People and projects from around the PETROFAC world

PEOPLE

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NICOLE KITCHENER, DECOMMISSIONING PROJECT LEAD

Nicole has been with Petrofac for nearly 11 years, initially as a Cost Engineer, then moving into operations and logistics before becoming a Project Engineer. Now, as Project Lead, she is the main interface between the client and Petrofac’s operations team, and her responsibilities include cost and budget control, personnel management, contractor management, schedule targets, and HSEQ requirements.


In this part of the world, almost everyone has some connection with Hewett… In the Great Yarmouth region, the Hewett field is an institution, and it’s amazing how many lives it’s touched. Within my own family, I work with it, my brother-in-law worked on it, and so did his father. There are so many stories, so much history, and so many fond memories. It’s sad to see it go, but there’s also a recognition that times change.

The biggest challenge we face is the age of the facility… The platforms are so old, and the industry methodologies and philosophies have changed so much. In the early days, changes weren’t documented. And, when we’re making safe and dismantling, that presents us with big issues – because, sometimes, the onshore records don’t reflect the offshore realities.

As a woman, Petrofac has been a great place to work… Although men definitely outnumber women, my experience is that it’s a very open company and a level playing field. I’ve never been made to feel I can’t achieve as much, or that I’m not worth as much as my male colleagues.

Petrofac people always have your back… The thing I love about Petrofac is the supportive culture. If you’re stuck with anything, you just need to ask. There are no stupid questions. There are also plenty of great managers, who encourage you to broaden your experience and spread your wings – which is how I moved from being a Cost Engineer, first into operations, then became a Project Engineer, and now decommissioning.

It’s a very long way from the music business… As someone with a love of music and an aptitude for numbers, I started my career in the music business as a royalties accountant, dealing with the earnings of bands like New Order and The Smiths. When I joined Petrofac as a Cost Engineer, it was a leap of faith for both me and the company. They needed to trust me to make the transition into oil and gas, and I needed to trust them that I would thrive in a very different environment. In fact, there were many similarities between the two, like an insistence on high standards, pride in your work, and pride in your team.

“I started my career in the music business as a royalties accountant, dealing with the earnings of bands like New Order and The Smiths.”

WORDS PETER HALLIDAY

PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2022

Manual labour: but the onshore records don’t always reflect the offshore realities

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