Rekha Bissumbhar is the Director of Upstream at Staatsolie, with over 25 years of experience in the Oil & Gas sector. Throughout her career, Rekha has held several key management positions, demonstrating a wealth of knowledge in the industry. Her expertise spans exploration, production, and business/asset management, with a strong focus on maximizing returns on investments and effective leadership.

Rekha began her career in 1999 as a Geologist, progressing further to manage Production Operations in 2006, subsequently holding roles such as Production Manager, Exploration Manager, Exploration & Development Asset Manager, Production Asset Manager, Deputy Director Onshore Upstream, and, since December 2020, Director of Upstream.

She also serves on the UJV Boards of the Gold Partnerships (Newmont-Staatsolie and Zijin-Staatsolie), and is past Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of GOw2 N.V.

In addition to her role at Staatsolie, Rekha is also President of the Suriname Trade & Industry Association (VSB), a board member of the Association of Petroleum Enterprises of Latin America (ARPEL), and a member of SPE and AAPG.

Rekha holds an Executive MBA from IMD Business School in Switzerland, a Master’s Degree in Management & Accounting with a specialization in Risk Management from the Maastricht School of Management/FHR, a Postgraduate in Petroleum Technology from the Technical University of Delft, and a Bachelor’s degree in Geology from the Anton de Kom University of Suriname.