Podcast
Energy Sector Heroes ~ Careers in Oil & Gas, Sustainability & Renewable Energy
Hosted by Michelle Fraser · EN
Welcome to Energy Sector Heroes! This podcast is all about showcasing stand-out individuals in the energy sector and their inspiring careers. If you're interested in making a name for yourself in the energy industry, this is the perfect show for you. Each episode, we'll sit down with a different energy sector hero and learn about their journey to success, the challenges they faced along the way, and the valuable lessons they learned. From engineers and scientists to executives and entrepreneurs, we'll hear from a diverse range of professionals who are making a real impact in the world of energy. Tune in to Energy Sector Heroes to get motivated, learn from the best, and start your journey to becoming an energy sector hero too!
28episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Future Proof Your Energy Career with ICSS and Cyber Skills with Tim Canning | Energy Sector Heroes
2w ago00:38:56Tap to summarizeIf you work in engineering, operations, projects or leadership within energy, this episode matters because modern assets rely on connected systems more than ever. When those systems fail, are poorly understood, or are left exposed, the impact can be operational, financial and safety related. In this conversation, I speak with Tim Canning about careers in ICSS, OT cyber security, mentoring, problem solving and how technical people can stay valuable as the industry evolves. Tim shares how he moved from the Air Force into the energy sector, built deep expertise in control and safety systems, and later transitioned into OT cyber security before it became a mainstream discipline. We also discuss the realities of working on live plants, handling pressure, and why broad technical curiosity can open doors throughout a career. What stood out to me most was Tim’s honest view on growth. He talks about when staying with one company can work, when it may be time to move on, and why learning adjacent skills can future proof your career. He also speaks openly about trust, mentorship and helping the next generation develop confidence in high pressure environments. 🔑 Three Key Takeaways🔹 Specialist skills create long term value Deep knowledge in areas like ICSS, automation or OT cyber security can make you highly relevant when industries change.🔹 Understand the whole system, not just your part Strong professionals learn how equipment, data, people and process all connect — that’s where better decisions are made.🔹 Experience should be passed on Real leadership includes mentoring others, listening well, and helping less experienced people grow.✅ Three Actionable Takeaways🔧 Build one niche skill this year Choose an area such as controls, cyber, reliability or project delivery and commit to becoming stronger in it.🔧 Learn one adjacent discipline If you are mechanical, learn controls. If you are controls, learn process operations. If you are project based, learn risk or commercials.🔧 Find one trusted person at work A mentor, peer or experienced colleague you can learn from honestly can accelerate your progress.
Transcribe →Energy Careers: What Graduates Need to Know in 2026 with Daniel O' Meara | Energy Sector Heroes
3w ago00:37:59Tap to summarizeIf you work in energy, are studying for a technical career, or you’re trying to build a long term future in a changing market, this episode matters. I sat down with Daniel O’Meara, President of Geo2 Flow, to talk about what creates staying power in this sector, how technical careers evolve, and why mentorship still matters more than many people realise. Daniel shares how he moved from academia into the energy industry, built a specialist software business with global reach, and worked across multiple countries and disciplines over several decades. We also discuss how graduates can think more carefully about further study, choosing the right mentors, and building practical skills that employers value. This conversation is a useful reminder that careers are rarely linear. Sometimes the best opportunities come from being curious, staying adaptable, and learning how different parts of the industry connect.🔑 Three Key Takeaways🔹 Technical ability alone is not enough Strong careers are often built on communication, commercial awareness, and the ability to work across disciplines—not just deep technical knowledge. 🔹 Mentors can save years of trial and error A good mentor can help you focus on what matters, avoid poor choices, and understand how the real industry works beyond university or theory. 🔹 Global thinking creates opportunities Energy is an international sector. Being open to new markets, cultures, and ways of working can widen your options significantly. ✅ Three Actionable Takeaways🛠️ Review your current skill gaps Ask yourself: what would make me more employable in the next 12 months—technical tools, leadership skills, communication, or commercial understanding?🛠️ Find one credible mentor Look for someone with real industry experience whose career path you respect. Ask thoughtful questions and learn from their mistakes as well as their wins.🛠️ Think beyond your local market Research where investment is happening globally. Sometimes the best move is being willing to look outside your immediate area.🎧 Why Listen?If you’re a graduate, mid career professional, or experienced specialist thinking about your next move, this episode offers practical thoughts on career durability, learning, and staying relevant in a sector that keeps changing.
