I like to think that I have two lives.

My first life started when I joined the oil industry as an engineer fresh out of college.

It was a pretty fabulous adventure. I have lived unique experiences in the most extraordinary corners of the world, met wonderfully strange, charismatic people – some of whom have become lifelong friends. I had the opportunity to work on all kinds of projects, from planning well operations in the middle of the North Sea to helping shape the culture of a business unit in the middle of the Caucasus.

As time went by however I felt that I somehow needed to bring in to my work those areas that I was more and more consumed by: technology (read: enabling new ways to interact with the world)  and design. Both are very creative fields, that have inner and outer beauty. Both provide practical answers to problems or needs, but also serve a higher purpose because they are part of what defines us as humans.

So here I was trying to solve the following dilemma: I love technology and design – not our core business. And I also love the variety and excitement of building a cross-cultural, cross-discipline team and through the skillful application of process, creativity and brainpower solve complex problems…and celebrate! That I could definitely do every day when I was working in the industry.

Mmmm. And then I knew, it was my slap-on-the-forehead-moment: video games!

I have a long history with games, and they fall right at the intersection of the things I am passionate about. Fast forward to today. After pursuing a masters degree at the graduate school of games and interactive media (enjmin.fr), I am now working as a project manager for a game development studio in Berlin (yager.de).

Oh so you want to know more? Here are a few words that could describe me:

PLAYFUL: I’m a gamer at heart, and have played almost every style of game, both electronic and pen & paper. I have learned a hell of a lot from gaming, and developed important skills: thinking strategically, teamwork, resource management, and holding ground in the face of overwhelming odds (ok, I’m being a bit theatrical on that last one).

ANALYTICAL: I initially trained as a mechanical/petroleum engineer, and I also have invested a lot of my time learning how to program (C#, AS3.0, php, Ruby, Processing). Beyond the logic and number crunching, I also have a keen interest in understanding people and organisations, which led me to the study of system dynamics and coaching.

ADAPTABLE: I have held many jobs: e.g. working as a drilling engineer on a platform, or analysing the production data from complex oil fields. But I also worked on designing web applications for HR, or coaching teams and individuals to help them overcome obstacles or improve their performance. Today I have a broad skill-set that helps me connect the dotted lines when faced with new challenges.

CULTURALLY AWARE: I have lived in 8 countries. I really enjoy working in a multicultural and diverse environment, it makes for far more stimulating interactions. I’m bilingual (French/English), can find my way in Spanish, and have at one time or another taken classes in Azeri, Arabic, Norwegian, Russian and Japanese. Needless to say, I am now one linguistically confused little puppy.

CREATIVE: I could have been an architect/designer/artist in another life. I am drawn to it. However, in this life, I invest some of my time to develop my creative abilities: e.g. drawing, painting, or programming. In 2006 I spent an amazing summer at Parsons doing studio work.