We caught up with Laura to find out more about her experiences, what challenges and opportunities she sees for the global energy industry, and what she enjoys most about working at THREE60 Energy…

Q: What first inspired you to begin a career in the energy sector, and specifically as a project controls engineer?

A. I always swore I wouldn’t work in oil and gas, believe it or not. My dad worked in the industry, and I wanted to make a name for myself in another sector. But when I graduated in 2010, oil and gas was where the jobs were most fruitful.

The graduate scheme I joined provided various development opportunities, and it was great to see many sides of the business. I discovered I enjoy processes, analytics and costings, and so progressed along this route.

I really appreciate that, at THREE60 Energy, you get the chance to experience so much more than if you were working at a tier one company. When I first joined the business, then named Step Change Engineering, there were 30-40 people employed. Now, as THREE60 Energy, there are far larger scopes of projects to be worked on – no two days are the same!

It’s great that we’re experiencing growth and diversification in project work and revenue opportunities, such as in offshore wind.

Q: How has your experience and studies in business, leadership and change management prepared you for your career at THREE60 Energy?

A. During my leadership and change management studies, I learned the ways in which businesses fail by trying to grow too quickly. The need for staggered growth and being able to sustain a scheduled progression is key, and getting that right pace is crucial for an energy supply chain company like THREE60 Energy.

Now working in an integrated, international energy services company, I find my organisational behaviours training is very useful for knowing how to best approach and handle situations across disciplines, cultures and scales.

Q: Which challenges and opportunities have you faced while operating in the global energy industry?

A. I took the chance to work in Doha as part of my graduate scheme, and I really enjoyed the new perspective and cultural point of difference it provided me.

By coming to THREE60 Energy and taking an opportunity that promised a broadening role for my career, it was a great chance to gain greater exposure to the industry. There are significant opportunities within the company. You get the chance to interface with so many people and skillsets, and work closely with the leadership team.

In terms of challenges, I see market instability and the potential of a skills gap as we transition to net zero as things to be tackled. However, there are so many transferable skills that can change over and switch application very easily – it’s an exciting time to be part of the industry.

Q: How do you think THREE60 Energy differentiates itself from other energy supply chain companies?

A. THREE60 Energy can deliver from the start to the very end of the asset lifecycle – we’re the only company of our size that can do this in the UK. We’re big, but still small enough to maintain a culture and size which is praised for its responsiveness and flexibility.

We’ve worked on many projects in which we’ve pulled from all our capabilities across the world – subsurface, wells, EPCC and operations. It’s a rewarding logistical challenge!

THREE60 Energy’s integrated service offering helps me in my operational role as being able to offer a wide range of expert services helps secure broader scopes of work with our customers – having the ability to work across geographies and capabilities is so beneficial.

I’m excited about working at THREE60 Energy as the sector moves towards net zero, as THREE60 Energy expands into renewable and energy transition growth markets.

You can learn more about THREE60 Energy’s service lines here.