Transcribe →Michael Durand: Energy Careers: Stay or Move? What Really Drives Progression | Energy Sector Heroes
4w ago00:29:33Tap to summarizeIf you’re building a career in the energy sector, this episode matters because it challenges how you think about progression, company choice, and long term direction. We often hear that success means moving companies, chasing titles, or maximising salary but this conversation looks at a different path: staying, growing, and making deliberate choices based on values, not just opportunity.In this episode, I speak with Michel Durand, Director at EDF, who shares what it looks like to build a 30+ year career within one organisation while still gaining diverse experiences across nuclear, overseas operations, and leadership roles. We talk about career decisions, working abroad, and how to assess whether a company is right for you not just on paper, but in reality.What stood out to me is how much of a career comes down to trade offs between risk and stability, salary and purpose, or staying versus leaving. There isn’t one “correct” path, but there are better decisions depending on what matters to you.🔑 Key Takeaways🔹 Career progression doesn’t always require moving companiesMichel built his career by taking opportunities internally rather than chasing external moves. Progression came from being open to new roles rather than actively chasing titles.🔹 Company values matter more than brandingIt’s important to look beyond what a company says and understand what it actually does especially around environment, people, and ethics. If your values don’t align, staying long term becomes difficult.🔹 Mobility creates opportunityBeing open to relocating whether internationally or within your own country can significantly expand your career options and expose you to larger, more complex projects.⚡ Actionable Takeaways👉 Do a values check on your current (or target) companyLook at their environmental policies, track record, and reputation. Then ask yourself honestly does this align with what I’m comfortable working on?👉 Tell your manager you’re open to new opportunitiesDon’t wait for opportunities to come to you. Make it clear you’re willing to move roles, locations, or take on new challenges.👉 Test your comfort with mobility earlyIf you’re early in your career, actively explore opportunities abroad or in different regions. Even one move can change your trajectory.
Transcribe →The Future of Energy Careers: Stability, Risk and Transferable Skills with Jamie Young | Energy Sector Heroes
Apr 2800:51:20Tap to summarizeIf you are building a career in energy — whether you’re a graduate, mid career professional, or senior leader — this conversation matters.The sector is evolving fast. Expectations around safety, sustainability, leadership and reputation have shifted dramatically. The pace of change is increasing. And for many of you listening, the question is no longer just “How do I succeed?” but “How do I build something meaningful and transferable?”In this episode, I speak with Jamie Young, former Risk Director at BP, who shares reflections from a 40 year career across oil & gas and mining.Jamie started as an apprentice in the North Sea and went on to lead global risk methodologies supporting executive leadership. Along the way, he experienced near fatal incidents, witnessed major industry disasters, and helped shape strategic responses to events that changed the sector permanently.We talk about what has genuinely improved in energy — particularly around safety culture and systems thinking — but also about the new challenges facing the industry: instability, cyclical restructures, technology disruption, and the importance of personal reputation.This is a grounded discussion about purpose, risk, leadership and how to show up well in a high stakes sector.💡 Three Key Takeaways🔹 Purpose isn’t abstract — it’s built from what you care aboutJamie’s sense of purpose didn’t appear overnight. It emerged from lived experience — from seeing what goes wrong and deciding to contribute to preventing it. Purpose is often found at the intersection of what affects you deeply and where you can add distinctive value.🔹 The industry is safer — but less stableOil and gas has made major strides in process safety, systems thinking, and operating discipline. However, career stability is no longer guaranteed. Reorganisations, volatility and existential pressures mean professionals must think long term and transferable.🔹 Reputation now matters more than everDoing good work is essential — but it must also be visible. In a cyclical industry, how you are perceived, how you collaborate, and what you are known for can influence opportunities and resilience.🎯 Three Actionable Takeaways📝 Define what you want to be known forWrite down three words that describe the professional you want to be. Align your behaviour and decisions to those words. Review them annually.🗣 Practise a 90 second professional summaryBe able to clearly and succinctly explain who you are, what you stand for, and the value you bring. This is essential for interviews, networking, and internal visibility.🌍 Build a network before you need oneAttend events, connect on LinkedIn, follow up with short conversations. Relationships built early provide optionality later — especially in a cyclical sector.
