- Could you please introduce yourself and describe your area of expertise?
I am Ebenezer Alawode, a certified reliability and project management professional with over 20 years of progressive experience spanning maintenance engineering, reliability strategy, supply chain, and engineering leadership across the oil and gas, mining, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) industries. My career has been built on delivering asset reliability, safety, and cost efficiency for mission-critical operations that keep global energy and industrial supply chains running.
In my current role as Senior FEC Program Manager for Reliability Maintenance and Engineering Safety at Amazon in Nashville, Tennessee, I lead global programs that reduce high-risk operations for Amazon’s engineers and technicians. I own and improve the safety of engineering operations, production equipment, and facilities across the company’s global footprint, working closely with senior management and executive leadership to translate data into concrete safety and reliability improvements.
Prior to Amazon, I served as Maintenance Manager for New Fortress Energy’s LNG import terminal in Miami, where I led a multidisciplinary team of maintenance engineers, planners, schedulers, and technicians, and ensured the facility’s compliance with EPA, DOT, and PHMSA regulations. Before that, I held progressively senior roles at Barrick Gold’s Nevada Gold Mines, Imperial Oil in Canada, and Shell Petroleum Development Company in Nigeria, where I built deep expertise in SAP PM/MM systems, turnaround planning, hydrocarbon systems management, and fleet asset management.
I hold dual professional certifications as a Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP) through the Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals and a Project Management Professional (PMP) through the Project Management Institute, both held since 2017. My work is grounded in a simple conviction: that reliable, well-maintained infrastructure is the backbone of a resilient economy, and that disciplined engineering practice, applied globally, protects both workers and the industries they serve.
- Your career spans over two decades in maintenance engineering and reliability leadership. What pivotal experiences most influenced your current focus on reliability program management and engineering safety?
Several defining experiences across my career shaped the trajectory I am on today. Early on, as a Field Maintenance Scheduler and later Maintenance Planner at Shell Petroleum Development Company in Nigeria, I saw firsthand how disciplined capacity planning, integrated activity planning, and rigorous SAP data management could transform the reliability of production facilities that supply energy to millions of people. That experience taught me that reliability is not an abstract engineering concept; it directly determines whether communities have consistent access to power and fuel.
A pivotal turning point came during my time with Imperial Oil in Canada, where I served as CMMS Strategy Planner and later CMMS Specialist. There, I helped redefine predictive maintenance methodology and performance-based maintenance for one of Exxon Mobil’s Canadian operations. Seeing how a shift from reactive to predictive maintenance could meaningfully reduce unplanned downtime and safety incidents reinforced my belief that engineering leadership and data-driven decision-making go hand in hand.
My role at Barrick Gold’s Nevada Gold Mines, where I managed hydrocarbon contracts and fleet assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars, sharpened my understanding of how reliability decisions ripple through an organization’s financial and operational performance. Most recently, at New Fortress Energy and now at Amazon, I have applied these lessons at global scale, leading programs that protect engineers and technicians while ensuring critical infrastructure, from LNG terminals to worldwide logistics networks, operates safely and reliably. These milestones share a common thread: a belief that engineering discipline, applied consistently and communicated clearly to leadership, is what keeps essential infrastructure safe and dependable.
- You’ve worked across global industrial hubs including Nigeria, Canada, and the United States. How have these diverse experiences shaped your understanding of reliability and maintenance management as applied in the U.S. market?
Working across Nigeria, Canada, and the United States exposed me to a wide range of regulatory frameworks, asset conditions, and organizational cultures, from Shell’s mature but resource-constrained operations in Nigeria, to Imperial Oil and Husky Energy’s highly structured Canadian oil sands environment, to the fast-paced, safety-first culture of American operators like Barrick Gold, New Fortress Energy, and Amazon. That range taught me to adapt reliability strategies to context rather than apply a single template everywhere, while holding firm to the same underlying principles: rigorous data, proactive planning, and uncompromising safety standards. This adaptability is especially valuable in the U.S. market, where facilities must meet demanding EPA, DOT, PHMSA, and OSHA requirements while remaining cost-competitive and highly available.
- Your expertise emphasizes SAP-driven maintenance systems and digital reliability tools. Can you explain what this involves and why it’s crucial for the future of both Nigeria and the U.S. industrial sectors?
