Valeriy Vospyakov is one of the best HSE officers that the author has worked with in their 15 years in the oilfield. Valeriy works on the Orlan production platform for ExxonMobil, where they drill the deepest wells in the world. As the sole HSE officer for the platform, Valeriy is responsible for ensuring compliance with numerous safety regulations while maintaining a strong safety record. Through his experience, discipline, and ability to build relationships, Valeriy has helped establish a safety-focused culture on the platform and earned the trust of the author. The author recommends Valeriy as a highly skilled and dedicated employee.

1. To Whom It May Concern,
It’s my pleasure to write a letter of recommendation for Valeriy Vospyakov. I first
worked with Valeriy over eight years ago, it was great to see him again when I
returned to Sakhalin in 2012, and since then he’s reaffirmed himself as one of the
best HSE officers I have worked with in my fifteen years in the oilfield. On the Orlan
production platform we drill ExxonMobil’s only multi-lateral wells and recently
completed O-14, the world’s deepest well at 13,500m TD. As the Lead Drilling
Supervisor for such critical operations, I rely heavily on a few key people who have
routinely exhibited proven judgment, utmost responsibility, a high-level of expertise
in their field, and complete honesty. There aren’t many of those folks in any
operation, but Valeriy has always been one of them during both of my tours in
Sakhalin. The least I can do for this man is to write a letter to whoever is lucky
enough to employ him next.
ExxonMobil will never be an easy client to work for in any situation, but XOM in
Sakhalin is especially demanding. On Orlan the HSE-Department is responsible for
Russian Federation regulatory (both RTN and RPN) compliance, ExxonMobil Drilling
HSE, ExxonMobil Production compliance, and Parker Drilling HSE compliance. As
well, I personally expect an HSE-rep to be a regular visual presence for the multiple
workgroups on the platform, and attend the daily Hazard Hunts, and all critical PJSMs
on the rig. I am proud to tell you that because of our key personnel like Valeriy, the
Orlan is the safest rig in all of ExxonMobil with over 610 Hurt-Free days as of this
writing. I’m also proud to tell you that the Orlan just completed an XOM-internal
audit and an RTN-audit, and passed both with flying-colors… and thanks in no small
part to the discipline and high-standards that Valeriy has helped us implement on the
platform. And just how important is Valeriy in helping us meet all of our stringent
internal and external HSE expectations? Although Orlan is the safest of the three
XOM rigs in Sakhalin, we do it all with half the HSE staff of the other rigs. Where the
other XOM rigs have Lead/ Night HSE Personnel, Regulatory Compliance Personnel,
and Rig Clerks to help with the HSE/ Compliance issues… Orlan has only Valeriy and
his night assistant.
As a consequence of being one of only a handful of people that I can truly trust and
delegate to, as well as being hampered by a tight bedspace allowance on the
platform, Valeriy was routinely overworked… but in all the years I worked with him,
he never complained, and he never missed a deadline. His military background
comes through in the disciplined manner in which he runs his business, as well as the
organizational-system he devised to keep track of the myriad forms/ checklists/
matrices that XOM and PDC require for every operation and HSE-critical piece of
equipment. And although paperwork and computer proficiency are critical
prerequisites for an HSE Officer on an XOM operation and Valeriy meets those

2. expectations in spades, this is not where Valeriy shines the most. Valeriy has the
natural gift of being able to relate every single person on the rig regardless of
nationality, rank, or experience level. The manner in which he represents
ExxonMobil and Parker Drilling is exactly what one would hope from the person
whom personnel first meet when they set foot on the platform. His magnetic
personality comes through naturally and easily, he respects all personnel equally, and
his professionalism and genuine concern for his family on the rig comes through
immediately – all this is what has made him such a critical team member and integral
part of establishing the culture that has made the Orlan ExxonMobil’s most successful
drilling operation.
I appreciate all these great aspects of who Valeriy is, how great it has been to work
with him, and the energy he brings to the rig makes life on the rig downright
enjoyable… but what truly sets him apart as a great HSE officer among the very good
HSE officers I have worked with is his pragmatism. Some HSE folks are great with the
paper, are great with the compliance, and are great with the people… but fall short
on pragmatism. They forget that the HSE group is supposed to support the
operation, and instead think that their job is to find all the HSE/ regulatory reasons
that an operation can’t happen. But not Valeriy… Valeriy brings a can-do attitude to
everything… he doesn’t tell us why we can’t do things, he helps us find ways to do
things safer. He doesn’t just spout off all the things the rules say we can’t do… he
brings us options on what we can do to stay within the rules. And that’s not easy… it
takes knowledge, it takes experience, and it takes a dedication and a commitment to
the greater-good and general-interest… but Valeriy did it successfully at every
opportunity.
Because of all the things that Valeriy brings to the table, our operation was better,
our people worked safer, and every hitch was more enjoyable. He will quickly
become an asset to any operation, and one of the most dependable members of any
team… I can assure you of that from personal experience.
Please feel free to contact me personally if there are any other questions I can
answer about Valeriy’s personal qualities or professional qualifications.
Thanks,
Vince Kessler
Lead Drilling Superintendent
Orlan: 832-254-8020
e-mail: Vincent.Kessler@exxonmobil.com
US cell: 816-820-7967