Agnieszka began her career with TechnipFMC in Krakow, Poland in 2012 and moved to Bellshill in Scotland two years later. She has progressed through the roles of Design Engineer and Senior Design Engineer and is now Technical Lead – Small Bore Valves in our facility in Dunfermline, Scotland. She shared some of her career highlights with us, as well as telling us more about IDEA (Inclusion, Development and Equity for All), the ENRG (Employee Network and Resource Group) she started up in 2018.
When TechnipFMC first opened an engineering office in my home country of Poland, it opened some new doors for me. Energy was not a well-known industry in my part of the world, due to Poland’s geographical position.
After learning a little more about the company, and the opportunities it could offer me in the future, it seemed like a great place to be, and I joined the team in 2012. My current role involves the technical management of TechnipFMC-designed small bore gate valves and check valves. I am responsible for the engineering aspect of VSM [value stream mapping] of those products and manage the technical relationship with the turnkey vendor of the valves.
Career highlights to date include developing a new valve product that allowed us to streamline our lead times and component costs and joining the Technical Expertise Program, recognizing my experience with valves.
I’m especially proud of setting up IDEA in 2018. It’s the natural evolution of the Women in Engineering forum that was already established and was initially intended to promote diversity in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) industries. IDEA has evolved into a group with a shared vision to foster the Inclusion and Diversity Culture on our Dunfermline site.
I co-lead the group with my colleague Pamela Fletcher, Global Tendering Manager, Well & Flow Control Tenders, and we have found that IDEA offers amazing networking across the globe as well as helping to learn and develop skills beyond my day-to-day job.
I take a tremendous amount of pleasure in seeing changes happen, and notably during our first company-wide Pride Month in 2021 when transgender motor racing driver Charlie Martin was invited to share her story with us. Feedback from that session was overwhelmingly positive, and it just reaffirmed that what we are doing to raise awareness and educate on such topics is extremely important.
Other educational campaigns include company-wide quarterly events, recognizing and celebrating other global initiatives such as International Women's Day, Mental Health Awareness Month and International Day of People with Disabilities, as well as our choice of event – International Men's Day.
Each has initiated a series of conversations with many leaders across the globe, raising curiosity and awareness and promoting greater understanding.
To any of my colleagues considering joining an ENRG, I would say go for it. You’ll meet a diverse group of people with shared identities and interests, and they will make you feel valued and included. You’ll learn or develop skills you may not have realized you need and have an opportunity to work on exciting projects and events that contribute to making both your work and outside environments better places to be.
