10 Reasons My Job Can Help Change the World
Julie Ferland, General Manager of Shell TechWorks, chose Shell because the company’s purpose aligned with her own: a desire to make a positive impact in the world.
Swipe through each image below to read 10 reasons Julie finds purpose in her work at Shell.
I never saw myself working in the energy industry, but I can tell you now, this has been one of the most incredible opportunities I’ve had to make a meaningful difference in the world. I realised I just needed to do the thing I was passionate about, which was to make a positive impact through the work I do.
I have the opportunity to continuously learn something new, working across a spectrum of industries and solving a variety of business challenges within those fields. Our leadership team also takes a coaching approach, rather than a hierarchical one, when it comes to training and development, which encourages the team to take their career growth into their own hands.
Because the company has such a forward-thinking mindset, at the forefront of the energy transition, I feel empowered to be just as innovative and purpose-driven in my approach to sustainable energy solutions. As a result, Shell not only aligns with my career values but also inspires me on a daily basis.
We’re currently working on several projects to deliver cleaner energy, with a large focus in the area of hydrogen - figuring out what we need to do economically to make fuel-cell electric vehicles more accessible and available.
I love that in my daily life I can see the impact of the projects we work on and problems we solve - when I’m driving up to the gas pump, or looking at the wind turbines down the street, I’m able to see how it all comes together to provide energy for a global population.
We’re working to solve real challenges in measurable ways. We’re not just experimenting for the sake of it but, through systems engineering, we’re able to actually evaluate the impact we’re making on the future of sustainable energy.
We encourage our team to be open to failure, to always seek feedback, and to be bold in taking a different approach to problem-solving. Our team includes individuals who are motivated by the meaningful impact their work and contributions here can have.
Working across all areas of Shell we’ve really been able to witness the company’s approach to change. Our work on new projects and technology being implemented and tested for the energy transition has showcased the flexible nature of the company first-hand.
There’s constant buzz in our office because we really try to foster a meaningful culture of conversation and collaboration. We learn from each other every day in that environment, and I think that’s a vital component when we’re working on projects together.
Working at Shell means not working inside a defined box. If it’s your first day in the office, you’ll be given the opportunity to take on new projects and challenges straight away.
“Shell is in front of the energy transition - not putting their heads in the sand - recognising the need for more and cleaner energy, and really putting that into practise” – Julie Ferland
Take a look inside Shell Techworks, an innovation hub where Julie and her team work to deploy new technologies.
Duration: 04:37 seconds
[Music commences, soft and ambient]
[Video footage]
Title: Inside Shell TechWorks appears over overhead footage of exterior of Shell TechWorks facility
[Kunal Dutta to camera]: “What does a company do when it faces a technical challenge that it needs to solve quickly?”
[Kunal Dutta in profile with b/w portraits of refinery workers behind him]: “It can recruit more engineers, hire a consultancy or look to its competitors for ideas.”
[Kunal Dutta to camera]: “But sometimes a problem is either so challenging or technically complex or has simply never been encountered inside the industry. And that's when it requires a totally different approach.”
[Music]
[Video footage]
View of piece of machinery as if looking through an AR/VR headset, followed by wide view of a woman testing an AR/VR headset while using both hand motion controllers. Several co-workers stand watching her.
Exterior time lapse of Charles Sumner statue in Boston Square with passers-by coming and going
Inside, gathered round a table, arms reach out to pick up building blocks from an assortment scattered around. A man crouches to write at the bottom of a whiteboard. A wired circuit board is seen as a pair of hands works behind it
Exterior tracking shot of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Great Dome, followed by exterior shot of large outline Shell Pecten signage on lattice structure against a cloudy blue sky
[Kunal Dutta voice over]:“This is TechWorks, Shell's very own experimental workshop in the heart of Boston. Its role is to help Shell find cost-efficient solutions to problems, and deploy them anywhere around the world, safely and quickly.”
[Video footage]
Overhead footage of exterior of Shell TechWorks facility followed by, inside the building, tech workers at desks looking at blue screens, camera moves across them. A tech worker presents ideas on large printed diagrams in front of a whiteboard. An employee in light industrial environment wearing protective clothing works with a tool. Two employees in same environment wearing yellow hard hats work together. Underwater robot, POV along length of robot, at waterline level, edge of a large vessel in the background.
[Kunal Dutta voice over]: “But working in this way requires a certain mindset. And that's why 90% of TechWorks staff, including its founders, come from outside the oil and gas industry. They hail from sectors including defence, aerospace and robotics.”
