but I think when I look at it I split it in two, because in my first, say 20-some years I spent time in, I was living in Oslo and I worked for, say, the computer company in, say that, basically for seven years, from I was basically 25 till I was 31, something like that, and where I basically okay, maintained some pieces of software, supported software, developed new software and had a great time. And then this hits in the mini machines collapsed back in. I think it was 1989 or something like that. Of course the company went down the drain, lay off so I figured out.

Speaker 2:

Okay, I need to do something else. So then I moved on and worked more or less as a consultancy for years, and as consultancy I had a lot of say interesting tasks working for, say for the European Space Agency and the Columbus space module still in use on the space station, space module still in use on the space station and some fun software there, satellite software for imaging of radar images A lot of fun. And also the police in Norway for the Olympics in 1994 or some of that project Amazing stuff. Of course you have this sort of very final deadline when you not move and you need to make it work for whatever, for whatever reason it is. So I think that's um.

Speaker 2:

And then, of course, being introduced to leadership roles, running consultancy, business doing, moving from having leadership roles into being architect on various projects in different, say, from retail, and which brought me to the oil and gas sector as well, then beginning on the retail side as a consultant and then being basically and that say coincidized with my move to Stavanger for family reasons and Stavanger and Norway equals oil and I was working for Statoil, then Statoil, now Equinor, and started out as a consultant. They wanted to employ me and that basically, when I basically moved into my second part of my career, which is basically lasted for 20 years now and where I have various roles in equinor, in the it I did, I mentioned of equinor where I have several roles over the years, ending up with ost, which I think would be the things that I stay with until I leave the company, take my retirement, put it that way.

Speaker 1:

Can you tell us a little bit about your interest in oil and gas and where that started, please?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I'd say the fun fact here is that if I hadn't moved to Stavanger I think I would never work for oil and gas, because in Oslo you can say there is a lot of interesting tech companies, consultancies, but there is very limited oil and gas activity. So I think when I moved and was introduced and started to understand in particular the subsurface domain, the drilling and wells domain, of course its complexity is enormous. Seen from a computer scientist's perspective, it's in many ways a very, it's a muddy, put it that way, to quote stephen whitley, we use the same phrase once upon a time. So so I think that it's it's an area where a lot of say say, with a lot of hard problems and of course and I think I have always enjoyed being part of trying to part of trying to solve hard problems that's basically been what triggers me. So no really passion for the industry itself, but it's a place with great opportunities for great fun.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, and circling back to problem solving, do you think that's been a part of you all this time, or is there a particular process that you like about you know breaking down problems and getting to the solutions, or is it more you face, you know, problems head on and then find solutions afterwards?

Speaker 2:

I think I've always been and always enjoyed, say, experimenting with things okay physics, things like that.

Speaker 2:

In my my childhood I always built this sort of models of, say, of these sort of find build cars and see if we can. Basically you can I'm not sure what you call it in english, but basically this sort of having some wheels put them on some sort of frame and then you can try to run downhill and it's gravity will you down. So I've always been that sort of building models and experimenting. I think that's been part of my nature since I was quite young.

Speaker 1:

Would you say that also links to how you approach, maybe, lifelong learning, in the sense of you know you're always learning, you're always growing, you like to problem solve, so you're always looking for the next challenge.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I think so, I think so, I think that you have this sort of. When I look back on my career, I think I always find these sort of seven-year cycles when I go into something new, and that doesn't need to be within the same I don't mean to change employer, but at least to change area. And okay, when, say sometimes between when, when I've been there in a particular area for say five to seven years, I see that okay, I get bored, yeah. So then I need to find something new to to address and challenge myself, to see if I can say reboot myself, to put it in computer tech terminology and next up, please can you tell us about your journey with the Open Group OSD Forum so far?

