Case Study: Thierry Cathey
About BP
BP employs almost 100,000 people in over 100 countries. Its main activities are the exploration for and production of crude oil and natural gas; oil refining, marketing, supply and transportation; and manufacturing and marketing of petrochemicals. BP has growing activities in gas, power and alternative energy businesses.
What made you apply for a job at BP?
The energy business is fascinating. Few sectors impact society to such extent and after graduating from Imperial College London with a Masters in Chemical Engineering, I wanted to be part of it. I also wanted to get some major international project experience, be given responsibility from day one and feel that I was doing more than pumping barrels of oil. After an internship with BP, I felt I had found the right employer.
Is there the option for variety in your job?
Absolutely. I started as a production engineer in the Central North Sea and in my second year moved to London to work on the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli Project located in Azerbaijan – the biggest international project in BP’s portfolio. This was fantastic hands-on engineering experience. I really was contributing to this multi-billion dollar project.
I am now working in Algeria on BP’s first industrial scale demonstration of carbon dioxide injection, providing operational experience to BP Alternative Energy. I have been here a year and what a year it has been. No two days are ever the same. They can involve chemical usage optimisation, production optimisation, de-bottlenecking studies, performance tests and troubleshooting.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
The international dimension that my career path offers; working with people from different technical backgrounds and cultures; going on valuable training courses that - along with my work - will help me become a chartered chemical engineer; the opportunity to be part of the energy business…I really don’t know where to stop. The list has expanded ever since I joined BP.