JOSIE PHILIPS
Now based in Perth, Josie first joined our Aberdeen office twelve years ago before moving to Sharjah for 14 months. She became Regional Director for Well Engineering for the Asia Pacific region last December.

I enjoy juggling all of the different aspects of the role – every day is different from the last. I had been in commercial roles for most of my career and then spent a few years in business development. This was a fantastic opportunity. You often don’t feel ready to take on such a big role but having a supportive boss makes all the difference. I like being involved in all aspects of the business and dealing with a more diverse range of people.

My team is quite spread out – we have resources in New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia at the moment. Petrofac’s Operations and Maintenance and Well Engineering service lines are new to Australia and we have an opportunity to tell our story – not many people know Petrofac or our history and we have a differentiated offering compared to our competition. New Zealand is a little different as we’ve been present there for twelve years through our Wells business, so we need to keep educating them about the wider services we can provide.

I have a background in law and I’ve now ended up in a role with operational responsibility. Australia feels more accepting of women in these types of roles than anywhere else I’ve worked previously. A lot of the operators and service companies here have women in executive roles which is refreshing to see. In the limited time I’ve been here, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how proactive the industry is here in embracing diversity.

Each place I’ve lived is so different it’s difficult to make comparisons, although the weather is by far the worst in the UK! I was sad to leave the UAE – it was worlds apart from Aberdeen and I really enjoyed working with people from so many different cultures. Australia has a much steadier pace of life. The outdoor lifestyle is the best thing about being here – we go cycling or hiking most weekends. The biggest park in the world is only five minutes from my house too. I grew up on a farm in central Scotland, so I think my natural instinct is to feel more at home near countryside and we’re making the most if it.

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