Tallow Chandlers winners
Some of BP’s most talented young technologists and apprentices have been presented with this year's Tallow Chandlers BP Awards for showing outstanding performance within the company and in their communities
Now in their 42nd year, the awards are presented to winners from BP by the Tallow Chandlers Livery Company - one of the oldest City of London Livery Companies, dating back to the beginning of the 14th century. The Tallow Chandlers BP awards started in 1977 and several senior managers within BP are previous winners of the awards, including chief financial officer Brian Gilvary and chief executive of Upstream Bernard Looney.
Chief executive officer for IST, Alan Haywood, was invited to give the BP address at this year’s awards. He said:
“We are proud to continue to work with Tallow Chandlers in celebrating some of our finest young technologists and apprentices at our annual awards ceremony.”
Talking about the technologists and apprentices, he continued: “BP is delighted you are part of our team and we look forward to seeing you go on to achieve further success in your careers. No doubt you will generate plenty of new ideas, innovations and solutions for us all to embrace. And the fact you’re here today shows you will have enormous impact in our business and our world. Congratulations to all of you.”
The technology winners
The overall technology winner was Rachael Arnold. Rachael devised, planned and delivered a new way to create reservoir maps of the Mishri reservoir in the Rumaila oil field in Iraq. She did this by automating the geological interpretation of well data using machine learning algorithms: a completely novel approach that she developed together with a data science expert while working with senior geologists to ensure that the output would deliver the business need. Using this new approach, she was able to deliver a better product in two days as opposed to the standard three-week manual effort.
The path of her work was not always smooth, and Rachael showed great resilience to continue and push through the work despite some initial scepticism to the ideas. The concept emerged because of her intellectual curiosity and desire to widen her awareness of different techniques and approaches.
Rachael has supported two local foodbanks for several years and is now also training volunteers to help them direct clients to other local support services and charities. She is a positive role-model for women in STEM having participated as a speaker at the 2018 Girls in Geoscience workshop and involvement in BP’s Next Generation programmes building a geoscience session to run at the Year of Engineering event.
Awards were also won by
- Giles Prentice, graduate chemist, formulated products technology, Pangbourne
- Fiona Jackson, research chemist, group technology applied chemistry & physics, Hull
Certificates of Excellence (presented locally)
- Matt Sherick, process engineer, Downstream Cherry Point Refinery
- Gunay Shamilova, corrosion engineer, GOO/AGT offshore integrity management
- Maria Di Bonaventura, process engineer, GPO Trinidad, Houston
Apprentices
The outright winner was Rashid Khamis Al Busadi a production technician in the Oman business based at the Khazzan site. Rashid has been part of the operations team at site working through start-up and commissioning activities. During this period Rashid also successfully completed his NVQ qualifications.
Rashid displays a desire for knowledge and development both individually and also as a supportive team member helping his colleagues in the delivery of tasks and in assisting with coaching and insights to those who are new to the operation. He pro-actively seeks out opportunities to help out and improve his own knowledge through asking questions and learning how others undertake work.
Outside of work Rashid is a keen videographer, using his skills to help young Omani’s voice their talents and deliver their message to the public through video. This has also included spreading awareness about autism in Oman by featuring one of Oman’s few private autism centres. In the spare time he has left, Rashid participates in his personal passion of powerlifting. He has used the facilities available at the site to continue his training commitment while on rotation and in September 2018 he competed and medalled in the UAE’s powerlifting competition.
Awards were also won by
- Vignesh Ramu – junior engineer BP Shipping
- Liam Marr – trainee production technician BP North Sea
- David Gagie – engineer cadet BP Shipping
More about the Tallow Chandlers
The Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers was originally a trade organisation set up to regulate oils, ointments, lubricants and fat-based preservatives and to manage candle making using tallow, which is rendered animal fat. These days the Tallow Chandlers support a wide range of charities, with a particular emphasis on education and have a relationship with BP dating back to 1978.
Since then, the relationship has grown and is now based on awarding technologists and apprentices for their delivery of successful technical innovations that have contributed to the advancement of the industry.