During a lively Q&A session—complete with a question roulette—the Tecpetrol management team took on everything the young professionals threw their way.

As part of the 14^th TUIC (Tecpetrol University Induction Camp), participants got the chance to hear directly from several members of the Tecpetrol leadership team. Jorge Perczyk, Andrea Rocca, María Laura García, Ricardo Ferreiro and Claudio Gugliuzza joined the group for an open exchange that left plenty of ideas and insights on the table.

To break the ice, the panel spun a roulette that randomly picked the themes for the first questions. The categories covered ranged from career, the business, dealing with challenges, the importance of curiosity and other more personal topics.

Here are some of the highlights:

How do you find motivation in everyday life?

Andrea Rocca / Energy Transition President

By staying curious about what I do and always looking to learn. It also helps to work with talented, passionate people. What’s exciting about DITE (the Energy Transition Directorate) is that we’re exploring areas that go beyond the Techint Group’s traditional industrial culture. That brings real challenges, and that in itself is incredibly motivating..

How do you handle moments of uncertainty, both personally and professionally?

María Laura García / Chief Human Resources Officer

It’s something that’s evolved over time, but I’ve always managed it by going the extra mile. That’s still the case. At the same time, you need to read the context and learn as much as you can. And don’t be afraid to ask for help. The world is more uncertain than ever; we’re constantly making decisions with limited information and under a lot of pressure, yet we still need to deliver excellent work and solid results. It’s a skill we all have to develop.

If you could plot your career like a mathematical equation, which variable would have the greatest weight?

Jorge Perczyk / Chief Planning Officer

I’d say persistence, a quality that doesn’t always get the credit it deserves. The achievements that truly matter are full of obstacles, and getting through them takes real, consistent effort.

What did you do to stand out, to be different and get to where you are?

Ricardo Ferreiro / President E&P

I’ve always believed in working hard. You need to be ready to make the most of opportunities when they show up, and that includes being responsible. When I had the chance to work abroad, I understood how important it is to be someone others can trust. People need to know that if something comes up, you’ll take care of it.

In what aspect do you think Tecpetrol still has a lot of room for improvement?

Claudio Gugliuzza / President Corporate Areas

Tecpetrol today is very different from the Tecpetrol of 2017. We’ve grown into a large company, but in some ways, we still operate like a small one, where everyone has to be on top of everything and gets 200 emails a day. We need to start thinking bigger so we can focus on the strategies being pursued by our areas. We don’t need to handle every detail ourselves: we need to standardize processes more.

Second round

Next, the queries went either to the panel as a whole or individually. These are just some of the answers shared:

How do you manage your work-life balance? Do you have any regrets?

María Laura García: Times have changed. Work–life balance wasn’t really something people talked about. And if I regret anything, it’s not asking for more help. Mistakes are part of the journey, but you have to look after yourself and live more consciously so you don’t end up regretting it later.

What yardstick do you use when evaluating people for a position?

Jorge Perczyk: First, I look at how well they do the job they’re responsible for. Then I look for curiosity, the willingness to go further and not limit themselves. How they relate to their peers and the people around them also matters a lot. Persistence is key too: not dropping the issues that need attention. And intellectual honesty, which is being able to admit when you don’t know something or when you’ve made a mistake.

María Laura García: Generosity within the team and beyond is also important. Sometimes competitiveness overshadows collaboration, but it’s collaboration that really helps everyone grow.

There is concern about artificial intelligence in the workplace. How do you think it’s going to change things over the next few years?

Claudio Gugliuzza: AI is here to help us. We still don’t know everything it can do, but we should use it to improve processes, predict and prevent issues, and even strengthen safety. It’s definitely going to change the way we work, but human judgment will remain essential.

Ricardo Ferreiro: It’s an incredibly powerful tool, and the people who embrace it will gain a real edge.

María Laura García: There’s a big opportunity for AI to make us more accurate and productive, and to free up time so we can focus on the conversations and decisions that only humans can have. But we need to stay on top of things, because this is moving fast.

Andrea Rocca: What makes AI so promising also creates a big challenge for society. We’ll have to figure out what to do with the time it frees up. The way we work, relate to each other, and manage our time will shift. And it’s going to look very different from the systems that were designed a century ago.

Jorge Perczyk: All societies in the last century have lived through major technological revolutions, and there was fear then too: fear of computers, fear of the internet. In the end, the real challenge is our ability to adapt.

Where do you see Tecpetrol in 10 years?

Ricardo Ferreiro: The potential of Los Toldos II Este, which will require major investment through July 2027, is helping us build cutting-edge shale expertise in Vaca Muerta, where we can be highly competitive. We feel confident in this oil and gas mix, and it positions us well to capture new opportunities. There are unconventional development projects on the horizon in Mexico and Colombia too. And being part of the energy sector is rewarding, not only for Tecpetrol, but for the country. It changes Argentina’s outlook in terms of foreign exchange, export capacity and stability, and that brings an extra sense of purpose.

Andrea Rocca: Once Los Toldos II Este reaches full potential in about two years, it will give us greater investment capacity. And as the energy transition accelerates, the growing demand for electric vehicles will open the door to larger projects, the kind that today, because of costs, are harder to take on.