Life at bp

Returning to reimagine energy: bp alumni

In this episode, we sit down with boomerang employees David Hall, market advisor, Hydrogen and Sinead Ryan bp, Global early careers manager. What is a boomerang employee? A boomerang employee is someone who leaves a company, but then returns to work for the same company at a later date.

While David and Sinead work within different departments at bp, they share commonalties. They both have a wealth of knowledge from working across different industries throughout their careers and were attracted back to bp.

During our compelling conversation they share stories about how they started their careers at bp and the shift in our energy strategy in recent years that compelled them to return to our organization. Tune in to hear them share career insights, their experiences at bp – in the past and in the present, and what they believe the future holds for the energy sector.

My Acceptance Moment (Where I Felt Safe Being Trans and non-binary)

In this episode, we are joined by team members Bobbi Pickard and Chloe Whalley. During this powerful discussion, these employees reflect on previous experiences they’ve had where they didn’t feel welcomed, followed by moments where they felt embraced by their colleagues and a company’s culture. Tune in as we learn more about these resilient employees, the challenges they have faced on their journey to self-acceptance, and bp’s efforts to continue growing a more inclusive workplace. Please be aware, there is reference to suicide in this episode, which may be upsetting to some people.

Self Driving Cars Are Awesome

Austin Hodge and Tim Airey speak to Robin Yellow from the bp Digital Science team, about a project in November 2020 to pilot an Autonomous Vehicle around bp's Lingen refinery. They describe how they did it safely in a hazardous environment, and what went wrong when a cloud of steam got in the way.

Listen to find out what is so special about autonomy and where it could lead bp next

Robots Crawling Everywhere

The next generation won’t see robotics as a novelty. They will be a common place, day-to-day element of our operations.  

How exactly will we use robots on our sites? In this episode, Sophia Lin and Silvia Vargas speak to your host Peter Lemke about the insights and lessons learned during a Toolkit Robotics Challenge, where five intuitive robots where deployed across bp operations for hands-on experimentation.

Hydrogen Fuel of the Future

Join your host Matt Young as he talks to a bp led consortium who have been awarded funding to design and build the world’s first quantum stand-off hydrogen sensor. 

The award was a culmination of effort from bp’s Digital Science team who have been tracking quantum sensor development in the UK since 2017. 

Find out why this new generation of sensors will enable the new hydrogen economy. Did you know that hydrogen burns with a colourless flame and represents an invisible danger to safe and reliable operations?

Digital Power Consumption on the Road to Net Zero

Karen Scarbrough interviews bp’s Principal Platform Engineer, Stefan Gerrard, on the impressive legacy that bp’s High Performance Computing building has built over the past decade and its plans to move forward with industry leading standards for what digital power consumption means on the road to net zero.

Special episode: Neurodiversity – a conversation with Nicola Reece, Antoni Bohdanowicz and Katharine Decamps on understanding and valuing neurodiversity.

Some of the most successful people in the world are neurodivergent. They attribute their success to their neurological and cognitive differences, which enables them to see the world differently. Neurodiversity covers a wide spectrum of conditions, including dyslexia, dyscalculia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD and Tourette’s syndrome. In a 2018 report, accountancy firm EY claimed dyslexics have “exactly the skills needed for the future workplace”. However, despite many companies starting to see the benefits of neurodiversity, workplaces and society at large have a long way to go in understanding, enabling and nurturing neurodiverse talent and the incredible value they can add to all around them. This episode brings the personal stories of three colleagues impacted by diagnosis such as dyslexia, Asperger’s and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Nicola, Antoni and Katharine have made it their purpose to make workplaces and the world more inclusive of neurodiversity.

Special episode: World Fertility Day – breaking the taboo of (in)fertility. A conversation with bp’s Fertility in the workplace team.

In this episode, Prathiba Arokiasamy shares her own fertility journey, along with colleagues Nikki, Andrew and Nili. While experiencing very different paths to parenthood, they’ve all benefited from the fertility group that Nili set up in bp. The colleagues share powerful personal fertility stories to help raise awareness of the devastating impact that fertility challenges can have on people’s lives and to normalize fertility conversations in the workplace.

Warning: Topics discussed include fertility, pregnancy, miscarriage, medical treatments, sperm donation, adoption and surrogacy. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions or concerns. Please reach out to your local fertility support groups and counselling if you need further assistance during this difficult time.

 

Creating a net zero movement: A conversation with India based Castrol’s route to market analyst, Gaurav Khatri.

“If 50,000 employees at bp look for a solution on sustainability every day, it will be easy to become a net zero company by 2050.” Across an insightful, reflective and sometimes poignant 30 mins, Gaurav tells us about his passion for sustainability, why he signed up to be part of One Young World and the role he is now playing to engage colleagues with our net zero mission. We also discuss how Gaurav’s MBA and summer internship with Castrol helped him transition from a technical engineering role into a marketing role. While – in a deeply reflective moment – Gaurav tells us about how the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy has impacted his mother’s health, and why bp’s culture and focus on safety is so important to him. 

Following your heart: A conversation with UK based Katrin and Rishi

In this episode of life at bp we’re talking with Katrin (environmental products originator) and Rishi (carbon management analyst)– both joined bp on our graduate programmes and now both are playing key roles as we head towards a low carbon future. We hear how they’ve made the most of the variety on offer at bp and what made them switch the direction of their careers to focus on projects that are much closer to their hearts. Katrin and Rishi also share their experiences of joining bp, why you don’t need to be the loudest person in the room and how having the confidence to talk to people just might be the biggest attribute you possess.