Transcribe →Douglas Lumsden: Is the Energy Transition Costing Jobs? A Real Look at Oil, Gas & Renewables | Energy Sector Heroes
Apr 2100:35:31Tap to summarizeFor anyone building a career in the energy sector, this conversation matters because it touches on something many of us are experiencing right now uncertainty. Whether you’re early in your career, trying to transition roles, or deciding which direction to take, the decisions being made at policy level are directly shaping job opportunities, salaries, and long term stability.In this episode, I speak with Douglas Lumsden, who moved from a 25 year career in oil and gas into politics. We talk about what’s really happening in the UK energy landscape, why opportunities feel more limited, and what this means for people working in or entering the sector.💡 What I took from this conversation🔹 The energy sector is still essential but it’s changing unevenly We are not using less oil and gas yet, but we are producing less of it domestically. That gap is being filled by imports, which has implications for jobs, costs, and energy security.🔹 Transition isn’t matching reality on the ground There’s a lot of focus on moving toward renewables, but the number of jobs available doesn’t yet match the roles being lost in oil and gas. That mismatch is creating pressure across the workforce.🔹 Policy decisions are shaping career paths Investment, hiring, and long term planning are heavily influenced by government policy. That means career stability in the sector is no longer just about technical skill it’s also about external factors outside our control.✅ Actionable takeaways🔸 Think in terms of “energy,” not just oil and gas If you’re planning your career, focus on skills that transfer across the wider energy sector engineering, project delivery, subsea, digital, and controls all move across industries.🔸 Stay flexible on location and opportunity Many professionals are moving internationally to maintain their careers. It’s worth considering mobility as part of your long term plan rather than a last resort.🔸 Build skills that bridge sectors Look for experience that sits between oil & gas and renewables (e.g. offshore engineering, commissioning, infrastructure). These areas are more resilient as the industry evolves.
Transcribe →Mona Setoodeh: Energy Careers Explained: What Hiring Managers Really Look For | Energy Sector Heroes
Apr 1400:49:19Tap to summarizeIf you’re a student, graduate, or early career professional trying to find your place in the energy sector, this episode matters because it breaks down what actually drives career progression beyond qualifications and job titles.In this conversation, I speak with Mona Setoodeh, an LNG specialist and Vice President, about how careers are really built in this industry from mentorship and self advocacy to hiring decisions and team dynamics.What stood out to me is that progression isn’t just about technical ability. It’s about how you position yourself, how you think, and how you show up in the room especially when it feels uncomfortable.We also get into the reality of interviews, what hiring managers are actually looking for, and how to create long term opportunities rather than just chasing the next role.🔑 Key Takeaways🧠 Your technical skills get you in your mindset keeps you progressingEmployers expect to teach you the technical side early on. What they’re really assessing is resilience, communication, and how you approach problems.🤝 Mentorship isn’t about being told what to doThe most valuable mentors help you think differently, not just give answers. They create space for you to take risks while knowing support is there if needed.📣 Self advocacy is a learned skill, not a personality traitSpeaking up doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but it can be developed through awareness, preparation, and understanding how people respond in professional environments.✅ Actionable Takeaways🎯 Define your direction earlyBe clear on what you want long term and communicate it. Even if it changes, having intent helps others support your progression.🔍 Prepare differently for interviewsDon’t focus only on technical answers. Think about how you demonstrate resilience, teamwork, and decision making under pressure.🌐 Build your network consistentlyStay connected with people over time. Opportunities often come through relationships, not just applications.
