Life@wood blog
Meet Vimalpriya
Alessandra is a remarkable project leader who consistently delivers outstanding results for Wood’s clients. Based in Milan, Alessandra started her career with Wood in 2007 as a project engineer.
Having always had a keen interest in engineering, Alessandra studied the subject in her hometown of Naples before graduating with a Master's degree in Chemical Engineering. Alessandra joined Wood as a project engineer straight from university, quickly embracing the opportunity to grow and progress within the company.
Throughout her career she has supported the delivery of numerous challenging and complex engineering projects for clients including ExxonMobil, SOCAR, ENI, Evonik and most recently OMV Petrom.
In 2021 Alessandra was promoted to Project Manager, becoming a role model for other women based at Wood’s projects hub in Milan. In this new role, Alessandra was assigned to lead the Coke Drum Replacement project at OMV Petrom’s Petrobrazi Refinery in Romania.
The Coke Drum Replacement project was complex and challenging due to the scale and schedule. Following many months of precision planning and preparatory field works, the entire drum replacements needed to be completed in 65 days during a refinery turnaround to avoid disruption to the refinery’s output, OMV Petrom production targets and energy security for Eastern Europe. Wood has been providing engineering, procurement and construction management services at this refinery since 2008.
During the turnaround phase Alessandra worked on-site at the Petrobrazi Refinery recognising the value of co-ordinating and leading the team from the ground. Alessandra passionately believes that building a trusted working environment where people feel motivated and recognised is hugely important to achieve project objectives.
Alessandra reflected:
“I learned first-hand that project management is about being flexible and pragmatic for both the client and the team and creating an environment where every team member feels valued and motivated to go above and beyond.”
Alessandra’s work with OMV Petrom continues for the recently secured sustainable aviation fuel project.
