Ben
My entry to Cairn and indeed to oil and gas exploration and production was somewhat unconventional, lacking as I do, a background in geosciences so common to the industry. I graduated from St Andrews University with an MA in International Relations and Modern History and moved initially to start an internet accommodation portal for university students. Stymied by the 2000 tech-crash, I joined the graduate programme of a major aerospace and defence contractor, focusing on project management and commercial skills, but found the pace of activity in a corporate behemoth stifling.
In contrast, Cairn was a company of similar value but with far fewer employees, engaged in exciting, fast-paced projects around the world, which prided itself on its entrepreneurial but contrarian approach to business. These claims have proved well founded and since joining I have worked, primarily within the Commercial team, on widely varied projects with a range of energetic and highly capable people. My experience has varied from project cash flow analysis, project management, crude oil valuation and marketing to acquisition and divestitures analysis, negotiation and execution.
One of the great advantages of Cairn, which can some times pose its own difficulties, is the speed at which we create and react to opportunities. This makes my job ever changing but has provided numerous opportunities to travel and to build a wide and diverse experience base. It was with a reluctance to forgo these opportunities that I chose the University of Edinburgh’s part-time MBA programme, which I am currently studying.
Cairn is supporting this MBA, with financial assistance and through a generous holiday allowance, which forms a key component of the remuneration package and allows the latitude both to study and to indulge my passions for Scotland’s fantastic mountains and seas.