Careers Journey

Location: London

Time with Shell: 16 years

Degree: Chemical Engineering, MBA

“My story is somewhat unique. After a conversation with my uncle about how I was bored in my then job, he referred me to a contact at Shell. I had an interview and joined Shell in India as an experienced hire. To begin with, I was part of an office that had just five people in it. In the 1990’s, Shell had returned to India to set up a lubricants business.

I liked the idea of being part of a big company with ambitious growth plans. For three years, I worked on projects connected to market entry as the Indian fuels market deregulated. I met a lot of people and made some important contacts, but the deregulation didn’t really make much progress.  After a few years, I got restless and started getting involved with Trading, helping the traders out, meeting customers and making new connections. In 1998, an opening came up in crude oil supply, so I came to London.

 At that time, we were in the process of centralising the supply function into Shell Trading. I was involved with the challenge of setting up the new system and making it work in stages. The next challenge was to do the same thing in Singapore, where I was made Team Leader of the new Supply team.

A big part of my role was getting people and systems on board for the consolidation. People may think that technical skills are essential for a job like mine, but what’s more important is an aptitude for change. Technical skills you can always learn, and add to when necessary.

During my four years in supply, I worked closely with traders. My colleagues thought I might have the right skills and approach, so I took a step down and joined trading. I started on the West Africa/South America desk as a crude trader. It was fantastic, exactly what I wanted to do.

After a few years, I was made Team Leader. In order to keep broadening my skills, I next moved to Gas & Power in Houston, on a development assignment. The skills were different from crude, so I did projects to started learning about the business. But when there was an opening in C02, I found it very interesting, did some research, and made the move back to London.

The Kyoto Protocol created CO2 targets for developed nations – these need to be met at the lowest cost to the economy. Industries either make the reductions or they buy allowances. The CO2 market is worth more than $100 billion and it’s growing. We manage Shell’s compliance, so we work with refineries and across the developing world. We also work with greenhouse gas reducing projects in the developing world.

It’s a global setting and we’re a very diverse group. The deals we do are complex, and we’re definitely team focused – there are no hotshots. To work in CO2 Trading, you have to care about the low-carbon agenda, and share our dedication to making a difference.”