What attracted you to BG Group?

I was quite keen, given that I'd studied abroad at university, to get some international experience with BG Group. This is one of only a few companies where you get to travel internationally fairly early on in your career, rather than training first and moving into an international role later on. That was quite important for me. You get early responsibility too because the team’s quite small and the projects we work on our relatively big. This is good because you get to see what's going on and are able to contribute from the start.

What kind of projects do you get involved in?

I joined the commercial scheme so I did 6 months in UK downstream and then I went and spent 6 months overseas in Trinidad looking at the domestic market. I then came back and spent a further 6 months in strategic planning and economics, which gave me a good overview of the business, as well as specific areas of experience. Finally, I went to Thailand and worked on an overlapping claims area between Thailand and Cambodia.

What do you enjoy most about working at BG Group?

I think probably the best thing about going overseas is that it's not just a business role but a lifestyle role as well. So, in terms of how you live your life as well as how you interact with people in the workplace, you really do learn about different cultures. It doesn't just stop when the working day ends - you socialise with these people and really get to know them, so it's really quite rewarding to have had that experience.

What training and development opportunities have you received?

There are all sorts of different ways you can develop and clearly on-the-job training is important. Training courses are available if you identify something that's going to help your career. But personal development is about more than just training. Training is one aspect, of course, but the support within the organisation to help you grow as an individual and move forward to where you want to be runs much deeper than that.

What is the BG Group culture like?

We’re smaller and leaner than some of the other super majors, which means we can really act quickly on new opportunities. I guess the company’s dynamism comes as part of that too. At the same time, however, there’s a terrifically friendly atmosphere about the place. As a graduate, you make a lot of friends quickly. And developing those networks really helps when you can bring relationships into the business environment as well.

Is there anything that you've found particularly challenging or difficult?

First of all, if you're moving from placement to placement every 6 months then you are kind of thrown in at the deep end. Every time you move on, you really are having to start from scratch and learn that role, which is challenging but in a good way, not a bad way. The flipside, obviously, is that you quickly learn all about the business and it prepares you for whatever lies ahead when you finish on the graduate programme. You do meet difficulties along the way but nothing you can't overcome.

How do you see your future with BG Group?

I really enjoy working for BG and do see myself continuing to grow within the group. For the time being, I’m happy to continue developing in the competencies that I'm working with in business analysis, but ultimately I want to broaden my experience base and build on that going forward.