Build a Career in Procurement

Students of HSE University - St. Petersburg participated in the Supply Chain Summer Camp 2019, an educational campus organised annually by Gazprom Neft. To gain admittance to the camp, students were required to submit a resume, solve an analytical case, and pass a test demonstrating their ability to work with numerical and verbal information.

The event was attended by students from four universities including St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg State University of Economics, HSE University - St Petersburg, as well as Ufa State Petroleum Technological University (USTU) and Murmansk State Technical University (MSTU). To gain admittance to the camp, students were required to submit a resume, solve an analytical case, and pass a test demonstrating their ability to work with numerical and verbal information. Fourty students made it through the qualifying round.

The first day began for participants with a tour of the Gazprom Neft Innovation House. Employees of the Directorate for Digital Transformation told guests about the use of 3D-modeling, drones, machine vision, VR and AR, as well as wearable devices with IoT functions. Each exhibition area was interactive. Students learned how to use VR glasses to detect collisions and errors during the construction phase of the facility. They also simulated a reaction to an occurring accident, checking the operation of the driver’s condition monitoring system and IIoT sensors.

After that, students met Dmitry Potapov, CEO of Gazprom Neft-Supply, and attended a lecture by Evgeny Kozhevnikov, head of the logistics department at Gazprom Neft. For the rest of the time, participants worked on solving a case in teams, each of which was designated a different colour. Each group was supervised by one of the Procurement sector heads of the company.

The presentation of the projects took place on the second day of the event. Of the projects presented, that of the orange team was deemed the winner. The orange team's project proposed building logistics centres near the oilfields, building a railway on support piles, and introducing an air transport sharing system. The students were awarded books on modern technology, strategic and creative thinking, and the skill of public speaking.

The purple team, meanwhile, received a special prize. The team will be attending a business meeting with top managers of Gazprom Neft-Supply and the procurement team of Gazprom Neft. The most active participants of the Summer Camp were invited for job interviews.

The students of HSE University - St. Petersburg were the members of both winning teams, and we asked them to share their impressions of participating in the educational campus.

Ivan Kadrev, a student of the 'Logistics and Supply Chain Management' programme:

Participation in the Supply Chain Summer Camp provided me with an understanding of both the principles of how the company itself works and the latest information trends and trends in the oil and gas industry.

Nadezhda Karpenko, a student of the 'Logistics and Supply Chain Management' programme:

One of the most memorable moments for me was meeting with the director of the supply team Dmitry Vladimirovich Potapov. I managed to talk with some managers about what they do and how to join the company after graduation. Having won a team case on strategy, now I know what I want to do next in the context of the areas of logistics and supply chains.

I also learned a lot about the digitalization of the oil and gas industry, and some of its aspects were surprising for me because the company itself is developing new technologies.

Olga Snitko, a student of the 'Economics' programme:

Participation in the Supply Chain Summer Camp demonstrated the need to learn how to think globally, not to be afraid of challenges, and to work in a team. It was also very interesting and useful to talk to experts and learn about digitalization processes in the oil refining industry and logistics.

Anton Brusenko, a student of the 'International Business and Management Studies' programme:

I really enjoyed being on campus. This unique experience made it possible to get acquainted with the corporate culture of one of the leading companies in the domestic market, as well as to participate in coming up with a solution to an interesting logistics case.

Margarita Metsoyan, a student of the 'International Business and Management Studies' programme:

I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to participate in the Supply Chain Summer Camp 2019! First, we had a short tour of the digital transformation office and were shown the latest technologies developed by the company. The main part of the event was solving the business case in teams, and our main task was to optimise the logistics processes. There were a lot of ideas, but only one day to solve it, so our whole team didn't leave the office until almost midnight. The next day, we presented the case solution and the jury liked it, and although we did not take the first place, we were invited to a business lunch with the Gazpromneft Supply Management. After the end of the official part of the event, we went to a golf club, where everyone had the opportunity to chat with company leaders and all the participants.

Participation in the Supply Chain Summer Camp made it possible to work with a real business case, to get a taste of the atmosphere of the company and to get acquainted with its leaders. These two days were so eventful that I did not even notice how fast they flew by! Now, the team and I are working on improving our presentation and getting ready for a business lunch!

I would like to express my gratitude to all the organisers of the Supply Chain Summer Camp and the HSE Career Office for informing me about the event.