Rajesh joined the Canadian oil and gas industry in 2013 after completing a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Alberta, working in the midstream sector on pipeline safety and leak detection systems. After four years in the industry, he left oil and gas and transitioned into climate work, including emissions consulting and carbon market projects, before recognising the limitations of these approaches. He is now based in Bengaluru, India, where he runs Climate Rubik, an online climate knowledge platform focused on energy systems, climate justice and critical perspectives on the energy transition. Here is Rajesh’s story.

Jo started out in the oil industry in 2004, enjoying the work, community and career prospects. Over time, unresolved cultural issues and growing concern about the industry’s role in the climate crisis made her question whether she belonged there. A redundancy offer clarified that she needed to leave and find work aligned with her values.

Guy moved from fossil fuels to climate solutions as he realised that the underlying motivations of the fossil fuel industry were in conflict with his personal values. “Despite career momentum and financial security, I experienced growing cognitive dissonance”, Guy recalls. “Whilst the fossil fuel sector shaped my career, (...) we are not passive actors but creators of alternatives”. “For others in fossil fuels feeling dissonance: you are not alone.”

After nearly eleven years at BP, Jackie built a career across major fossil fuel projects and later low-carbon and New Energy teams. Eventually Jackie chose to step away in order to work more directly on climate solutions after she felt the limits of trying to drive change from within a major oil and gas company. Today, she applies her project delivery experience to industrial decarbonisation at Carbon Direct, supporting organisations and technologies working toward credible net-zero outcomes. Read Jackie’s story here.

Arjan joined Shell in 2018 and left seven years later. He has since co-founded a new climate movement “Employees for our Future”, catering for professionals who want to see more urgency for the transition, but are not necessarily idealistic/activistic (i.e., who understand the reality of shareholder value and geopolitics). He has two daughters, is a former fan of Formula 1 and cycling, but now mostly racing against the clock of climate change.

Alex worked in oil and gas from 2004 to 2021 when he left Woodside, with a few years outside the sector along the way. Today, he is an analyst with the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR), focusing on corporate accountability in Europe. He enjoys working from home for a global, climate-focused organisation and spends much of his free time trail running. Read Alex’s story here.