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Career Journeys
Name: Emily
Title: Regional Team Leader, Oil Products Trading
Location: Singapore
Years at Shell: 19
Degree: Business Administration, University of Singapore
I began my career with Shell by spending a year at a refinery. Then, I took on a role as the head of a small operations team. In the 1990s each refinery had its own trader. You were on your own – sometimes very literally.
While I was in operations, traders started to show me how to look at different options. One thing led to another and I joined Trading in 1995. A year later, I went to the UK for three years and then to Japan. Along the way, I had international exposure and training that really helped me develop. I learned how to understand different people, different nationalities and different behaviours.
By the late 1990s, the model for Shell Trading was changing. Global coordination was increasing and so was the number of stakeholders to manage. It was a different and better way of working. But, there’s still a need for entrepreneurial thinking. The level of accountability is high. Sometimes, you know whether you’re right or wrong within minutes. Every day is a new start, and you can make different decisions.
In many ways, it’s like running your own business, and you still have a team around you to share ideas with. People may have different views, but the teams at Shell Trading value chemistry – that special combination of different strengths that improves overall performance. The margins are tight so everyone has to stay on their toes. There’s no room for loafers. The energy level is incredibly high. Outside of work, there are always opportunities to socialise and do more to build your professional network with other parts of Shell Trading.
Trading chemical feed stocks has become more competitive over the past two years, We have to stay two steps ahead. Trading is also about behavioural patterns, There’s a psychology to getting the best out of a trade, and teams can really help define those different ways of thinking. We bounce ideas off each other and look at ways to reverse convention and be more creative. Good ideas can come from any member of your team. I really like coaching others. It’s great seeing new talent blossom.