Where are they now?

What attracted you to applying to Centrica?

At the time, I saw the potential growth and the new direction Centrica was heading with regards to Upstream Oil & Gas and I wanted to be a part of this. The engineering graduate programme was relatively small at the time and I knew I could put my stamp on each placement and contribute to the success of Centrica Energy.

Which university/course did you attend?

I studied a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering at King's College London.

A brief career summary

Between September 2006 & 2008 I worked across four separate business units within Centrica:

• Mechanical Integrity Engineer at Centrica Energy Upstream (CEU) East Irish Sea (EIS)
• Project Engineer at Northern Region Power Stations
• Mechanical Engineer at Centrica Storage
• Asset Analyst at Centrica Energy Midstream in Windsor

In September 2008 at the end of my graduate placements I accepted a permanent position at CEU EIS as a Mechanical Integrity Engineer for Subsea assets, Pipelines and Structures supporting the offshore gas production facilities and the onshore gas receiving facilities in Barrow-in-Furness.

What has been your biggest challenge?

In July 2010 as a result of my performance in the organisation and a testament to my ability as a competent engineer, I was asked to take on a 12 month position as the Lead Integrity Engineer for Subsea and Pipeline projects and related work scopes in the East Irish Sea. This was a big transition from having some supervision and managing small budgets to performing in a role of a Technical Authority managing large budgets with minimal supervision.

What has been your biggest achievement?

I have been successful in exceeding my stretched targets for 2010 and in January 2011 I was awarded with the "Centrica EIS 2010 Colleague of the year" as recognition for my outstanding achievements and contribution to the business. This award was voted by my colleagues and senior management within the organisation.

What would be your best tip for a new graduate in the organisation?

Ask as many questions as you possibly can in your first two years. This is expected of you at this stage in your career, so make the most of it because when you start your substantive role, you may feel less inclined to ask questions. No matter what people say, there is definitely no such thing as a wrong question; the wrong thing is to keep quiet and make people think you know the answer! So go out there and learn as much as you can; this should be your number one priority!