Industrial Paradigm
Petrospective 2022
Photo by Emmaus Studio on Unsplash
An interview with
Shauna Noonan
Oxy Fellow & Senior Director International and Gulf Mexico Supply Chain Management at Occidental Q.1) About Shauna Noonan, where she did belong from, and what challenges did she face in making an impact in the Energy Sector?
I am originally from Canada and got my Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering (Co-op) from the University of Alberta. The “Co-op” refers to a 5-year degree program that incorporates five 4-month industry internships, so upon graduating, one has an engineering degree AND twenty months of work experience. My future vision as a student was to follow the typical career path of most Canadian engineers. You start in the field and work your way to an office in downtown Calgary and participate in the local SPE section’s activities. I had no idea then that I would be traveling around the globe both for work and SPE. What I stress to other SPE members, especially the students and YPs is that SPE opens doors of opportunity. The more involved I got in SPE, the more doors became available. SPE has helped to add rungs to my career ladder and allowed me to climb higher than I ever thought possible. My biggest challenge has been around being a working mother and finding a balance between my family and my career. Having a supportive employer and husband helped me but sometimes achieving that balance was difficult, especially since I did not have any family in the United States to lend a hand. Q.2) As President of SPE International - 2020, what campaign and key areas did you work on to add value to this Industry and Society? I wanted to focus on strengthening five areas for SPE to remain a trusted, unbiased source of technical information, be the membership of choice for professionals in oil and gas, and be respected both within and outside of our industry. When people see that SPE logo, it should be synonymous with excellence in terms of all our 16