Speaker 2:

With respect to the forum, I was part of the founding meetings. I still don't remember if it was in 18 or 19. I'm not sure which one I was, but at least I was in the founding meeting in Houston and I've been involved more or less since and engaged in, say, typically, work groups, enterprise architectures, the capability group operating model, and voiced my opinions in the forums different channels so quite active, I think. And then when Epinor reorganized in 2021, I basically was told you work on OSDU, you're too critical for us to do something else, because there was some sort of opportunities for other things as well. So, okay, I said okay, well, that's okay, it's fun. And I never looked back. I've had great, great years and feel this sort of yeah, okay, we are moving forward. Of course, there it's sometimes two steps forward and one back, but I think that's how it is so. And then I ended up in the WMC, elected. I thought okay, which is a good credit. At least those who voted for me think that.

Speaker 1:

Okay, he's a good guy, so that's nice and, would you say, being part of you know um. Collaborating with many professional individuals also helps in terms of you know, your growth and uh how you learn from others, but also the knowledge that you gain from others as well.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I think that's for me, and I've been, say, over the years, also engaged in some other sort of say, conferences and forums where clever people meet and discuss, say and also have fun. Meet and discuss, say and have and also have fun. And and I think those, those arenas have always made me try, even though I'm basically an introvert, or more introvert and extrovert, I find joy in attending these collaborative sessions with, with engaged and smart people. It gives me something.

Speaker 1:

Do you think as well it helps with. You know, when you're finding solutions, maybe for particular projects and also focusing on those outcomes, that working with different people, you know throwing ideas around, thinking about the viewpoints that they bring to the table and seeing where they're coming from, you know, uh, solving like problems head-on and finding solutions that that helps, uh, you know, um, not only build on collaboration but also make it more satisfying when you reach, you know, the goal at hand as well more satisfying when you reach you know the goal at hand as well.

Speaker 2:

Definitely, I think that great stuff has never been in isolation, in sort of. Of course, you have einstein and others who have basically been genius, but I think that when it comes to to do really great stuff and I think it's also that the process of making it is is much more, say, prosperous when you can have people with different backgrounds whatever that means in terms of saying, from coming from different places of this, say, and different, different backgrounds in all respects is really, is that really for?

Speaker 2:

me is really rewarding to be part of that type of collaborations and work. You can learn a lot from others.

Speaker 1:

Would you say also, mentorship is big for you as well, or it could be mentoring others, but also being mentored by people as well, in terms of your career journey so far.

Speaker 2:

I think that almost everybody that I know who have developed a career, there are individuals that was there early and basically gave them something, say, pushed them forward and it will help them to push themselves forward. Maybe even more precise, and so it was with me In my first real, say, job. I had this guy called Nisse Larsson who basically taught me everything he knew about the subject and I think that I've always been thankful to him and I've heard a similar story from a lot of friends. They're saying, ok, yes, there was this guy and back in that time there was only guys who did this kind of thing because there was no girls working in this environment. And I even heard say, say that was last fall. That was when she she's been. Basically she did her phd in on oxford 20 years ago and she came and we met again and said you were my first mentor. She told me when we basically were colleagues three decades ago.

Speaker 2:

So it's I think it is sort of three decades ago. So I think it is sort of trying to build this sort of okay, trying to be this kind of not this sort of best servicer on the wall, but at least help those who are young and early in their careers to understand okay, I'm here to support you. I think that's important. Teach you all I know and you will go beyond me. I think that's important. Teach you all I know and you will. You will go beyond me. I think that's also another thing. With that.

Speaker 1:

You know that the say the apprentice outperforms the master at some point in time, and I think we'll find that rewarding and would you say as well just continuing on that point that it also, you know, involves the knowledge that you share and you impart onto someone else because they have different ways of working. It may not necessarily mean to, you know, mold them into yourself, but you're also giving them space to be themselves, but giving them, I guess you could say, the tools to do that you know along the way. That's how I perceive mentoring to be, in a sense.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think that's crucial Because, as I say, I think that if you are not, you need to be true to yourself basically to be able to develop. I think that goes for all of us one way or the other. And if you are not, and if you are molded into somebody else's sort of, then you run into these sort of I think compromises yes, then you run into these sort of I think compromises yes, and I don't think they. And then people will figure out that okay, you are not a mentor anymore, you are basically, yeah, it gets ugly easily gets ugly, as I see it. So it's extremely important to build upon what they are, say, build on their own strengths. Put it that way yes, nurture it, nurture their own strengths.

