Tell us about your career journey at TotalEnergies.
I started my career with TotalEnergies in 2012 as a Graduate Process Engineer. The 3-year graduate programme was perfect for a young person to quickly learn and build new relationships across the business. I rotated around departments such as Well Performance, Business Development, Projects and Engineering / Modifications.
I thoroughly enjoyed my role in Well Performance and after completing the programme, I secured a permanent position in the team. The dynamic and fast paced nature really appealed to me, as well as the fact that Well Performance liaises with a number of departments such as reservoir, drilling, completions and counterparts in HQ in Paris.
My early offshore experience allowed me to gain practical site knowledge which I still refer to in my role today. This acted as a stepping stone to a position in the SMART Room supporting offshore assets with day-to-day troubleshooting.
During the Maersk and TotalEnergies merger, I was lucky enough to join the Culzean Field Project during the final commissioning stages and into start-up. I covered the leak testing supervisor role for the Ailsa Floating Storage and Offloading vessel (which exports gas condensate from Culzean) and rotated offshore during the first few months of start-up. This was my first experience working on a project of this scale – it was truly fascinating.
I then spent three years in the Digital & Data team, where I became one of the first Product Owners in TotalEnergies globally. Our team used Agile working methods alongside software developers and data scientists. During this time, I was also seconded to the HQ Digital Factory in Paris for one year where I was able to experience a new culture and learn about Digital at scale.
Finally, I returned to Field Operations, where my knowledge in Well Performance has helped shape my career. I am now the CNS Production Optimisation Leader, driving production excellence by ensuring our well stock is fully optimised.
What is the most exciting part of your job? What do you love most about your job?
In Field Operations, no two days are the same. Arising problems and challenges are dynamic, which push myself and my team to do things differently and think of innovative ideas. The role allows me to learn and continue to develop technical and soft skills.
I also love the people I work with. I get a lot of joy from helping others, particularly supporting my teams’ professional development and watching them grow as we tackle challenges.
What is a particular career highlight when you look back at your time in the company?
I’ve had a diverse and broad career to date, but two highlights that stand out for me are:
- Culzean Project: being part of a large team driving towards huge milestones. These projects don’t happen often – I feel very lucky to have this experience
- Digital & Data: this opened my eyes to a new way of working and thinking which I have applied in future positions
How has TotalEnergies supported you with your ongoing training and career development?
I have recently become a mother of two. The company has been extremely supportive to continue my development considering my family commitments. I’m still able to work in a key Field Operations position, but with flexibility to work four days a week.
What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever been given?
My line manager in Digital & Data once told me that when given an opportunity, don’t hesitate, grab it with both hands. I’ve realised that there is no such thing as perfect timing and things will fall into place.