Finding variety as a BP Challenger: Emily’s story

Emily was attracted to BP because of its reputation as a leading energy company. Since then, she’s stayed because of the diversity and challenges associated with her engineering roles

After studying Civil Engineering at university, Emily joined BP’s Challenge Programme in 2014. She went on to spend two years working on Quad 204, a project in the North Sea where she was part of the construction and installation team, before moving on to the Shah Deniz 2 project in Azerbaijan.  After graduating from Challenge, Emily then worked on a brownfield project in Azerbaijan before moving into a new role in Global Subsea Execution.

 

Variety was crucial in the early days of Emily’s career. As she puts it: “The structure of the Challenge Programme definitely helped me develop my confidence. I was able to work across two major projects and develop engineering, installation and commissioning skills.” 

 

Opening doors with an engineering degree 

 

What Emily loved most about her STEM subject at university was the diversity, and knew it was what she wanted from her career: “I still believe an engineering degree is a great choice and I would always encourage people to consider engineering if they want to pursue a career where they can be involved in problem resolution and exciting challenges”, she says.  

 

At BP, she’s worked on both brownfield and greenfield projects. She was also given the opportunity to work on construction vessels and the newly built Glen Lyon FPSO when it first started up production, which set her up for her current role today. Now, Emily is working as a Subsea Construction Engineer for a project called Tortue Phase 1, which is off the coast of Mauritania and Senegal. 

 

She says, “I knew I wanted a job and role where I would be able to work on projects from start to finish. It has been important for me to have that ownership throughout a project’s lifecycle and follow through on the delivery of something that I have helped create or shape with my team”.

 

Getting more women into STEM

 

As a woman in STEM, Emily is also proud of BP’s inclusive culture. 

“There have been circumstances when I was the only woman on-board construction vessels but I have been lucky to have fantastic female role models within BP and so this has never phased me. I have found that BP is inclusive and working with a diverse workforce is one of the attractions.” In Emily’s view, being respected for who you are is part of what makes BP a great place to work.