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Felix Utse-Oritselaju Atakere, Ph.D., R.Eng, C.Eng, F.ASCE, the senior project manager at AOS Orchard Petroleum Development Ltd. in Lagos, Nigeria, has been named a fellow by the ASCE Board of Direction.
Atakere’s areas of expertise encompass project and construction management, contract administration, structural engineering research, and engineering design. He has over 25 years of experience in progressively responsible roles in the planning, design, and construction of oil and gas facilities within Chevron's operational fields, including Escravos, Lagos, and Warri in Nigeria, and Houma, Louisiana, USA, where he chose early retirement in 2021 to focus on the development of marginal oil and gas fields.
During his tenure at Chevron, he spearheaded pivotal projects in oil and gas production within the marine sector, leveraging his profound understanding of environmental intricacies and the extensive array of international and national regulations pertinent to the safety-critical industry to ensure successful project management. He occupied a distinctive role as interface coordinator for the world's second gas-to-liquid facility (Escravos Gas-To-Liquid Project), a project notable for its scale and innovative demands. In this period, he developed a passion for identifying challenges and deficiencies in the oil and gas and construction sectors, proposing solutions through comprehensive research and process alterations.
In 1996, prior to his tenure at Chevron, he served as a field engineer on multiple civil engineering, construction, and road development projects for Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited, and the federal government of Nigeria.
Atakere is a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, UK (ICE), and presently serves as the ICE country representative for Nigeria.
He earned his doctoral degree in structural engineering and a Master of Engineering degree in civil engineering (structures) from the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria, as well as a Bachelor of Engineering degree in civil engineering from Edo State University, Nigeria. He is a registered professional engineer (Nigeria) and a chartered civil engineer (UK).