[Video footage]
An employee looks down, applying substance or brushing a small item under bright lighting. Two men in front of surface arranged with house brick sized blocks each bearing a number. One man picks a block up and examines it. A woman presenting to a group gestures in front of printed diagram on a whiteboard. With machinery in background, two men wearing hard hats look at their equipment. TechWorks founders. IT staff member in check shirt looks at his laptop. Two staff members work with tools. Staff members stand watching R2D2. A finger and thumb turn a knob on a control panel. Small lights flash on the round device plugged into the panel as a hand adjusts a knob on the panel’
[Kunal Dutta voice over]: “I've had an exclusive look inside the offices of TechWorks, and as you may have guessed, things are anything but what you might expect.”
[Video footage]
Kunal Dutta walks past Shell TechWorks sign on exterior of building. Walks along path to main entrance and taps in to security device. Walks through door which shuts behind him.
[Interview]
[Matthew Kleiman, Head of Programs at table with Kunal Dutta]: “Well, it was very important for us from the beginning…”
[Matthew Kleiman close-up with printed diagram in background]: “…that we not be considered just a think tank, or a scouting organisation…”
[Matthew Kleiman voice over]: “…that we actually build things here. And we have to not only have great ideas, but put our money where our mouth is…”
[Video footage]
Three staff members construct a small unit on a table. A staff member makes an explanation, using vigorous hand and arm gestures, to a colleague in front of a whiteboard. Two staff members examine and discuss a diagram on a whiteboard. Three staff members in light industrial environment wearing hard hats stand with a piece of machinery while a fourth crouches down to adjust a piece of machinery connected to the other piece by a yellow spring type cable.
[Matthew Kleiman interview]: “…to speed up the development process.”
[Music]
[Video footage]
Exterior time lapse of metal lattice structure against cloudy blue sky. The structure is seen from a different angle with a small hut alongside it.
[Interview]
[David Kordonowy, Head of Engineering]: “Rather than performing the research that's going to develop breakthroughs within the next 20 years…”
[David Kordonowy voice over]: “…what we're really concentrating on are changes that we can make to Shell…”
[Video footage]
Exterior shot of large outline Shell Pecten signage on lattice structure against a cloudy blue sky, slow zoom in.
[Interview]
[David Kordonowy]: “…to increase either our productivity or decrease our costs within the next 6 to 12 months.”
[Music]
[Video footage]
Hands place Post-it notes of various colours on to a blank surface.
[Kunal Dutta voice over]: “Working this way means they bring fresh perspectives and can adapt existing technology or even repurpose it entirely for the energy industry, from harnessing computer game technology to help connect pipes, or building underwater robots to aid subsea discovery.”
[Video footage]
A staff member looks at a number of hexagonal Post-its stuck to a whiteboard. Another staff member wears the AR/VR headset while a screen behind him displays what he is viewing. A moving close up view from inside the AR/VR headset of the metal structures and pipework he is looking at through two overlapping circles. A robot is seen underwater, just below surface, POV along length of robot, shot follows robot at it rises above waterline, large vessel in background.
[Interview]
[Julie Ferland, General Manager]: “The parallels between what's going on in the shipbuilding community and what's going on in the oil and gas community are tremendous.”
[Julie Ferland profile with underwater robot model in background]: “There are so many of the same lessons that have been learned in the downturn in the Department of Defense in the US…”
[Julie Ferland voice over]: “…that can be applied to the cost-constrained environments in the oil and gas industry.”
[Video footage]
Aerial view of oil platform, pan along the length of the platform.
[Music]
[Video footage]
A staff member sits at three computer screens.
[Kunal Dutta voice over]: “But it's not just the technology, culture is crucial to TechWorks, and the management team here believe that the sharpest thinking can come from anyone, or anywhere.”
[Video footage]
A staff member wearing a hard hat and safety clothes leans over a laptop. Two office staff look at a laptop screen, camera does a circular pan around them to show other staff in the office. A technical staff member gently uses a tool, brushing or applying a substance, under a bright light. Close up of a long, metal cylindrical part.
[Interview]
[Matthew Kleiman close-up with printed diagram in background]: “Anybody in the organisation that has a great idea is as free as possible to raise that with anybody…”
[Matthew Kleiman at table with Kunal Dutta]: “…no matter what their title or position in the organisation might be.”
[Matthew Kleiman close-up with printed diagram in background]: “And that is how we foster that collaborative, creative free-thinking environment that start-up companies are so well known for.”
[Kunal Dutta roving with hand held microphone footage]
Walks towards two people play ping-pong in the games room.
[Kunal Dutta]: “And nowhere is this better demonstrated than inside the games room at Shell TechWorks. We've got people playing ping-pong here.”
Indicates arcade machines as he walks past. Pats Star Wars figurine on the head.
[Kunal Dutta]: “We have 1980s arcade machines. Star Wars figurines. Continues walking round the ping pong table as players continue playing, staff members seated off in the distance.”
[Kunal Dutta]: “All of this sort of indicative of the kind of start-u