Integrity engineer Eduarda Zanetti is half-Brazilian and half-Italian. Having started her career at Wood in her homeland of Brazil, she moved to Aberdeen, Scotland in 2023. Eduarda is passionate about championing diversity and inclusion in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and co-founded Women in Energy (WIN) Brazil.
WIN Brazil has reached more than 17,000 people worldwide, especially in Latin America. I co-created two mentoring programmes for university students and young professionals, and we have organised technical debates with experts from the industry as well as high-level discussions around trending topics and technical training sessions in partnership with energy companies. Within the universities, we have created and coordinated more than 10 Nuclei WIN Brazil, a WIN Brazil branch dedicated to empowering students, each one in a different public university spread within Brazil States. All these projects provide technical knowledge and opportunities to help women develop in their careers. We are also present in schools and universities, inspiring young people to pursue STEM and leadership careers. I am the Diversity and Inclusion Director at the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in Brazil, this involves coordinating WIN Brazil and all the diversity and inclusion initiatives within SPE Brazil.
I am lucky enough to have inspirational mentors at Wood. Being mentored and connected with some of our amazing leaders is very enriching. My mentor Tony O’Shea, Senior Director for Asset Life Optimisation, has been guiding me to direct my potential and capabilities, understand what my opportunities are and what paths I can pursue. Tony has openly shared experiences and helps my understanding of the business and markets.
As for reverse mentoring, I work with Joanne Galvin, President of People and Organisation for our Consulting business. Joanne will bring me a relevant question for discussion about the business, industry or external initiatives, and I will share my perspective and experience with her. It is a great way of helping leadership to gain understanding and feedback from different levels in the organisation.
As can be seen, I have always been a fan of mentoring programmes and the power of these connections. Before Wood I participated in mentoring programmes through SPE with leaders in the industry, and these amazing exchanges of ideas, guidance and experiences are what inspired me to mentor young professionals.
Leaders at Wood are easily accessible and people at all levels of the organisation are encouraged to share opinions on how to improve and grow the business. I had the opportunity to speak to our Executive President of Strategy and Development, Jennifer Richmond one-on-one, introduce myself to our CEO, Ken Gilmartin, and exchange experiences with other leaders within our business. If you are proactive and engaged, the openness to talk with leadership can propel your career.
What excites me about coming to work are the people and diverse possibilities for growth; in my team, the leaders are supportive of my growth and development, and I feel that we care about each other. There are so many possibilities to work with different clients on distinct scopes and learn different subjects, and there is huge opportunity to learn from subject matter experts across the business.
My current role at Wood is quite diverse. I work within engineering, supporting our clients to manage the integrity of their assets but I also work with project management scopes. Currently, I am taking the lead in helping establish a software migration plan for our clients and managing the associated workflow to support them to achieve sustainable financial results while transitioning to another software solution. In addition, I am leading a learning and development initiative promoting learning sessions and sharing available content and initiatives available at Wood. Our aim is to create a technical and digital consultancy mindset and support our people to develop their careers and knowledge.
Outside work, when I am not volunteering for D&I or WIN Brazil, I am working on finishing my master’s degree in Energy.
Designing the future involves envisioning possibilities, identifying challenges and working towards feasible solutions in our energy industry. It means exploring new technologies, ideas, and approaches to address pressing global issues such as energy transition. This requires collaboration, commitment to innovation, progress, and forward-thinking. Diverse perspectives, expertise, and disciplines are needed to foster holistic and inclusive solutions, which involves fostering a culture of creativity, curiosity, and resilience to navigate uncertainties and adapt to changing circumstances. It is about actively shaping a world that reflects our aspirations, values, and determination.
Doing my part to transform the world into a better place, empowering D&I, and helping people achieve their dreams and potential are some of my passions and they are very aligned with my values. Inspired by great leaders, I am working towards a leadership career path that develops and makes valuable contributions to the industry and has a positive influence on the society.