US Women in IT Awards
The US Women in IT Awards took place on the 21st of September 2021. Two bp employees have been nominated this year: Julie Nguyen, principal data engineer, for the Data Leader of the Year award and Tara Wanner, CIO global gas & power, for CIO of the Year
Ahead of the awards, we heard from inspiring finalist Julie Nguyen, who shared insights into her work with data & analytics, detailing how data is facilitating bp’s transition to net zero by 2050 or sooner.
“It’s not always been easy. When I first started there weren’t many women in data, but that’s certainly changed now. I have been lucky to have had several role models throughout my career. I feel I now have a responsibility to enable others, especially the female leaders of tomorrow.”
Julie Nguyen, principal data engineer
Julie’s introduction to bp first came in 2003 while working as a consultant, helping bp’s trading division implement its first business intelligence solution. 18 years later, she’s bp’s principal data engineer. “I have moved around the company, but data has remained at the heart of my work.” She reflects. “It’s at the centre of everything I do!”
Julie runs a team of over 200 data engineers, overseeing data inputting and ‘ingestion’. She is also setting up bp‘s Azure Data Lake, a data storage and analytics service:
Using data to solve complex problems
There’s an abundance of varied and complex projects taking place:
Advanced technologies are a key focus for bp moving forwards:
Enabling others
Julie attributes her success to hard work, continuous learning, and the support of others. “It’s not always been easy. When I first started there weren’t many women in data, but that’s certainly changed now. I have been lucky to have had several role models throughout my career. I feel I now have a responsibility to enable others, especially the female leaders of tomorrow.”
Julie is passionate about enabling others, both inside and outside of work. She sees data as an evolving discipline and is “always looking for opportunities to upskill my team, encouraging them to think innovatively and contribute ideas.” Julie knows employees need the right environment to feel empowered:
Outside of work, Julie teaches senior citizens about technology, helping them to stay connected and safe online. She also teaches US Citizenship classes at her community church; having come to the US as a political refugee in her 20s, teaching is one way Julie feels she can give back.