No two days during his five years in communications in Africa were the same for Shell's Olav Ljosne, based in Lagos and often travelling around Nigeria. Here he reflects on one day in Lagos.

Ljosne is an ex-regional communications director for Shell in Africa (with focus on exploration and production of oil and gas in the continent), and the current senior manager, communications, international operations for Shell, based in Washington.

My Day

5.30am: Africa is starting early. Getting up around 5:30am is good. If there are attacks against oil installations, kidnappings or other problems I would have been called earlier. Managing the crisis team, media and coordination would be required.

After the morning rituals, sunrise and a chat with the parrot Tom, I get into the car that the driver has cleaned and am driven to the office. Driving early makes it a 20-minute tour, reading the BlackBerry (if working), some magazines or just looking at the marketplaces waking up, school children being prepared for the day, tooth brushing and breakfasts on the pavements, the beginning of traffic jams in this 20-million city and the vendors who are positioning themselves with everything thinkable to sell in the street.

If the day has started with attacks, kidnapping or other crisis-related issues, that would be the sole focus until resolved or properly handled. And that would be one of several long days.

7.00am: I arrive at the office where my assistant has already prepared today’s papers, letters and anything that requires attention. Usually there is someone waiting for unscheduled meetings. After travel or some days absence, these meetings could take hours to discuss all sorts of issues.

Turning on the TV, I can see CNN or BBC in addition to local channels.

I open the mail and search eight to 10 websites to get updates. It is important to get these updates through blogs and websites covering issues that are not always reflected in the papers or on TV.

If there is time, I also walk around to chat to my team members for more informal updates.

9.00am: Meeting with the management.

9:30am: Meeting with the media team and communications colleagues in den Haag (Shell’s head office) and London on media matters by phone.

10.00am: Meeting with teams in Shell International supporting the work we do in Nigeria (community work, publications, webs, video, photography and speeches).

10.30am: Meetings with visitors to the office on branding issues, communities, on-going communications projects with the government, media and issues as the annual football cup, sport games, exhibitions, visitors doing research for universities, think tanks …

11.30am: Off to Roberts Café or Goodys for a simple lunch with a journalist. With traffic jams that often occur at this time of day, it is a good opportunity to have phone conversations. All foreign staff use drivers. A necessity in Lagos.

1.30pm: Attend a ceremony in Museon conference centre or an oil conference at the Eko hotel.

3.30pm: Back into the office to prepare the next day’s travel in detail.

4.00pm: A short meeting with the strategy/planning team to review plans and budget, and prepare for a meeting with the authorities (the Shell operation has 55 per cent government ownership) over the next few days.

4.30pm: Staff planning meeting with human resources.

5.00pm: Most people have left the office and I leave for the gym.

6.30pm: Get home, check the PC, follow up phone calls, and start thinking about projects and strategy.

7.00pm: Go out or have guests for dinner. Going out for dinners means doing networking, meetings or I can do the same thing, but invite them home.

10.00pm: Review the latest news, check e-mail, finish any last calls with a cigar and a drink on the terrace (30 degrees centigrade and about 90-100 per cent humidity).

– and thereafter off to a full night of sleep (with luck).

The time on the terrace at the end of the day gives me the opportunity to reflect on the job content, tasks, strategy and plans. Usually the working day offers few possibilities for this. There are always people around or phone or video meetings. A good and much needed half hour at the end of the day in a week with six full working days plus early morning and afternoon/evening work on Sundays. It is challenging, but it is a job in Shell where all competencies within PR, communications and relations are being challenged and used.