Transcribe →Are Energy Careers Changing? Nigel MacLean on Skills That Transfer Across Sectors | Energy Sector Heroes
Apr 700:32:41Tap to summarizeIf you're building a career in energy whether you're just starting out, considering a move, or thinking about going out on your own this episode matters because it shows what a real career path can look like when it doesn’t follow a straight line.In this conversation, I sit down with Nigel MacLean, Managing Director of Entuergy, who shares how he moved from offshore technician to running his own consultancy, working across both traditional oil & gas and newer energy projects.We talk about career transitions, how skills carry across sectors, and what actually happens when you step into self employment in the energy industry.What stood out to me is how much of a career is shaped by decisions made at uncertain moments redundancy, switching paths, or taking opportunities that weren’t part of the original plan. Nigel also speaks openly about the realities of building a business, from finding work to managing growth and staying relevant in a changing energy landscape.There’s also a strong message here for anyone worried about the future of energy jobs the work is still there, but it may not look like it used to.🔑 Key Takeaways⚙️ Early hands-on experience creates long term advantageStarting “on the tools” gave Nigel a foundation that shaped everything that followed especially in leadership roles later in his career.🔄 Energy careers don’t need to stay in one laneThe same project and engineering skills can move across oil & gas, renewables, power, and even into areas like legal expert work.📈 Self-employment is less about freedom and more about responsibilityBuilding a consultancy means managing pipeline, brand, relationships, and delivery all at the same time.✅ Actionable Takeaways🧭 Build transferable skills earlyFocus on project delivery, stakeholder management, and execution in complex environments these skills travel across industries.🤝 Stay visible and relevantShare your work, insights, or observations (even short form content) to keep yourself in people’s awareness opportunities often come through visibility.⚖️ Don’t assume you need to take a pay cut to change sectorLook for ways to position your experience so it translates commercially adaptation matters more than starting over.
Transcribe →Why Most Energy Jobs Are Never Advertised with Michael Way | Energy Sector Heroes
Mar 3100:45:18Tap to summarizeMany of the students and early career professionals who listen to Energy Sector Heroes are trying to answer the same questions:How do you actually get noticed in the energy industry? How do you compete when there are hundreds of applicants?And what role should AI, networking, and recruiters play in your career journey?In this episode, I sit down with Michael Way, co-founder of Subterra Group, a specialist upstream recruitment firm working with exploration and production companies. Michael shares how recruitment really works behind the scenes, what hiring managers actually look for, and how candidates can stand out in a crowded job market. We talk about the reality of executive search, why many roles are never advertised publicly, and why building relationships in the industry can matter just as much as submitting an application online. Michael also gives a candid perspective on AI written CVs, interview preparation, and the changing balance between traditional oil and gas careers and the energy transition.For anyone trying to build a career in energy whether in oil and gas, CCS, hydrogen, or renewables this conversation offers a practical look at how hiring decisions are actually made.Key Takeaways🔹 Many opportunities never appear on job boards Specialist recruitment firms often work through networks and referrals rather than public advertisements. Building relationships with recruiters and industry professionals can uncover opportunities that are never publicly listed.🔹 Standing out requires more than submitting a CV A short message to the hiring manager, a LinkedIn note, or a proactive introduction can make a candidate more memorable than simply clicking “apply” on a job portal.🔹 AI can help but it shouldn’t replace your voice AI tools can support spelling, formatting, and research, but CVs and applications that rely too heavily on automated writing often stand out for the wrong reasons.Three Actionable Takeaways🧭 Pick five companies you genuinely want to work for Research them and send a short introduction explaining your interest even if there are no current vacancies.📩 Introduce yourself to hiring managers A short LinkedIn message or email can help your application stand out from hundreds of others.📚 Use AI as a tool, not a replacement Use it to improve formatting, spelling, or research but keep your writing personal and authentic.
