Emma Wood - Audit Manager
I studied Geology at university and came into the industry in 2006 as a Graduate Geologist with Maersk Oil. I spent the first two years on a graduate training programme completing a series of eight-month rotational placements in different areas of the business including new ventures, exploration and appraisal/development.
This was a great opportunity to build a broad understanding of the industry before moving into a permanent role as asset Geologist on the Dumbarton redevelopment project.
My geoscience career gave me lots of great opportunities! It also took me to Qatar for two years where I worked on the Al Shaheen field as a Well Planning and Operations Geologist. We had just sanctioned a 52 well field development plan – and my team were responsible for the planning and delivery of the programme.
In 2018, when Maersk merged with TotalEnergies, I joined the Culzean project as Culzean Field Leader – this was just at field start up and was an exciting opportunity to experience everything associated with bringing a large new gas field into production.
In 2022 I moved in a completely new direction, and today I am working as Audit Manager for TEPUK.
What does a role in Audit involve?
Our role as internal audit is to provide independent assurance that our organisation's risk management, governance and internal control processes are operating as effectively as possible! It’s a very interesting place to work and with a very talented team of auditors!
As well as internal audit, the team covers strategic risk, financial reporting, information security requirements, compliance and business ethics – all of which are important for a successful business, and in an area that I was curious to learn more about.
I’ve always had a broad interest in the business, and I’m motivated by cross-discipline projects, building relationships, and understanding how we can develop our people and improve our business whilst delivering on our strategy. When the opportunity arose to become Audit Manager, it felt like a great next step for me.
What do you love most about your job?
I love that my job allows me to work with so many different people and on a large number of subjects!
As a team, we work right across the business at all levels and with a variety of disciplines, both onshore and offshore. I’m curious by nature - learning new things and meeting new people really energises me!
Why did you choose a career in the energy industry?
I think it was in my blood! My dad worked as an engineer in the industry when I was a child. He worked rotation offshore and I was always fascinated by the ‘rigs’. He would show me pictures of working offshore – he even worked on the commissioning of Dunbar! My passion for the natural environment didn’t come until my late teens, and after studying Geology at Edinburgh University I was keen to move to Aberdeen to do an MSc in Petroleum Geology.
What is a particular career highlight when you look back at your time in the company?
There are so many! Completing my first offshore survival training, my first trip offshore, delivering my first production well, moving to Qatar, seeing Culzean first gas, my transition into Audit. We are very fortunate in this industry to have so many incredible opportunities available to us if we want them.
What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever been given?
Remember it’s about the journey and not just the destination – this was a great piece of advice given to me recently by one of our talent developers that has really resonated. We might have a plan of where we would like to get to, but we must remember that the journey on our way there is equally important.
What advice would you give yourself if you were just starting at TotalEnergies?
Stay curious, ask questions, and don’t be afraid to ask for help!
As a new graduate I sometimes felt like I had to have all the answers. I quickly realised I didn’t need to know everything. We work with some amazing people who have huge amounts of knowledge and experience - I just needed to know how to ask the right questions.
What do you think differentiates TotalEnergies?
As well as the fantastic people and huge amounts of opportunity, TotalEnergies is an organisation that is a major player in the energy transition. With geoscience at my core, the importance of decarbonising our business is something that is important to me and it’s great to see the amazing work that is being done.
Outside of work, what gets you going?
I’m married to Ross (who also works for TotalEnergies) and we have two girls aged 5 and 8, plus a dog and a cat! They keep us busy!
Being full time working parents can be a juggle, but I think we make it work well. Ross and I make a great team and we share the load as much as we can. As with any challenge, if you break down what needs done and ask for help in areas where you need support then it becomes much more manageable.
To add to our juggling, I’m also training for the London marathon to raise money for the amazing Guide Dog Charity. When I’m not running, I like to spend time with Ross and our girls.
