“It’s so fulfilling to lead my team and help them develop their careers”

Originally from Horsham, West Sussex, Zoë Wood (32) has worked in roles across the country, from project roles based in London to her current position as Offshore Installation Manager for bp on the Glen Lyon FPSO in the North Sea.

I was always sporty as a child, and enjoyed hockey, badminton, swimming, and ballet. In school, I loved maths and science which made studying engineering at university the natural choice.

I studied Chemical Engineering at Bath University, and part of the course consisted of a one-year industrial placement. I applied to a range of industries and accepted a role with bp at the Saltend Chemicals plant in Hull. I enjoyed my placement and then returned to bp following my graduation!

As an engineer, I have always been intrigued by the hydrocarbon industry; from the scale of operations required to safely extract hydrocarbons in challenging locations, to the processes involved in converting crude oil to industrial chemicals. After joining bp as a Graduate Process Engineer, I had a projects role before moving to directly support operations in the North Sea. Working offshore made me realise this was an environment that I enjoyed, and I moved to a Production Supervisor position. From there, I progressed to my current role of Offshore Installation Manager - this is an interesting and challenging job; it’s so fulfilling to lead my team and help them develop their careers.

One of the proudest moments of my career was the role I played in helping to maintain safe operations through the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. The unprecedented nature of this time brought a range of completely new challenges. I’m proud of how my team pulled together to perform, maintaining a high level of focus on process safety throughout a period with many distractions and uncertainties.

The oil and gas industry is helping to meet global energy needs and will be part of the energy mix for decades to come while alternative low carbon energy sources are developed to adequate scale. The need for a stable energy supply has been showcased through recent global events. Developing alternative energy sources requires significant investment and a highly skilled workforce. Our industry is uniquely positioned to deliver the investment required, alongside providing the technical and engineering expertise to overcome the challenges of the energy transition.  

The energy industry is an exciting place to work and the demand for energy is ever increasing. The methods by which energy is produced and delivered are constantly evolving, creating numerous opportunities and challenges for anyone searching for a rewarding career. The drive to protect our planet by transitioning to low carbon energy sources provides the backdrop to what will likely be one of the most challenging evolutions for our industry. To anyone thinking of joining the energy industry, I highly recommend it. Don’t be afraid to try out different roles until you find the one in which you can thrive.