Speaker 1:

Yes, and can you describe any exciting projects that you are currently working on and that you have any that are coming up that you're most looking forward to?

Speaker 2:

you are currently working on and that you have any that are coming up, that you're most looking forward to, I think, as it is now, it's I do osd, you forum, activities, source time, so. So I think that's that's the arena, so that's the the thing that I'm I'm doing. So so I think it's to help bring Venus into fruition and that it becomes a success. And the answer to that we know in a year's time, I think. So that's the main thing on, except then, if you move into my other project, is project is that I'm practicing karate, so I'm preparing for a new downgrade for in a year's time.

Speaker 2:

That's also this sort of say endless learning process. You can you'll never, never educate it. Just keep on churning on that's journey on it's a professional, it's always the you journey. That's my primary undertaking. And then I do, yeah, I try to build some small apps for my iPhone to just have some sort of training practice on programming, but that's basically say but on programming, but that's uh, that's basically say too far between the time slots I have to spend on it and moving on to the last part of the interview, particularly advice, for, you know, those looking to work in a similar field as yourself.

Speaker 1:

What type of advice would you maybe give them? Or other particular anecdotes that you know you have carried forward, or even any inspirational advice that stuck with you as well?

Speaker 2:

yeah, that's uh, I think I think one of my first advice is I think that it's extremely important to learn something to a level of being recognized by your peers as a master of that area.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

I think that because that gives you this sort of and I say that not going into that you become a self-declared expert, but basically that you're recognized among your peers, that okay, you really know this, and because I think that kind of journey, particularly in your early career, these things gives you this sort of springboards for moving on. Second thing, I think, is that you never stop learning. Be curious, challenge yourself and I think also would include on that, don't be afraid to expose yourself. There shouldn't be that kind of okay, if we didn't do mistakes we wouldn't learn. That's another thing. Humans learn by doing mistakes, not by succeeding in everything we do. So mistakes are important, but of course, make sure that you don't harm yourself or others when that happens.

Speaker 2:

Of course and my last thing goes into what I say try to be egoless. And what do I mean by that? And I think that I've seen it with people who have spent too long time within a particular say, with a particular product or a particular solution. They tie their own ego to the product. So criticisms of the product becomes criticisms of themselves, which makes them extremely vulnerable. So this sort of decouple yourself from the artifacts you are part of making and step back and see them as okay. I was part of that. We did maybe a good job. We did maybe not that good job, but at least it's not me, I'm not the product I made and do that kind of make sure that you, because then products have their own life cycles Sometimes there is always. Most of us have people above us one way or the other, and sometimes things are stopped for reasons we don't like or, and then it's extremely important to not tie your own personality to the success of the product. So be egoless. That's my, that's my last advice in that space.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, and if you could give advice to your younger self before starting in this respective position, what would that advice be and why?

Speaker 2:

To give an advice to my young self. Yes, was that? Yes, okay, that's an interesting one. I think it's this sort of I'm not sure, because I think one of my advices, of course, is that you should never give up. Okay, if you, and with that I'd say that that does not mean that something comes to an end. Okay, we came this far, and it's the correct thing to turn around and walk down because it's too dangerous, too difficult or impossible, but it's this sort of, as I say, not give up before it's tried. Yes, try things before you, always try things before you give up.

Speaker 1:

Perfect. So we'd like to thank you for coming on to the Open Comments podcast and we hope our listeners have enjoyed this episode as much as we have in learning about your career journey so far and what you are passionate about, and we'd also like to thank all of our listeners, the Open Comments community, who have been tuning into Open Comments so far. Please stay safe and we'll see you soon. Thank you you.

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