An international career inspired by geopolitics
Hani is a Petroleum Engineer at BP, currently based in the US. She joined BP as a graduate in September 2010 after gaining a degree in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London
Her interest in chemical engineering was initially sparked by reading and hearing about the modern-day Iraq War in the news. It made her realise that energy is involved in many different aspects of everyday lives: “As I became more exposed to the industry, what really appealed to me was the ability to have a direct impact on improving livelihoods. I was attracted to the idea of working in a challenging environment but with a purpose,” she says.
Hani has now been at BP for almost a decade. In that time, her career has seen her live in three different countries – the US, UK and Russia. Moving around has taught her to be more outgoing and dynamic: “Each time you move to a new place you need settle, make friends and establish yourself. It’s taken me out of my comfort zone and that’s really benefited my career. My communication skills have naturally become a lot stronger as a result.”
Beyond stereotypes
Hani is keen to dispel the misconceptions that the energy industry is old fashioned and lacks innovation. She argues that in just the past few years alone, there has been an incredible amount of change and evolution of digital strategies, especially at BP.
Her proudest achievement so far has been developing a new digital tool for BP called Argus, which replaced BP’s multiple petroleum engineering interfaces with a single global platform. The tool improved well understanding, empowering engineers to make faster, data-driven operational decisions about wells and reservoirs. It is now used by all the petroleum engineers across BP.
When she joined the team, she was very junior, but she thinks it is a testament to BP’s inclusive culture that the project team took a chance on her and allowed her to make a real contribution. “Now, when I walk around and see other petroleum engineers using a tool I played a large role in developing, it’s an extremely fulfilling feeling. At BP, you’re given space, freedom, opportunity and are equipped with tools that set you up for success. I would not have been involved in the technology project if someone hadn't decided to take a risk on me and I’m very grateful that they did!”
A career with purpose
What keeps Hani at BP, besides the opportunity to be at the forefront of technological innovation, is the variety of work she has been offered: “That is another cool thing about this industry. You have a lot of opportunity to work on different things, which are constantly evolving. The job never becomes boring. In our industry there is so much change happening at immense pace, and it is really interesting to be part of that wave.”
Throughout her time at BP, Hani has also managed to stay true to her initial goal of making a difference to people’s lives: “For me BP is not just an energy company, it strives to respect human rights and the natural environment, and these are values of great importance to me.”
Ultimately, it is these values that really tip the scales: “My colleagues and teammates at BP have created a unique work culture which is supportive and very open. I am proud to work in an environment that is welcoming, fulfilling and enjoyable, as well as working for a company that shows real commitment to driving strategic change.”