CMEWA Inc - Women in Resources Profile - Yvette Manolas
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Women in Resources Profile - Yvette Manolas
WOMEN IN RESOURCES PROFILE - YVETTE MANOLAS
Yvette Manolas
Senior Production Technologist, Woodside Energy Ltd
I was an unlikely candidate to become a global explosive expert- a girl in her 20s with five years’ experience as an engineer in the oil and gas industry. And just before you start thinking I am a pyromaniac, I assure you that am a typical girl who likes to do ‘girlie’ things, like shopping and hanging out with my friends.
So what led me here? I think it boils down to determination, hard work and a little bit of good luck. Most importantly, if you show you have potential then opportunities will find you; it is just a matter of seizing them.
This philosophy of determination and good luck has followed me throughout my career. At high school I didn’t know what engineering was. I loved maths and art, and was looking for a career path that would enable me to combine problem solving and creativity. Luckily, I obtained a scholarship to attend an Engineering Science Summer School (who wouldn’t want a trip to Sydney in their holidays…) and I discovered the world of engineering. It was pure luck that I went from not knowing was engineering was to deciding where my future lay in just one month. I never looked back. The path of determination and good luck had started. I also met my future husband in engineering at university, although I am not sure if that was more a result of determination or good luck!
I joined Woodside as a petroleum engineering graduate. I am very proud to work for Woodside, a company that really does believe in equal opportunity and is extremely supportive of women. I would even go so far as to say that Woodside has played a pivotal role in my development by providing me with avenues and opportunities to excel.
One of the many ways Woodside has supported me was by enabling my secondment to Shell to join a specialty perforating (or explosives) team. It was during this secondment that I developed a software package that revolutionised the global perforating industry. It is now used by most major oil and gas companies throughout the world and has facilitated savings of hundreds of millions of dollars. This is one of the key reasons Shell invited me to become a global expert (one of four in the world), why I sit on an international standards committee in America and why I have chaired and presented at international conferences.
One of the things I love about my job is that I am continually learning and facing new challenges. I can also use my creative side to find innovative solutions to problems.
In addition to being creative at work, in my free time I still like to pick up a paint brush and pretend to be Picasso. I am also a yoga teacher – some people may think this is at odds with working in oil and gas, however, we go to great lengths to benefit the community and the environment in which we operate. In a sense, it is a like a perfectly balanced yoga pose.
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