Colin's Story
Working in the Fossil Fuel Industry
I began my career with bp in the chemical industry, joining as a graduate chemical engineer at the company’s site in my hometown of Hull. I had never planned to return home after university, let alone work at the industrial complex I had driven past as a child, but the opportunity gave me invaluable hands-on engineering experience early in my career.
In 2001, I moved into bp’s upstream oil and gas business, looking for broader opportunities and bigger challenges. Over the next two decades, I worked on projects that kept oil and gas flowing safely through platforms and pipelines across the North Sea. By 2014, I was managing large international construction projects, leading teams building new gas terminals and offshore platforms.
I genuinely loved much of the work. I worked alongside talented people from around the world and took pride in the engineering achievements we delivered. Like many in the industry at the time, I also believed in the idea that fossil fuels and climate responsibility could coexist while gradually becoming cleaner and more efficient.
But over time, the realities of climate change became harder to ignore.
When I realised it was time to leave
Around 20 years into my career, I began to question some of the narratives I had long accepted within the industry. I noticed increasing gaps between what companies presented publicly and the broader reality around emissions and climate impacts.
The more I learned, the more difficult it became to reconcile my work with the urgency of the climate crisis. Incremental change no longer felt sufficient. By 2020, I knew I wanted to move on from oil and gas, even though it meant leaving behind the security, identity, and professional community I had built over decades.
I also understood that changing industries would not happen overnight. I began preparing carefully and thinking about how my skills could transfer to networks outside oil and gas.
What I’m Doing Today
Two years later, I got the opportunity I had been hoping for and moved into offshore wind projects within bp, which later became part of a separate joint venture company.
The transition came with compromises. I stepped back in seniority and accepted that long-term pay and bonuses would likely be lower than if I had stayed in oil and gas. But the move also brought excitement with it.
Starting again in a new industry at 50 was both humbling and energising. I found myself surrounded by younger colleagues who understood the renewables sector far better than I did, and I had to learn quickly. At the same time, the core skills I had developed in engineering, operations, and project delivery transferred surprisingly well.
Today, I feel proud to work on projects helping build the energy systems of the future.
Reflecting on My Journey
Looking back, I am grateful for what my career in oil and gas gave me, but I also recognise the long-term consequences of the work I contributed to. Much of the fossil fuel I helped bring to the surface has now been burned, and its emissions will shape the climate for generations.
What feels different today is that we now have real alternatives and real choices. We can choose cleaner technologies, different investments, different policies and importantly, different careers.
For me, moving into offshore wind was not about rejecting my past. It was about deciding where I wanted to put my energy and skills for the future. I now feel a sense of pride knowing the projects I work on are helping power communities in a way that aligns with the world we need to build next.