Energy Sector Heroes ~ Careers in Oil & Gas, Sustainability & Renewable Energy

If you work in energy, engineering, construction, or infrastructure, this episode matters because long term careers are rarely built on technical ability alone. They’re built through learning, communication, teamwork, adaptability, and knowing how to grow through change. In this conversation, I speak with Segun Faniran, founder of Construct Africa, about building an international career, mentoring future talent, and how young professionals can create real value in the workplace.
Segun shares how he moved from civil engineering in Nigeria into global consulting, academia, and leadership roles across Australia, the Middle East, and beyond. We discuss why working in different regions broadens your thinking, why mentorship matters at every career stage, and why asking questions can often accelerate growth faster than pretending to know everything.
We also explore how AI may reshape engineering productivity, and why the human side of the profession — judgement, communication, collaboration, and leadership — will remain essential.
🔑 Three Key Takeaways
🔹 Never stop learning
What you learn in university is a starting point. Real progress comes from staying curious, adapting to change, and learning continuously throughout your career.
🔹 Technical skill alone is not enough
Strong careers are built by adding value beyond your core role — helping teams, improving processes, communicating clearly, and supporting the wider business.
🔹 Safe leadership builds better people
The best leaders create environments where people can ask questions, take initiative, make mistakes, and grow with confidence.
🎯 Three Actionable Takeaways
✅ Ask one experienced person in your workplace for advice this month.
A simple conversation can save you years of trial and error.
✅ Volunteer for one initiative outside your day job.
It could be a presentation, process improvement, graduate network, or team project. Visibility matters.
✅ Review one recent mistake as a lesson.
Write down what happened, what you learned, and what you’ll do differently next time.

If you work in engineering, operations, projects or leadership within energy, this episode matters because modern assets rely on connected systems more than ever. When those systems fail, are poorly understood, or are left exposed, the impact can be operational, financial and safety related. In this conversation, I speak with Tim Canning about careers in ICSS, OT cyber security, mentoring, problem solving and how technical people can stay valuable as the industry evolves.
Tim shares how he moved from the Air Force into the energy sector, built deep expertise in control and safety systems, and later transitioned into OT cyber security before it became a mainstream discipline. We also discuss the realities of working on live plants, handling pressure, and why broad technical curiosity can open doors throughout a career.
What stood out to me most was Tim’s honest view on growth. He talks about when staying with one company can work, when it may be time to move on, and why learning adjacent skills can future proof your career. He also speaks openly about trust, mentorship and helping the next generation develop confidence in high pressure environments.
🔑 Three Key Takeaways
🔹 Specialist skills create long term value
Deep knowledge in areas like ICSS, automation or OT cyber security can make you highly relevant when industries change.
🔹 Understand the whole system, not just your part
Strong professionals learn how equipment, data, people and process all connect — that’s where better decisions are made.
🔹 Experience should be passed on
Real leadership includes mentoring others, listening well, and helping less experienced people grow.
✅ Three Actionable Takeaways
🔧 Build one niche skill this year
Choose an area such as controls, cyber, reliability or project delivery and commit to becoming stronger in it.
🔧 Learn one adjacent discipline
If you are mechanical, learn controls. If you are controls, learn process operations. If you are project based, learn risk or commercials.
🔧 Find one trusted person at work
A mentor, peer or experienced colleague you can learn from honestly can accelerate your progress.

If you work in energy, are studying for a technical career, or you’re trying to build a long term future in a changing market, this episode matters. I sat down with Daniel O’Meara, President of Geo2 Flow, to talk about what creates staying power in this sector, how technical careers evolve, and why mentorship still matters more than many people realise.
Daniel shares how he moved from academia into the energy industry, built a specialist software business with global reach, and worked across multiple countries and disciplines over several decades. We also discuss how graduates can think more carefully about further study, choosing the right mentors, and building practical skills that employers value.
This conversation is a useful reminder that careers are rarely linear. Sometimes the best opportunities come from being curious, staying adaptable, and learning how different parts of the industry connect.
🔑 Three Key Takeaways
🔹 Technical ability alone is not enough
Strong careers are often built on communication, commercial awareness, and the ability to work across disciplines—not just deep technical knowledge.
🔹 Mentors can save years of trial and error
A good mentor can help you focus on what matters, avoid poor choices, and understand how the real industry works beyond university or theory.
🔹 Global thinking creates opportunities
Energy is an international sector. Being open to new markets, cultures, and ways of working can widen your options significantly.
✅ Three Actionable Takeaways
🛠️ Review your current skill gaps
Ask yourself: what would make me more employable in the next 12 months—technical tools, leadership skills, communication, or commercial understanding?
🛠️ Find one credible mentor
Look for someone with real industry experience whose career path you respect. Ask thoughtful questions and learn from their mistakes as well as their wins.
🛠️ Think beyond your local market
Research where investment is happening globally. Sometimes the best move is being willing to look outside your immediate area.
🎧 Why Listen?
If you’re a graduate, mid career professional, or experienced specialist thinking about your next move, this episode offers practical thoughts on career durability, learning, and staying relevant in a sector that keeps changing.

