E.L. Batchelder, Senior Vice President, Services, and Chief Information Officer

Sonja Meredith, global financial services, and Rocco Iannapollo, global information services, are part of the Global Systems and Services (GSS) organization based in Bartlesville, Okla. The GSS group provides an array of services that help other ConocoPhillips business groups do their jobs effectively and efficiently.

Global Systems and Services
Improving Efficiency Across Business Units

Five complementary segments of related services make up Global Systems and Services (GSS), led by Gene Batchelder, senior vice president of Services and chief information officer. Included are aviation, facilities management, financial services, information services and procurement.

While groups within GSS might appear unrelated, Batchelder says collaboration and shared support lead to improved value and increased cost efficiency. “One of our primary goals is to help our businesses capture opportunities beyond previous expectations. Two of the most important paths to success are through improved relationships and better information sharing.

“GSS delivers reliable, accurate and cost-effective support to ConocoPhillips businesses around the world,” says Batchelder. “Two key, long-term goals are to streamline processes and bundle services to take advantage of efficiencies and common systems that will help the company achieve better synergies than would have been possible by the individual businesses.”

The more than 5,000 employees and contractors worldwide who make up GSS are committed to consistently delivering best-in-class services to employees anywhere, anytime. Integration of the groups within GSS in the upcoming months will be aimed at even further improving efficiency, value and cost savings.

GSS touches virtually every level of the company. Global aviation services reduces travel time and expenses with more than 1,000 round trips annually, including a shuttle that flies between Ponca City and Bartlesville, Okla., and Houston, Texas.

Global facilities management includes office space management in six primary cities, including wellness centers, cafeterias and global office lease oversight. In addition, the group has responsibility for employee travel and vehicle fleet management.

Global financial services provides financial and real property expertise to domestic operations, with a goal of leveraging services globally as shared services opportunities are identified and developed across the company. Functions in this area include accounts payable, treasury services, excise tax, general accounting, real property administration and upstream and downstream financial services.

Global information services encompasses all the company’s systems applications and infrastructure, and telecommunications support. The responsibility to provide reliable, accurate products and services related to information systems is underscored by the company’s increasing dependence on computer hardware and software.

Global procurement services manages and integrates contracts for supplies and services throughout the company and leads the development of procurement best practices. Procurement services range from paper for copiers, to catalyst for cat crackers, to maintenance services, to pipe, valves and fittings.

“The employees in GSS understand that reliable, accurate systems, services and materials are required to enable employees around the world to perform at peak levels,” says Batchelder. “We are determined to deliver world-class services and products to ConocoPhillips regardless of location or the magnitude of the request. Our vision is to become the benchmark services function in the industry.”