Career Journey

Degree: Accounting

Time at Shell: Three years

Location: Houston

 

“I wanted to become a trader before I graduated from university. I’d had some work experience on Wall Street while I was studying. Shell is a big, global organisation and it seemed to offer the best opportunities for learning and breadth of experience.

Already, I’ve had the chance to work in London for a year – which exposed me to global perspectives that have helped me here in the US. I’m in Chemical Feedstocks and Naphtha right now, but I’ve also been on the natural gas and paper desks. All my experiences have been good – and I’ve had the variety I wanted.

There’s so much going on in the industry. I think we’re at a real turning point. Natural gas exploration is increasing, and in Trading we’re trying to decide how those changes will ultimately affect our decisions. There’s always a level of unpredictability and new dimensions to the market.  You never know what you’re going to get and that makes it interesting.

Since I joined Shell Trading, I’ve had a lot of individual attention and investment from my team. Senior people are approachable and they’ve taken an interest in me. Here, I found people are very willing to help me learn. There’s a window where you can be a sponge and take in everything – and I think that’s unique to Shell.

From my experience, a trader needs to be eager to learn and adaptable. You can’t let yourself get stuck on one thing – you have to be ready to move on – and do it quickly. Being analytical is useful, and so is having an appetite for risk. You need to measure risk versus reward. I guess you need to understand what the right balance is, and have the confidence to act.”

Shell International Trading and Shipping Co.Ltd. is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.