23 Aug 2012
What does your current job
involve?
I'm the Global Technology Manager
for Shell Specialities; which is both
bitumen and sulphur.
I lead a team of more than 100 people to deliver expertise and best practice input for technical sales and product management, including industry representation and government liaison, technical service to more than 2000 customers across 24 countries, management and maintenance of a commercially-viable range of products to meet the needs of customers, assurance that all products meet the required standards and to advise on any changing regulations. My team also provides high-level input from the market place to the research and development team in order to deliver a targeted technology development programme.
I am also Professor of Pavement Materials at the University of Nottingham, UK, where I give lectures and act as an industrial advisor to the Department of Civil Engineering.
You manage over 100 people.
Where are they stationed,
and how do you achieve a
smooth running operation?
They're spread throughout the world,
in 18 countries. Like with most things
in life, preparation is key. Managing
across so many markets, you have
to select the right up-and-coming
leaders to fill the key positions
and then you need to delegate,
whilst maintaining accountability
yourself. That way when the team's
successful, everybody shares in the
success, but if there's an issue, you
personally take your share of the
repercussions.
I would also say developing people's leadership skills is key; without the ability to manage virtually, to nurture and exploit diversity, to communicate well with stakeholders and to be able to help people see where their activities contribute to the bigger picture, we wouldn't be able to deliver.
What motivated you into
postgraduate studies
and to pursue a career in
engineering?
At the end of my A-levels, having
been bombarded with information
for 15 years, I felt I'd had enough, so
went to work - and stumbled across
the industry I now work in.
I happened to be taking my
friend to the job centre, and saw an
advert for a trainee junior materials
technician, at a consultant testing
firm and thought that would be
good for the summer. I worked at
an RAF base, testing the asphalts,
concretes and soils, got to the end of
the summer and thought, I'm really
enjoying the work and having some
money!
I decided to carry on and to continue my education at another time. I did for three years but felt I wasn't achieving my potential so I decided to go back and finish my education. I was very fortunate that the company I was with, Redland (now Lafarge), sponsored my materials engineering degree and I carried on from there. Those three years in industry were very beneficial - they allowed me to really decide what I was interested in.
What are the most important
things you've learned in your
career so far?
Listen, listen and listen again. We
rarely listen, particularly as scientists
and engineers, as we're trained to
think and interpret data by ourselves.
I've found if you truly listen to
people and add your thoughts the
outcome of the combined thinking is
always superior.
All around my office I have
post-its reminding me to listen, listen
again, test that I have understood
by repeating back, and listen once
again: only then do I begin thinking
about the outcome. Try it. I promise
the outcome will be better.
What have been the key
milestones in your career?
Returning to education allowed me
to achieve my potential. The birth of
my children changed my focus from
me to them and created a desire to
achieve for them. The publishing
of the Shell Bitumen Handbook:
suddenly I became known by
virtually everyone in the industry,
almost overnight.
Finally, the restructuring of all
the commercial businesses in Shell
in 2005 to be global businesses - it
gave me the opportunity to become
Global Technology Manager, and
to drive through my ideas and
strategies for how technology should
contribute to the business.
What key things would a
young person need to do if
they wanted to get to the
position you've achieved?
Work on your education, achieve your
potential academically and the rest of
your career will open up before you.
If you don't then you will forever be
chasing what might have been.
What does being a member
of SCI mean to you?
It's very important to me as it offers
a broad perspective of all aspects
where chemistry contributes to
society, as well as being an excellent
means to observe and adopt new
ways of thinking, behaving and
delivering, to improve both myself
and the businesses in which I work.
That's vital - we must continue to develop every day, to stay at the forefront of any discipline. Having a vehicle like SCI where you can tap into other people's ideas, attend prestigious lectures and workshops, and even be a formal part of SCI in one of the groups or committees - all of that gives you the opportunity to continue to develop.
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