What made you choose your business area?

I always had a love of rocks and was fascinated by the earth. I also like flying. I knew that geologists flew from country to country looking at rocks in different areas, so this was a great way for me to kill two birds with one stone.

What is your role at BG Group?

Generally, my job is to study the earth and identify hydrocarbon-bearing zones. I suggest possible sites for exploration wells, appraise new discoveries and then plan and implement field developments to drill production wells and then monitor those wells after they come out of production.

What kind of projects do you get involved in?

I did a placement in Trinidad in operations and well-site geology. I was involved in the later stages of well planning, actually drilling the wells, being offshore, supervising, pressure testing, calling what we call 'TD' which basically means telling the drillers when to stop, doing post appraisals and so on.

I've had 2 international placements, the first one was here at BG Advance in the UK. I spent time working with the specialist Petroleum Systems team which gave me the chance to gain experience and a rare skillset that few people of my age get to develop, which is going to look really good on my resume now.

I also worked on a project that involved prospect evaluation and risk assessments on prospects in the North Sea where the geology is very different from what I see in Trinidad. So I've been able to work in different countries with different geology and a of course different people and different cultures. And it's all been a really good experience so far.

What's the best project you've been involved in?

It's got to be either my operations geology project or the one with Petroleum Systems.

On the first, I got some well site experience and although I wasn't thrown into the deep end, at one point I was given the huge decision when to stop drilling. It was a big shock for me as I knew that this is a very important decision. But I assessed the data, make a good decision that was agreed by the senior well site geologist and by the team onshore.

On the second, I worked with a specialist team in BG Advance where I got the opportunity to develop a rare skill set and to work with a team of specialists. I had no idea what the work would be like but the team were very much willing to train me. I learned new software, and how to plan and execute a basin modelling project and now I'm able to do that. And I think I'm the only one in the Trinidad and Tobago office who can do that thanks to BG.

What training and development opportunities have you received?

BG Group is definitely committed to training and personal development. The first thing they asked me to do after telling me I’d been successful in the interview was to fill out a traveller profile form, because they were sending me to the UK for a 2-week induction. So within my first two weeks of starting I was already travelling.

The induction covered BG Group’s work across the entire gas chain. It also included behavioural courses on things like influencing partners and stakeholders and working with people from different cultures. So from the start there’s been a strong focus on behavioural learning. Technically too, the geo-science function is really committed to making sure that you're equipped to do your job.

What is the BG Group culture like?

It's a very relaxed atmosphere, the people are friendly, very approachable. You can definitely see there's a culture of closeness within BG Group and you can talk to higher management really easily. There's a culture of open feedback so that you don't have to feel reserved about saying what you think as long as it's honest and respectful. Your opinions are valued and to me that’s very important

What advice would you give to graduates thinking of joining BG Group?

If you're pro-active, if you like challenges and working in different environments, and if you're looking for a company that's committed to technical development, your personal health and safety, and one where the culutre is so close that you can talk to high levels of management and climb the technical ladder much faster, then BG Group is the place for you. There's nothing better than working with a company that's a great performer, and BG Group truly is a world leader in natural gas.