Armand Paradis

Positivity is the main driving force behind the growth of Armand Paradis’ technology company, ComboCurve. He credits maintaining a positive outlook on every challenge he and co-founder Jeremy Gottlieb faced during ComboCurve’s inception as a critical factor in the company’s present-day success.

Why did you enter the oil and gas industry?

“It was always impressive to see big offshore platforms, drilling rigs and giant refineries. To me, these were engineering marvels. It was even better than I imagined when I came to the U.S. Many of the great companies I had read about in magazines were showing up on the university campus, making it a ‘real’ experience.”

Which of your professional achievements are you most proud of?

“I didn’t expect ComboCurve to grow this fast. Getting here took tremendous effort, tenacity, teamwork and many right decisions. Because we lived the pain, we are super passionate about creating change. As a result, we have built the forecasting, economics and emissions projection platform for the industry. I believe that everything is possible and literally, the sky is the limit.”

What has been your most challenging project to date, and how did you accomplish your goal?

“Designing ComboCurve from scratch was an extremely challenging project, and releasing it at the heart of COVID and negative oil prices made it even more challenging. We succeeded with the mindset that there was only one option—to move forward. You could sit down and complain about COVID or look at it positively and see it as a huge opportunity. During COVID and low commodity prices, we figured people were less busy, they had more time to meet with us, and with everything going online, we could schedule more meetings and meet more people. Great things happen when you approach a challenge from the positive side.”

How have you exercised leadership to help shape your company?

“I stay positive all the time, keep my team focused on the highest impacts and empower them to accomplish big, audacious goals!” 

What keeps you motivated and passionate about working in the oil and gas industry?

“We need hydrocarbons for raw materials and fuel for many years to come. We know easy oil is gone, and the world population is growing. This means the only way we can economically generate hydrocarbons is through technology. There are incredible workflow efficiency gains to be captured through advancements in cloud and software technologies.”

What do you think young industry members as a group have to offer that is unique to them?

“With previous generations retiring, the under-40 age group is taking on many leadership positions. We must improve our image by being pro-technology, encouraging transparency [and] supporting impactful carbon negative initiatives such as reforesting and driving net-zero production. These efforts will pay huge dividends in the short term and long term and will improve our relationship with the public.”