It involves using enterprise systems such as SAP PM and MM, along with tools like Primavera P6, Power BI, Tableau, and increasingly AI-assisted analytics platforms such as Jupyter AI, to plan, schedule, and optimize maintenance work, manage master data, and forecast asset risk before failures occur. For Nigeria and other developing economies, this kind of digital maintenance infrastructure enables scale and consistency even where field resources are constrained, helping close the reliability gap between developing and mature markets. For the United States, where energy, mining, and logistics infrastructure is aging even as demand grows, these same tools drive the efficiency, safety, and resilience needed to keep critical facilities operating without costly unplanned downtime.
- In your current role at Amazon, you lead global programs that reduce high-risk operations for engineers and technicians. How does this tie into national priorities such as workforce safety and economic resilience?
By systematically identifying and reducing high-risk operations across Amazon’s global engineering and technician workforce, I help protect the people who keep the physical backbone of American commerce, its fulfillment and logistics infrastructure, running safely. This work directly supports national priorities around workplace safety and injury reduction while also strengthening economic resilience: fewer safety incidents mean fewer disruptions to the supply chains that businesses and consumers across the country depend on. The regulatory research and technical documentation I produce for reliability, maintenance, and engineering safety stakeholders also helps ensure that safety improvements are standardized and sustainable, not one-off fixes.
- What unique challenges have you encountered while developing reliability and maintenance programs for sectors like LNG, mining, and large-scale logistics, and how have you addressed them?
Each sector brings distinct challenges. In LNG, at New Fortress Energy, the challenge was balancing strict environmental and pipeline safety regulatory compliance (EPA, DOT, PHMSA) with the operational demands of a 24/7 import terminal; I addressed this by leading the CMMS strategy and building cross-functional alignment between engineering, operations, and regulatory teams. In mining, at Barrick Gold’s Nevada Gold Mines, the challenge was managing hydrocarbon and fleet assets across five geographically dispersed mine sites with a combined budget approaching $300 million; I addressed this through standardized life-cycle management documentation, rigorous technical review of fuels and lubricants, and data-driven fleet replacement planning that ultimately saved the organization roughly $2 million annually. In large-scale logistics at Amazon, the challenge is one of scale and speed, translating reliability best practices into safety programs that work consistently across a vast and fast-moving global network, which I address through structured regulatory research, technical writing, and close collaboration with senior leadership.
- Your career suggests a strong focus on de-risking capital-intensive industrial operations. What role does engineering innovation play in accelerating safer, more reliable infrastructure worldwide?
Engineering innovation, whether through predictive maintenance methodologies, SAP-integrated master data governance, or AI-assisted analytics, allows organizations to move from reactive repair to proactive risk management. This shift makes capital-intensive assets like LNG terminals, mining fleets, and global logistics networks more bankable, more insurable, and more attractive for continued investment, because reliability translates directly into predictable performance and reduced financial risk. Innovation in this space is especially critical as industries worldwide face growing pressure to do more with aging infrastructure and tightening safety expectations.
- You’ve led cross-functional maintenance and engineering teams and championed SAP, CMMS, and analytics tools throughout your career. How do you see technology transforming reliability and maintenance roles in the next five years?
I expect the next five years to bring a decisive shift from calendar-based and even purely predictive maintenance toward AI-augmented reliability management, where tools like Jupyter AI and advanced analytics platforms flag emerging risks in real time and recommend prioritized interventions. This will free reliability and maintenance professionals to focus less on manual data reconciliation and more on strategic decision-making, cross-functional risk communication, and continuous improvement. Professionals who combine deep field maintenance experience with fluency in these digital tools, as I have built across my career, will be best positioned to lead this transition.
- Part of your work bridges gaps between engineering, operations, and safety functions. What strategies have you found effective for fostering this kind of integration?
I have found that early and consistent cross-functional engagement is essential; bringing operations, maintenance, engineering, and safety teams into planning conversations from the start prevents costly rework and misaligned priorities later. Standardizing on a common data platform, typically SAP in my experience, gives every function a shared source of truth for asset condition and risk. And clear, well-documented technical writing and regulatory research, translated for both frontline technicians and executive leadership, ensures that safety and reliability priorities are understood and acted on at every level of the organization.