If you’re building a career in the energy sector, this episode matters because it challenges how you think about progression, company choice, and long term direction. We often hear that success means moving companies, chasing titles, or maximising salary but this conversation looks at a different path: staying, growing, and making deliberate choices based on values, not just opportunity.
In this episode, I speak with Michel Durand, Director at EDF, who shares what it looks like to build a 30+ year career within one organisation while still gaining diverse experiences across nuclear, overseas operations, and leadership roles. We talk about career decisions, working abroad, and how to assess whether a company is right for you not just on paper, but in reality.
What stood out to me is how much of a career comes down to trade offs between risk and stability, salary and purpose, or staying versus leaving. There isn’t one “correct” path, but there are better decisions depending on what matters to you.
🔑 Key Takeaways
🔹 Career progression doesn’t always require moving companies
Michel built his career by taking opportunities internally rather than chasing external moves. Progression came from being open to new roles rather than actively chasing titles.
🔹 Company values matter more than branding
It’s important to look beyond what a company says and understand what it actually does especially around environment, people, and ethics. If your values don’t align, staying long term becomes difficult.
🔹 Mobility creates opportunity
Being open to relocating whether internationally or within your own country can significantly expand your career options and expose you to larger, more complex projects.
⚡ Actionable Takeaways
👉 Do a values check on your current (or target) company
Look at their environmental policies, track record, and reputation. Then ask yourself honestly does this align with what I’m comfortable working on?
👉 Tell your manager you’re open to new opportunities
Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you. Make it clear you’re willing to move roles, locations, or take on new challenges.
👉 Test your comfort with mobility early
If you’re early in your career, actively explore opportunities abroad or in different regions. Even one move can change your trajectory.

If you are building a career in energy — whether you’re a graduate, mid career professional, or senior leader — this conversation matters.
The sector is evolving fast. Expectations around safety, sustainability, leadership and reputation have shifted dramatically. The pace of change is increasing. And for many of you listening, the question is no longer just “How do I succeed?” but “How do I build something meaningful and transferable?”
In this episode, I speak with Jamie Young, former Risk Director at BP, who shares reflections from a 40 year career across oil & gas and mining.
Jamie started as an apprentice in the North Sea and went on to lead global risk methodologies supporting executive leadership. Along the way, he experienced near fatal incidents, witnessed major industry disasters, and helped shape strategic responses to events that changed the sector permanently.
We talk about what has genuinely improved in energy — particularly around safety culture and systems thinking — but also about the new challenges facing the industry: instability, cyclical restructures, technology disruption, and the importance of personal reputation.
This is a grounded discussion about purpose, risk, leadership and how to show up well in a high stakes sector.
💡 Three Key Takeaways
🔹 Purpose isn’t abstract — it’s built from what you care about
Jamie’s sense of purpose didn’t appear overnight. It emerged from lived experience — from seeing what goes wrong and deciding to contribute to preventing it. Purpose is often found at the intersection of what affects you deeply and where you can add distinctive value.
🔹 The industry is safer — but less stable
Oil and gas has made major strides in process safety, systems thinking, and operating discipline. However, career stability is no longer guaranteed. Reorganisations, volatility and existential pressures mean professionals must think long term and transferable.
🔹 Reputation now matters more than ever
Doing good work is essential — but it must also be visible. In a cyclical industry, how you are perceived, how you collaborate, and what you are known for can influence opportunities and resilience.
🎯 Three Actionable Takeaways
📝 Define what you want to be known for
Write down three words that describe the professional you want to be. Align your behaviour and decisions to those words. Review them annually.
🗣 Practise a 90 second professional summary
Be able to clearly and succinctly explain who you are, what you stand for, and the value you bring. This is essential for interviews, networking, and internal visibility.
🌍 Build a network before you need one
Attend events, connect on LinkedIn, follow up with short conversations. Relationships built early provide optionality later — especially in a cyclical sector.