Transcribe →How Hiring Is Changing in the Energy Industry (AI, Redundancies & Skills) with Gary Gray | Energy Sector Heroes
Mar 2400:38:08Tap to summarizeFor students, graduates and professionals trying to build a career in the energy sector, the employment landscape can feel uncertain. Technology is changing how companies operate, the energy mix is evolving, and many people are wondering where opportunities will exist in the future.In this episode of Energy Sector Heroes, I speak with Gary Gray, Managing Director of Strategic Resources. Gary has spent more than two decades working in recruitment within the energy industry, giving him a unique view of how hiring trends, workforce shifts and career expectations have evolved over time.During our conversation, we discuss how the job market is changing in Aberdeen and beyond, the impact of technology such as AI on recruitment, and the realities of navigating redundancy and career transitions. Gary also shares his perspective on where opportunities may emerge for graduates and early career professionals entering the workforce today.For anyone considering a career in engineering, energy, technology or related industries, this conversation highlights the importance of staying adaptable and understanding how industries evolve over time. The energy sector continues to change, but there are still many pathways for people willing to build the right skills and stay open to new opportunities.🔑 Three Key Takeaways💡 1. The energy workforce is evolving, not disappearingWhile some professionals are moving away from traditional oil and gas roles, engineering expertise is still needed across areas such as renewables, gas infrastructure, and emerging technologies.🤖 2. AI is entering recruitment, but human judgement still mattersMany large companies are using AI tools to filter applications, but recruiters still rely heavily on human evaluation when deciding who is the right fit for a role.🔄 3. Career paths are rarely linearRedundancies, career shifts and temporary role changes are common in the energy sector. What matters most is how individuals adapt and continue building experience over time.✅ Three Actionable Takeaways for Listeners🧭 Clarify the direction of your career earlyThink carefully about what industries and technologies interest you most, then build skills that align with where those sectors are heading.🤝 Engage directly with industry professionalsAttend career fairs, industry events and technical conferences to learn how companies are evolving and what skills are in demand.📈 Stay flexible during industry downturnsIf opportunities become limited, taking a different role or moving into an adjacent sector can help maintain momentum and keep your experience growing.
Transcribe →How to Build a Career in Decommissioning with Francis Norman | Energy Sector Heroes
Mar 1700:45:54Tap to summarizeIf you work in energy whether you're early in your career, considering working overseas, or thinking about where the sector is heading this conversation matters to you.Many of us started in oil and gas, new builds, commissioning, or brownfield projects. Now the landscape is shifting. Decommissioning is accelerating globally. Sustainability expectations are rising. International mobility is more complex. And younger engineers are asking different questions about purpose and long term opportunity.In this episode, I speak with Francis Norman, CEO and Managing Director of the Centre of Decommissioning Australia (CODA). We explore how he moved from traditional engineering into decommissioning, why this space is far more technically complex than many realise, and what advice he would give to engineers starting out today.We also talk honestly about working abroad, building confidence early in your career, and why flexibility may be the most valuable skill you can develop in the energy sector.🔎 What We CoverWhy decommissioning should be viewed as its own industry not just the “end of life” phaseThe technical complexity behind plugging wells, removing platforms, and dismantling offshore infrastructureWhy unknowns and incomplete documentation are part of the engineering challengeThe long term global outlook for decommissioning careersThe realities of working abroad including the self doubt and growth that come with itWhy energy careers in the future will demand flexibility across hydrocarbons, renewables, and carbon capture🎯 Three Key Takeaways🔹 Decommissioning is technically demanding and long termThis is not a short cycle phase. It will span decades globally and requires deep engineering judgement under uncertainty.🔹 Early career engineers should prioritise learning over positioningYour first 4–5 years are about mastering fundamentals, not chasing titles.🔹 International experience accelerates maturityWorking abroad forces decision making, builds resilience, and expands perspective in ways office based roles rarely do.🛠️ Three Actionable Takeaways✅ If you are in new build or brownfield ask to shadow a decommissioning scope.Exposure builds optionality. Even one project gives you transferable experience.✅ In your first five years, say “yes” more often than “no.”Secondments, site work, overseas assignments these experiences compound over time.✅ Broaden your definition of “energy.”Oil, gas, offshore wind, carbon capture, decommissioning, hydrogen your core engineering skillset can transfer across all of them.The energy sector is changing, but the need for skilled engineers is not disappearing. The engineers who thrive will be those who stay curious, technically grounded, and adaptable.
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