James Fisher's Young Talent Receives Aberdeen’s 30 Under 30 Accolade

Taylor, Business Development Manager, demonstrated great commitment, energy and creativity which catapulted her to the forefront of the decommissioning industry, along with 29 other young adults across a diverse set of industries. We love celebrating our people’s achievements, especially our younger talent who are at the start of their careers.

Mark Stephen, Product Line Director, James Fisher Decommissioning, commented: 

We got in touch with Taylor to find out more about the award and her career so far.

First of all, congrats!  For those that may not know you, could you introduce yourself, and tell us a bit about your career up until this date? 

I started off my career in recruitment and quickly realised I really enjoyed client engagement and sales. I was offered a position within the same company to kick-off my career in Business Development. I always thought BD was my end goal, and I would have to go down the route of sales, account management and then finally into a BD role, so I was super excited and really lucky to get the opportunity to fast-track into my dream job.  

Starting off in a topsides engineering firm, I developed my network and met with many industry professionals. One prospective client noticed my keen attitude and willingness to learn and offered me a new role as Business Development Manager at James Fisher Offshore. This position has really opened my eyes to the subsea world and all the exciting technologies that we provide and inspired me to work on my technical knowledge as much as possible. James Fisher has been a fantastic supportive organisation, mentoring me through my career and giving me a platform to grow. 

When did you first hear you’d been recognised in Aberdeen’s 30 under 30, and how did you feel? 

I first learned I had been nominated through my mentor Mark Skinner (Managing Director of Scotsbridge Limited). Mark has coached me through the AYP Mentorship programme for the past 18 months and has shared his knowledge and industry experience which has ultimately helped me develop in many areas. 

My family were absolutely delighted for me, and many industry colleagues had also recognised the award and congratulated me. I had no idea that the word would spread so quickly, and the award would be so widely publicised. 

The award celebrates ‘unparalleled dedication, determination and creativity’.  What does this mean for you at James Fisher Decommissioning and the decommissioning industry? 

As the Business Development Manager for the UK and Europe, dedication to producing a quality service for our clients is paramount. When we face challenges, the team are exceptional at producing creative solutions.  

The team at James Fisher Decommissioning represent each of these qualities. Every day we are encouraged to bring new ideas to the table and the determination from the team is unparalleled. 

The decommissioning industry is absolutely an area for growth and development. There are so many opportunities ahead in the decom space, with enough projects to last my entire career in this space. The STEM initiatives are very important to me, and I also believe decommissioning should be equally represented as a viable career path for those looking to explore STEM subjects. There is a lot of emphasis on renewable energy and that seems to be the most favourable career path at the moment, but decommissioning is the first step in the energy transition and must be taken seriously in our quest to create a greener future. 

Your interests lie with supporting women and girls within the Energy industry. Can you tell us about some of these initiatives to encourage young Aberdonian women into STEM? 

As a school pupil, I took part in the Shell sponsored Girls in Energy course. This was a year-long course that was designed to spark interest in females for joining the energy sector. It really worked for me, and I hope to inspire other young girls into the industry as there is huge room for career advancements and great opportunities. 

James Fisher Decommissioning welcomed a group of 16 Shell sponsored ‘Girls in Energy’ from Banff Academy to the Oldmeldrum facility for an afternoon of STEM inspired activities. We all enjoyed the sunshine in the yard, but the icing on the cake was definitely the shear cut trial, demonstrated by our very own Jack Ironside (Lead Technician) and Steve Cocker (Workshop Technician). The girls then spent some time in the boardroom and were asked to put themselves in the shoes of our clients, the vessel contractors, designing a decommissioning vessel that was capable of lifting a subsea jacket. We had some amazing ideas, including using magnets to recover the structure. But the overall winning group designed the ‘Atlantacis Montus’ which featured two cranes to recover the jacket through the moonpool, and a trap door for the structure to be rested upon recovery. 

You’ve had an impressive start to your career, what’s next for you? 

I look forward to continuing my career with James Fisher Decommissioning and hope to support the company in its mission to become the number one partner in decommissioning. The continuous support for professional development will no doubt lead to great things, and I’m excited to see where the journey takes me. 

For the second year in a row, I will be supporting the Shell Girls in Energy conference day, this year hosted at the music hall in Aberdeen. I have also formed a Women in Decommissioning initiative to help promote, support and elevate other women in the industry.