- How does your work directly contribute to national security and economic competitiveness, especially in light of growing interest in domestic infrastructure resilience?
Much of my career has centered on infrastructure that is directly tied to national and economic security: LNG import terminals subject to federal pipeline safety regulation, gold mining fleet and hydrocarbon assets supporting critical mineral production, and now the global logistics infrastructure that underpins American commerce at Amazon. By reducing high-risk operations, strengthening regulatory compliance, and driving proactive reliability strategy, I help ensure that this infrastructure remains resilient, safe, and available, which is foundational to both national security and sustained economic competitiveness.
- For young professionals entering reliability engineering or maintenance management, what advice would you give them on developing impactful careers that align with national and global priorities?
Build your foundation in the field before you build it in a spreadsheet; understanding how equipment actually fails is what makes data-driven reliability strategy credible. Pursue recognized certifications like CMRP and PMP early, invest in learning enterprise systems such as SAP, and stay curious about emerging analytics and AI tools. Above all, remember that reliability work protects people as much as equipment; keeping that connection to safety at the center of your career will keep your work meaningful and aligned with the priorities of the industries and countries you serve.
- What informed your choice of course of study?
I began with a Technician Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Instrumentation Engineering through City & Guilds of London, drawn to the hands-on precision of instrumentation and control systems. That foundation led me to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Petroleum Engineering Technology at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Canada, where I could apply that technical grounding to the oil and gas sector. As my career progressed into engineering leadership, I pursued an MBA at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi to build the business and strategic skills needed to lead teams and manage multimillion-dollar budgets, complementing my technical expertise with organizational leadership capability.
- You had the opportunity to study and work in Nigeria, Canada, and the United States. How has working across these different settings impacted you?
It gave me both versatility and resilience. My years with Shell in Nigeria taught me to deliver reliable results with resourcefulness, often under infrastructure and resource constraints. My time in Canada, first as an intern with Husky Energy and later with Imperial Oil, sharpened my discipline within highly structured, process-driven organizations. Working in the United States, across mining, LNG, and now logistics, has required me to operate at even greater scale and pace. Together, these experiences have made me an adaptable engineering leader capable of applying consistent reliability principles across very different operating environments.
- With over two decades in the oil and gas, mining, and industrial maintenance sectors, how challenging would you say this field is?
It is genuinely demanding. The sector requires constant vigilance around safety, adaptation to evolving environmental and regulatory requirements, and the ability to manage complex budgets and contracts while equipment ages and demand grows. But it is also one of the most rewarding fields for anyone who wants to see the direct, tangible impact of their work, in the safety of the people on-site and the reliability of the infrastructure that powers homes, industries, and economies.
- Having worked in LNG, mining, and now large-scale logistics, are you impressed by the pace of industrial safety and reliability modernization in Nigeria and other developing countries, especially in Africa?
Progress is real but uneven. I saw firsthand at Shell in Nigeria that the technical talent and operational discipline needed for world-class reliability programs exist, but infrastructure investment, consistent access to digital tools, and regulatory capacity often lag behind what I have seen in Canada and the United States. Closing that gap will require continued investment in training, technology transfer, and stronger public-private collaboration to bring African industrial operations to the same standard of reliability and safety as their global counterparts.
- Having begun your professional career in Nigeria before working abroad, what would you say fascinates you most about working there?
The resourcefulness and dedication of the workforce. Even with real infrastructure and resource constraints, I watched colleagues at Shell Nigeria consistently find practical, effective solutions to complex maintenance and reliability challenges. That environment trained me to be resilient and solutions-oriented, qualities I have carried with me into every role since.
- How would you define career success?
For me, career success is measured by the safety and reliability outcomes I help deliver, fewer high-risk incidents, more dependable infrastructure, and stronger, better-trained teams, more than by title or budget size. It also means continuing to grow, whether that is earning a new certification, learning a new analytics tool, or taking on a broader scope of responsibility, while staying grounded in the practical, hands-on engineering discipline where my career began.
- Since relocating from Nigeria, what would you say you miss the most?
The camaraderie and shared sense of purpose among colleagues, and the vibrant energy of everyday life. There is a resourceful, community-driven spirit in Nigeria that I carry with me and that continues to shape how I lead and work with teams today.
