Deborah Wood

Product Line Director QHSE in Digital Solutions

Deborah Wood’s love of mathematics and bringing scientific calculations and methodologies together with real life situations has been the basis of a varied career, working in coastal engineering, oil and gas, and now with software and QHSE in Digital Solutions.

There has been one constant goal throughout Deborah’s work life, which has ranged from modelling tsunamis and working with harbor structures to working as regional manager of the Americas region for Digital Solutions. “My goal is to inspire and motivate people to contribute to make the world a better place,” she says.

FLUID DYNAMICS, MATHEMATICAL MODELLING

Her background is within fluid dynamics, mathematical modelling and computational fluid dynamics. Originally from Manchester in the UK, she studied mathematics at Cambridge and attained a PhD in mathematical wave modelling from Bristol University. She began her career within coastal engineering. “I was modelling waves, calculating pressure pulses from crashing waves” she says. This modelling work was important for example for the design of breakwaters, for modelling waves crashing on oil platforms or for modelling coastal damage.

THEORY AND REALITY

“It has always been a passion for me to do scientific analysis and bring that together with real life situations, always combining the theory with experiments or real-life experience. I’ve always liked the practical element,” she says.

She came to Norway for the first time in 1999, taking a research position at the University of Oslo. In 2009 she joined

Deborah together with her colleague Koheila.

The strategy gives us a stronger position for the future. I’m really looking forward to being a part of making this happen.

DNV, having previously worked as department manager of an R&D group at ABB /Aibel. There she was head of a team working with innovation, patenting, prototyping, building offshore solutions and handing over to sales.

At DNV, she has held several different positions, first in the subsea section in Oil and Gas, then as Head of Department for Pipeline SURF and Materials. In 2018, she became the Digital Solutions Regional Manager of the Americas, responsible for identifying new market opportunities and managing sales and delivery activities for the various software ecosystems. Last year, she returned to Norway to work on the 2021-2025 DNV strategy for Group and for Digital Solutions. Now, she is taking care of the QHSE product line which includes the product Synergi Life.

“I’m really excited about our new strategy. In particular, there’s a lot of focus on two things very close to my heart: the customer and our people. I’m also very excited that the strategy looks at the two global transformations that are happening, that we’re going greener and also more digital. The strategy gives us a stronger position for the future. I’m really looking forward to being a part of making this happen.”

DRIVING THE OVERALL VISION

The Product Line Director roles have been introduced as part of the new Digital Solutions strategy. The aim is for the Product Line Directors, who are part of the Executive Leadership Team, to drive the overall vision, business development, customer experience and results for their lines.

“I love the varied challenges that come my way,” she says. “I come from outside the product line, and I’m still in ‘finding out modus’. My advantage is that I have a fresh pair of eyes. We’re at a very exciting place in the path forward, and in the SaaS journey. I like to learn and I like working with people. I’m a big believer in teamwork. It’s important to bring the team together and set a direction,” she says.

FINDING A CLEAR FOCUS

“One of our challenges is that there are so many opportunities. We will really need to focus, but it’s not clear to me yet what we will focus on. Which industries should we focus on? What should the tactics be to win? And we need to update and refresh those tactics in a changing market.”

What does she do in her spare time? “My life is my family,” she says. Norway is her adopted country. She and her German husband have an 8-year-old daughter.

“I like socializing with friends. Of course, that’s a challenge these days. I like good food and wine and I like to try new things. I’m not good at skiing and not very sporty, so my adopted country is not always a good fit in that way. I love travelling, and Norway is a good base for that. I can’t wait until it’s safe to travel again.”

She was very touched recently when her daughter was explaining to a friend what her mother does in her work, saying proudly: “Mummy works to make the world a better place.” •