A petroleum engineer from Colombia, Felipe Cadena's nearly decade of experience across engineering, field operations, technical sales and commercial roles have taken him to Guyana, where he now supports one of our most significant offshore operations. Tenaris
When Felipe Cadena joined Tenaris as a Global Trainee in 2017, shortly after graduating as a petroleum engineer in Colombia, he was looking for an opportunity to better understand the industry beyond the classroom and the wellsite. "Early on, I realized I was most interested in understanding how everything connected," Felipe recalls. "I wanted to learn not only about the product, but also about operations, customers and the challenges they face every day."
Right after joining Tenaris in Colombia, Cadena soon moved to Argentina for Tenaris’s Initial Technical Training program, where he gained exposure to manufacturing, drilling and completion processes. The experience helped him connect technical knowledge with the realities of industrial operations and customer needs.
Back in Colombia, he worked on the introduction of new technologies and technical solutions for customers. The experience reinforced a lesson that continues to guide his work today: innovation only creates value when it delivers practical results. "The most rewarding moments were seeing an idea move from a technical concept to something that genuinely helped a customer improve its operation," he shares. "That's when I understood how important it is to connect technical expertise with business needs."
A few years later, Cadena transitioned into a commercial role, collaborating closely with teams across Supply Chain, Operations and Business Coordination. The move gave him a closer view of how different teams contribute to solving customer challenges.
Those experiences would prepare him for an international opportunity that arrived in 2024, taking Felipe to Guyana, where he now works in support of one of the company's most important offshore developments. There, he has been part of efforts to expand the scope of services provided to customers under Tenaris's Rig Direct® model, which integrates products, services and planning to support complex drilling operations.
The work requires coordination across multiple teams, facilities and countries, as well as a deep understanding of both customer priorities and operational realities. For Felipe, it is a role that brings together many of the lessons learned throughout his career.
Working with teams across different countries has broadened his perspective. "In Guyana, I work with people from many different backgrounds and cultures," Cadena says. "It challenges you to adapt, listen and keep learning. That experience has helped me grow as a professional and as a person."
Outside of work, he and his wife Mariana have built a new community far from home. "My friends here have become family," he says. "We enjoy getting together on weekends, sharing meals and playing football. Moving to a new country teaches you that what matters most isn't just where you are, but the people you meet along the way."
For Felipe, the value of those experiences lies in being able to understand different perspectives and find common ground between them. That perspective has become especially valuable in offshore operations, where technical expertise, operational understanding and service models such as Rig Direct® come together to help customers address complex challenges.
Today, Cadena hopes to continue growing in commercial, technical and service innovation roles while taking on new leadership responsibilities.
His advice to young professionals is to remain open to opportunities, even when the next step does not fit neatly into a career plan. "Some of the experiences that had the biggest impact on my career weren't ones I could have predicted," he reflects. "Growth often comes from saying yes to challenges, staying curious and being willing to learn from different perspectives."
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