Kshama is currently working as Principal, of Integrity Solutions and Compliance at the Energy Systems division of DNV. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, the University of Manitoba and a Sessional Lecturer at the University of Calgary. He is an industry renowned expert in pipe-soil interaction and pipeline integrity. Kshama won many prestigious awards including IPC 2020 Outstanding Young Pipeline Professional Award, 2021 Innovative Thinker Award, Chevron Canada Ltd Rising Star Award. Apart from YPI, he is also serving as the founding chair of the inaugural Canadian Geotechnical Society young professionals committee, young engineers engagement committee chair for the IPC 2022, and technical co-chair for GeoCalgary 2022. Kshama is a proud graduate from the Memorial University of Newfoundland where he completed his Masters and Ph.D. in geotechnical engineering under the supervision of Dr. Bipul Hawlader, Dr. Shawn Kenny and Dr. Ian Moore.

Why did you join YPI?

I believe that innovation is closely related to the ability to see things differently from a new perspective i.e. come up with new ideas and novel approaches to problems! As technology is moving fast, our ability to be flexible and to adapt to change is crucial, especially for the pipeline industry! And what is the solution for all these? The Young Professionals! While I was working with the Young Pipeliners Association of Canada (YPAC), I was a part of a group of ambitious and innovative young professionals who were motivated to make a positive impact on our industry. And that positive experience encouraged me to go further to explore what the international young pipeline professional groups have to offer! That’s why when the outgoing YPI leaders reached out to me and asked whether I would be interested to lead the young pipeline professionals from all over the world, it took me only a few seconds to say ‘Yes! I am ready!’ I am a strong believer in youth energy, and I am very passionate about creating opportunities for young professionals and students!

How do you measure success in your career?

Success for me can best be achieved by continuously challenging myself, setting goals, and then meeting or exceeding those goals. I believe that a successful career does not necessarily indicate successful positions or salary; to me, I will consider myself successful in my career only when I will be remembered by my peers not only for contributing to society but also for motivating them in the same ideology.

What are you passionate about outside YPI?

I am passionate about volunteering and making a difference in the community with my innovative ideas! For example, I recently volunteered as a Judge for the prestigious Diana Award which was established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, and is the most prestigious accolade a young person aged 9-25 years can receive for their social action or humanitarian work. Besides, along with my family members, I led the initiative to establish the ‘Kshirode Chandra Roy Memorial Fund’ in memory of my late father. Following are some of the initiatives that are my brainchild:

• Establishment of the Kshirode Chandra Roy Memorial Scholarship that covers the education and living costs of one underprivileged female school student.
• Being moral parents for two underprivileged female university students covering their monthly educational costs.
• Partial adoption of ‘Lemeki’ and ‘Naleku’ two orphan female elephants in Kenya.
• Financial contribution to a self-reliant and self-supporting project initiative where this fund helped one student buy two goats to help him become self-supporting alongside his education.
• Title sponsor for the 18th Inter School General Knowledge and Mathematics Quiz Competition 2022 in Barisal which is the hometown of my father.

I love spending time with my 4 years old niece, Aryahi and I love traveling through which I experience other cultures, meet new people and enjoy nature. I have been fortunate to travel to several countries so far including Egypt, Sri Lanka, India, the USA, Greece, Switzerland, France, and Italy.

What should we do to attract more young people to a career in the pipeline industry?

We all probably agree that the pipeline industry is facing many challenges. However, one of the challenges which probably has not received much attention is the lack of interest from young people to join this industry! We need to keep this mind that the industry landscape is changing and whether it is industry or academia, incredibly motivated young people are needed to bring innovation.

Following are some potential steps for young people that the industry can consider:

• Create opportunities to make an impact
• Create opportunities for growth and innovation
• Create opportunities for leadership  
• Create an avenue to share best industry practices and learnings from incidents
• Develop a unique, positive & impactful industry culture
• Showcase clearly how the pipeline industry is making an impact on people and the environment
• Create an attractive work environment including flexibility, team building opportunities, performance-based incentives, personal growth opportunities
• Communicate properly the mission, vision, and social purpose of the company
• Host regular fun and casual events both company-wide and industry-wide

While we are focussing on attracting young people, we also need to strategize on how to retain young professionals at the same time. Young professionals are attracted to organizations and brands that are trustworthy, transparent, embrace technology, and aim to help society. Another important thing to consider is that young professionals have embraced digital media unlike any generation before. In addition, our industry needs to understand that young professionals use social media differently than other generational users. Therefore, industry-wide strategic planning is required to engage young professionals in digital media by highlighting and recognizing outstanding young professionals. We also need to think about how we can involve young professionals in industry-wide strategic planning and advocacy opportunities.