Credentials
Professional Summary
Engineering and technology leader with global experience across industrial asset reliability, digital product platforms, and enterprise data strategy. Career spanning hands-on reliability engineering, digital product management, applied AI programme delivery, and enterprise data leadership in complex operational environments.
Education
MSc Sustainable Development (in progress)
University of Sussex
BEng Electronics Engineering
Universidad Santo Tomás
Diploma – Project Management (Telecommunications)
Politécnico Grancolombiano
Professional Memberships
Engineers Australia — Member (MIEAust)
Institute of Electric and Electronics Engineers
Society of Petroleum Engineers
Awards & Recognition
Conrad Schlumberger Award for Technical Depth
SLB Reservoir Symposium, 2019 Drilling energy management for profitability
Conrad Schlumberger Award for Technical Depth
SLB Reservoir Symposium, 2018 ROP prediction and optimisation using a hybrid approach of machine learning and physics
Gold Award, Performed by SLB
2020 Artificial Intelligence for Everyone
Reservoir Symposium Finalist
SLB, 2017 Drilling with a whirl-free assembly becomes reality
Licences & Certifications
SLB Eureka Technical Career (SETC) Principal
SLB, 2019. Peer-reviewed technical career recognition within a global engineering and technology organisation.
AI Strategies and Roadmap: Systems Engineering Approach to AI Development and Deployment
MIT Professional Education, 2022
Data Strategy: Leveraging Data as a Competitive Advantage
UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business, 2023
Selected Work & Publications
Selected Experience
Representative roles spanning engineering leadership, digital product development, and enterprise data strategy across complex industrial environments.
Division Data Manager — Global Technology and Data Strategy
Houston, USA | 2023 – 2025
Led data strategy, governance, and architecture enabling AI and analytics across a global industrial division.
Data Lab Program Manager — Applied Analytics and Innovation
Cambridge, UK | 2018 – 2023
Governed a portfolio of applied data science initiatives from pilot to commercial deployment, leading multidisciplinary teams and a global capability development programme.
Product Manager — Integrated Hardware & Software Platforms
Houston, USA | 2014 – 2018
Owned product lifecycle for industrial sensing and analytics platforms, from field validation through commercial scale across multiple geographies.
Engineering Operations Leadership
Australasia & South America | 2008 – 2014
Technical authority for engineering decisions, risk management, and post-incident investigation across regional operations serving major international operators.
Field Operations & Reliability Engineering
Australia and Overseas | 1997 – 2008
Hands-on field operations, maintenance and reliability engineering for high-value downhole tool fleets, including establishment of a remote maintenance base and systematic failure investigation across multiple geographies.
Selected Publications
Selected technical publications from collaborative research and engineering work on drilling systems, operational performance, and data-driven analysis.
Apples to Apples: Impartial Assessment of Drilling Technologies through Big Data and Machine Learning
Khvostichenko, D.; Skoff, G.; Arevalo, Y.; Makarychev-Mikhailov, S.
SPE/IADC International Drilling Conference and Exhibition — Stavanger, Norway, 2023
https://doi.org/10.2118/212446-MS
Machine learning applied to large operational datasets to produce objective, bias-free comparisons of drilling technology performance.
How Drilling Fluids Affect Drilling Performance: Big Data Analysis
Khvostichenko, D.; Champeau, M.; Powell, J.; Vesselinov, V.; Skoff, G.; Bouguetta, M.; Arevalo, Y.; Makarychev-Mikhailov, S.
IADC/SPE International Drilling Conference and Exhibition — Galveston, USA, 2022
https://doi.org/10.2118/208688-MS
Large-scale analysis of how drilling fluid properties influence operational performance across diverse wells and geological environments.
Quantification of Our Carbon Footprint while Drilling
Johnson, A.; Mäkinen, A.; Fahim, S.; Arevalo, Y.
International Petroleum Technology Conference — Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2022
https://doi.org/10.2523/IPTC-22528-EA
Method for quantifying greenhouse-gas emissions associated with drilling operations to support carbon footprint measurement and reduction.
Technology Update: Well Construction Performance Service Bridges Planning-Execution Gap to Boost Efficiency
Hbaieb, S.; Converset, J.; Foster, J.; Arevalo, Y.
Journal of Petroleum Technology, 2018
https://doi.org/10.2118/0418-0020-JPT
Operational framework connecting engineering planning with real-time execution data to improve well construction efficiency and performance consistency.
Integrated Approach to Drilling Dynamics Challenges in the Browse Basin
Arevalo, Y.; O'Sullivan, C.; Fernandes, A.
The APPEA Journal — CSIRO Publishing, 2012
https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ11080
Integrated analysis of vibration behaviour and operational parameters to address drilling dynamics challenges in a technically demanding offshore environment.
Quantification of Drillstring-Integrity-Failure Risk Using Real-Time Vibration Measurements
Arevalo, Y.; Fernandes, A.
SPE Drilling & Completion, 2012
https://doi.org/10.2118/147747-PA
Real-time vibration data used to quantify drillstring integrity risk and support operational decisions in high-vibration drilling environments.
Selected Recommendations
Capella Festa
President & Director, Schlumberger Foundation
“Yezid is someone who listens carefully, asks insightful questions, and brings clarity to complex discussions.”
Jorge Gainza
Global Geoservices Manager, SLB
“Yezid’s talent for connecting people, processes and platforms made him a critical driver in our digital transformation journey”
Richard Harmer
Digital Development Manager, SLB
“Yezid demonstrated a unique ability to bridge the gap between complex technical challenges and strategic business objectives."
Dr. Kinda Georges-Nashef
Product Manager - Principal - Digital Sustainability, SLB
“Yezid moves confidently between field operations, research environments and strategic discussions, engaging effectively with engineers, scientists and senior leaders alike.”