Into the unknown

Marion Cleveland at Advanced 3D Laser Solutions Group shares her experience of being a woman working in male-dominated spaces

MARION CLEVELAND didn’t always dream of being in the oil and gas industry. In fact, her current role as Business Development Manager for A3D took her completely by chance. ‘I’d known A3D’s Director Colin Pittman from when I’d previously worked in the media industry and was delighted to join him and the rest of the team at A3D’s offices in Chelmsford, Essex,’ she says. Advanced 3D Laser Solutions is a UKbased company specialising in 3D laser scanning and modelling, smart piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs) and digital asset management. ‘I thought it was a very exciting industry. I also like tech, so the idea of digitisation really appealed to me,’ says Marion. ‘Plus, of course the sustainability agenda and the move from fossil fuels to green ammonia and hydrogen for example. There’s a lot going on, and it’s an exciting time to be in the industry.’

WORKING WORLDWIDE

Having lived in France previously and with a French language degree, Marion was particularly interested in the opportunity to work internationally. ‘I really enjoy talking to clients around the globe about their challenges to become more efficient and how they are managing the energy transition,’ she says. As a woman on the business development team, Marion’s day-to-day is as varied as you might expect. ‘That’s what makes it so interesting!’ she says. ‘My role involves reaching out to new and current clients, organising Teams meetings, composing our social media posts and writing proposals and presentations.’ Her greatest achievement so far in the industry involves a very quick turnaround for a new business client. ‘When the purchase order came through for this new client in central Europe to digitise one of their terminals – that was my proudest moment at A3D,’ she says. ‘Our new client had very quickly realised the advantages of possessing as-built documentation and a data lake, so it all happened so fast. The project is still ongoing so I can’t say who it is, but I was very happy that day! We opened a bottle of fizz to celebrate – I’m unashamed to say, I drank most of it!’ Part of her job also involves attending conferences such as StocExpo. ‘I found StocExpo a very rewarding experience – the Women in Tanks panel session was so inspiring, especially hearing how women in a traditionally male environment had navigated their way forwards,’ says Marion.

CHALLENGES AND ‘MANSPLAINING’

Having previously worked in the construction industry as a Bid Writer, Marion is no stranger to working in male-dominated spaces. ‘Women were mostly to be found in marketing or other non-engineering environments,’ she says. But the landscape is beginning to change. ‘What I have noticed is that there are now more women in tech and engineering roles and their voices are being listened to. Women are treated much more respectfully than in the past.’ That said, Marion has found it difficult to have her voice heard over the years – though this can partly be explained by social conditioning. ‘I found I had got into the habit of waiting for all the men in the meeting to say what they had to say before speaking up myself,’ she says. ‘Instead I could have actively joined in the discussion. I did not speak up for myself enough. I recognised I needed to change my own behaviour to assert myself – which I try to do now – but ingrained conditioning is hard to overcome,’ she says. ‘Respect for women has really improved as men have realised that certain behaviours are no longer acceptable, such as talking down to women and assuming we are the ones to make the coffee,’ she continues. With two daughters of her own, Marion is a keen champion of women, supporting her girls in their endeavours – whether that’s creative, in the workplace, or both. ‘I think the way forward is for women to speak up and not remain silent when they see things happening to other women in the workplace. Women need to support other women.’

CHAMPIONING WOMEN

‘The vast majority of men in tank storage that I have met are very supportive and would like to see more of us women here,’ says Marion. The first step is to bring more women into the industry – but a crucial element is keeping them there. It’s easy enough to recommend the industry to other women, reasons Marion. ‘If you like engineering and technology, this is the place to be,’ she says. ‘There are huge international opportunities, and you can make a real difference.’ ‘Plus, you are working in an industry which is looking to actually make real changes to our impact on the world, hopefully reducing the extreme weather conditions we see around the globe – including the record temperatures in the UK,’ she continues. ‘My ultimate career goal is to grow A3D from where it is now, expanding my knowledge of the tank storage industry as I go along. I hope to have a long career in oil and gas.’ So, how do we keep women from leaving the sector? Marion has a solution: ‘Family policies, including flexible working need to be implemented,’ she says. ‘So many women change careers when they have children if their work/life needs are not met.’ While Marion predicts that the industry is likely to still be maledominated in 20 years, she hopes it will be much more diverse than currently. ‘I’d like to see there be more role models, like those we saw on the Women in Tanks panel at StocExpo,’ she says.

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For more information:

+44 01245 967209 marion@lasersurveying.com

01 Marion Cleveland, Advanced 3D Laser

Solutions Group