What attracted you to BG Group?
I first heard about BG Group at a recruitment presentation. The most exciting part for me was the opportunity to work abroad on a 12-month placement. The fact that it wasn't such a big company and yet not too small meant that I would be able to get the exposure I was looking for.
What made you choose your business area?
That was based on the area I studied in school. I studied petroleum engineering and I am working as a reservoir engineer at the moment.
What is your role at BG Group?
I look at sub-surface aspects of the reservoir, all the way to the well bore. Previously, I was working as a production engineer in Aberdeen where I looked at the well bore to the well head. Right now though, my job involves exploration engineering, generating reservoir profiles for economic proposals to determine whether the exploration is commercially viable. I also support the fields themselves, dealing with reservoir engineering queries about things like recovery.
What's the best project you've been involved in?
If I were to choose one, it would probably be building a gap model. A gap model is like an integrated asset building tool that you use to predict the future performance of a field. Building this model from scratch was quite a challenging task and gave me a lot of experience in the defence areas of reservoir engineering like field and rock characterisation. These are core areas of expertise for a reservoir engineer so that was great experience for me to gain.
What do you enjoy most about working at BG Group?
The fact that there are a lot of very experienced people around me that I can ask questions when I'm in doubt. I'm responsible for the Erskine field at the moment and I've never done that before but knowing that there are people around me who I can ask questions when I have a challenge is quite reassuring and makes me want to come in the next day. I’m never stuck.
What training and development opportunities have you received?
There’s the Petroskill software that we use to monitor our competencies and determine what kind of training we require. As a graduate you are expected to fill in this competency level yourself and establish what areas you're lacking in. That helps you define what training you need to attend. I have been given quite a lot of training in my first year at BG, including a course on deliquification in the US. In short, you choose training that fits your needs rather than following a by-the-book programme whether you need it or not.