INWED: Valentina Esposito reflects on how her engineering experience has influenced her career journey
This International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), Strohm is celebrating the women in our business who support our global offshore operations, providing our innovative thermoplastic composite pipe (TCP) solution to operators across the energy sector.
Beginning her career journey as a coatings engineer, with a master’s degree in material engineering, Valentina Esposito joined Strohm in 2019 as a proposal manager. Since then, she has flourished within her team and has progressed to global tendering manager. This engineering training and experience has provided a robust background of knowledge and helped to develop her confidence as a woman in a male dominated industry, which she applies daily to her current role.
“When I first started my career as an engineer in the oil and gas sector, I really focused on trying to fit in and felt like I needed to be ‘one of the guys’. As I gained more experience and my confidence in my professional ability grew, I realised that breaking the mould was not a bad thing and that I could stand out as a woman in the field and bring value to my work by being myself. This helped me to understand that more. Plus, different perspectives are always a good thing when looking to spark creativity and innovation, which is required to solve complex problems.”
“Although I loved my job, I was really excited by the opportunity that my first role at Strohm provided. As an engineer working on board a pipelay vessel, I gained first-hand experience of the offshore environment and the equipment needed to complete efficient operations, before I turned to a more commercially based role. My previous knowledge and background in engineering has also served me very well in my current position.
“As global tendering manager I am responsible for supporting our growing team to create bids to tender to our target markets around the world and my previous experience means I have a deeper understanding of what my customers need to identify opportunities to tender and to develop strategies to win new business.
“My experience has also helped me to understand Strohm’s solutions so I can provide support to clients on a granular level, ensuring a positive customer experience from the very outset of our communications with them. As a company that puts our clients’ needs first, this has elevated our approach to bidding for new projects. Having worked offshore alongside different people and operators in various fields, I am acutely aware of each region’s specific requirements and the challenging environments which many E&P businesses face. I can safely say that my enthusiasm for this type of engineering has followed me throughout my career.”
Valentina’s background has also provided her with insights that support her colleagues and manage the integration of different Strohm departments.
“In my current role, I am responsible for working alongside our sales and engineering teams to coordinate our customer approaches and supporting the workflow of the company. This allows us to plan our projects so they meet goals on time and setup new activities in the pipeline. This awareness of our current activity needs can therefore inform me for future projects.
“My work alongside these teams has also allowed me the chance to get to know people who are based in different locations. Strohm has a real mix of people from different cultures and backgrounds which has been extremely beneficial both on a personal level and professionally, helping me to connect with our global clients.”
Strohm’s culture has also provided an opportunity for its 200 strong international workforce to come together for learning opportunities.
“I have engaged with numerous activities which have provided me the chance to develop my skill set and prepare to meet new challenges. I’ve expanded my management capabilities through training programmes which have helped my ability to motivate and engage others, building trust and performance through collaboration, which is especially useful when we are located in so many different geographies.
In 2013, Valentina moved from her home in Italy to the Netherlands where she now lives with her husband and two children. While she says her family is her greatest achievement, she is also proud to be involved in the company’s sustainable energy projects.
“In many different regions, and particularly Europe, we are seeing a noticeable uptick in projects in CCUS. As a professional in the industry, and as a mother of the next generation, this really excites me, and I look forward to engaging in more activities in this space. I also think the energy transition is a huge opportunity for women to get more involved in the industry, as we will need as many diverse minds and critical thinkers at the table as possible to make these goals a reality.
“Although there is still much to be done, this opportunity has the potential to level the playing field for women who plan on pursuing a career in energy and I’m very excited to see how this plays out in the next few years, as the energy transition ramps up. My final advice for new women joining the sector would be to seek male and female mentors for gaining well-rounded guidance and advice, and to seek out opportunities at companies like Strohm who are very supportive of maintaining a healthy work life balance.”