Mark Wood, 29, a senior process engineer, started out his energy career within the downstream sector, working for a refinery in Essex. Following its closure five years later, he was at a career crossroads.
Appreciating that Mark had many transferable skills which could benefit the upstream industry, Atkins – one of the world’s leading design, engineering and project management consultancies – approached him.
Mark commented: “You often find that downstream workers tend to remain within that area, but when Atkins came to me, the exploration and production side of things within an international consultancy appealed greatly.
“I was very much welcomed into Atkins because of my refinery background as it is seen as being an excellent foundation to build on, rather than a hindrance – so much so, there are now more than 40 people that have moved from the Essex refinery to the upstream sector in Aberdeen. Four of them are currently employed in the Atkins Aberdeen office.”
Since joining Atkins in 2012, Mark has worked his way up to become offshore team leader which sees him head up a team of up to eight people within the Aberdeen office. With 18 projects currently live across the North Sea, there is never a dull moment. Training and mentoring graduates is a part of the job which Mark particularly enjoys, allowing him to lead a team whilst instilling his passion for doing a great job in others.
He explained: “We take on graduates every year and developing their knowledge and skills is definitely one of my favourite parts of this role. Seeing talented individuals come through and progressing to become highly competent engineers that truly care about their clients is thoroughly rewarding.”
Mark’s diligence and passion when it comes to the health and safety on his projects recently saw him being shortlisted for the forthcoming UK Oil and Gas Industry Safety Award under the Preventative Safety Action category. This was in light of him speaking up during a client project when he believed intervention was the only safe way to move forward.
Since then, Atkins’ collaborative relationship with the client has been enhanced, resulting in them recently being awarded an engineering support contract, for which Mark is the key account manager.
He added: “I was delighted that my team nominated me for the award, having recognised that I spoke up at a critical point which has stood us both in great stead since.”
It is safe to say that Mark would encourage anyone currently working within downstream to consider the other side of the coin.
“I am continually challenged in the upstream side of the business and it’s proving to be the best move I could have made at that crucial point – not only do I have the support of my team in Aberdeen, but I also have Atkins’ international network around me as I look to take my career to the next level,” Mark said.
“This opens me up to fantastic worldwide travel opportunities, as well as the ability to move around international projects and disciplines in order to keep things interesting. I’ve recently travelled to Qatar with Atkins and I’m looking forward to visiting other regions as I progress.”