Impact and legacy on the ground: Oliver’s story
For Oliver, being part of something bigger is important, and he’s found that by working with people from all over the world
As Chief of Staff of bp’s Iraq business unit, Oliver Grimston is used to people asking questions about his role. “Typically people think of the job at the White House!” he says, but clarifies that it actually means being the eyes and ears of the business.
He explains that,
How does that look day to day? Oliver defines his responsibilities as “feeding back to the general manager on what's going well and what isn’t, business targets, team challenges, work plans and budgets, financial modelling, and facilitating correspondence between the Iraqi Government and the oil field.”
Global teams, local impact
Oliver describes the work he now does in Iraq as a true privilege.
Oliver explains that it’s not just the Government that he and his team support, but the local people who they’ve been training too. “What I really care about is being able to make a difference here, we want to leave a good legacy for the people who live here.”
For Oliver, being part of something bigger is important, and he’s found that by working with people from all over the world.
Making the most of opportunities
It’s this global, inclusive culture as well as the people that Oliver attributes to his joining bp in the first place.
Today, he’s a key part of that culture of helping others, both through his day-to-day role and as part of the global bp team. In his first Iraq rotational role in 2018, Oliver was given a large team where he was given the chance to mentor more junior members of the team. Speaking to him now, it’s clear that a mentoring role suits his enthusiastic nature.
Building a strong foundation
Oliver’s role might seem like an unconventional journey from his Bachelor’s in physics, but he tells us it’s actually felt like a natural route for him since joining our Challenger graduate programme in 2013.
What would his advice be to those starting out in their careers?