Polina Chtchelok

o Identified market niche for Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) legal and compliance advisory services, established company and developed it into leading HSE advisory firm for international oil & gas companies operating in Bolivia
o Planned and implemented business development and marketing strategies by leveraging a consultative sales approach to gain insight into the requirements and challenges faced by each client, leading to the recommendation of specific services aligned with the unique business and regulatory compliance needs of each account
o Attended industry network events and conferences to develop a vast legal network, strong client base and expand service portfolio
o Served as a trusted advisor and subject matter expert to clients, providing guidance and direction with respect to strategies to avoid fines and penalties originating from regulatory infractions
o Advised international companies on the establishment and incorporation of Bolivian subsidiaries, development of vehicles for creation and incorporation of joint ventures and corporate requirements compliance for contracting with the Bolivian Government in the energy and mining sectors
o Advised international companies on the implementation of operating plans to ensure that the business operational performance achieved under volatile economic conditions in Bolivia
o Developed defence strategies and conducted a legal analysis for an international oil and gas company facing construction delay claims from contractors (50 mil. USD). Claims resolved without proceeding to arbitration
o Conducted strategic and legal risk analysis and negotiated contracts for construction, shipping and logistics companies (100k – 200 mil. USD)
o Identified innovative revenue opportunity through development of unique HSE regulations database that created 70% reduction in time required for conducting gap analysis of client’s compliance

o Led the expansion of oil and gas practice with revenue growth of 100% in 6 months by repositioning service offerings through leveraging engineering knowledge in identifying needs of oil and gas companies and successfully pitching new proposals
o Acted as a lead legal advisor to sell-side (20 mil. USD, forced nationalisation of several assets) oil and gas company from an early stage in the M&A lifecycle (strategy, commercial and operational due diligence, assessment of regulatory compliance and potential risk claims) to the post-deal separation planning and implementation
o Advised on legal vehicles for the creation of joint ventures for the refining and marketing activities undertaken by the National Oil Company with municipal and departmental government companies
o Represented leading Bolivian sugar producer in arbitration proceedings regarding contract delays. Client was awarded 90% of compensation sought (1 mil. USD)

o Assessed legal and commercial risks and negotiated contracts with turnkey companies for oil & gas field production development projects (1- 7 bil. USD)
o Developed standard call for tender documentation covering contractual and commercial requirements for global multibillion oil & gas field development projects
o Developed contract and procurement compliance audit methodology that reduced audit time by 20% and created quantifiable performance metrics and frameworks for management and reporting
o Designed and directed short, medium- and long-term strategic plans to improve the performance of ICCS Category
o Directed legal and commercial operational matters pertaining to the business relationship between EP’s subsidiaries and ICSS companies. Translated HQ’s strategic themes into specific prioritised projects and workstreams, KPIs, risk management regime and schedule for negotiation of global FRAME

o Conducted commercial evaluations of investment opportunities for a range of oil/gas field development projects in the Asia-Pacific region (500k – 10 bil. USD)
o Led benchmarking studies assessing market trends and project’s commercial risks
o Developed commercial and operational risk mitigating strategies to manage costs and relationships with contractors
o Developed and implemented a standardised methodology evaluating Total EP’s assets’ present-day worth and risks exposure. Managed team of 9 conducting asset valuations and risk assessments

o Conducted back-to-back contractual and commercial negotiations with 4 turnkey tenderers (4 bil. USD contract) on a tight schedule – 96% of contractual qualifications closed during the negotiation phase
o Presented commercial and legal evaluation of the turnkey tenders and preferred bidder recommendation to the tender committee
o Provided legal opinion and prepared responses to the contractual clarifications sought by turnkey tenderers
o Moderated engineering studies (7 disciplines, 50 engineers) while based at Technip’s offices (during the call for tender stage) to ensure compliance with Total’s technical standards and contractual requirements