PHIL WOOLFALL // MANAGER, PROCESS ENGINEERING, CHEMICALS < back
	How would you say your role has changed since you've been working with the company?
	"Well, obviously when you start it's necessary to build up a good background of technical experience. During the first four years we have a rotational training scheme, so during that time I worked as a chemical engineer on projects, but I also had the opportunity to work within other disciplines, and learn about the work they do in the company. Things like cost-estimating, how we bid and win new business, also things like specific equipment design. After I finished those four first years, I did a number of different roles, mainly on projects as a chemical engineer. Those roles changed over the years in terms of leading bigger and bigger teams. The last wholly project role I was involved with was Process Project Manager for a project of approximately 30-35 chemical engineers. I've now moved into a more corporate management kind of role, so again my role is now completely changed with a lot more managerial responsibility, however significantly less technical involvement. Obviously at Foster Wheeler there are the two different branches that individuals can take as part of their career direction. The technical work and technical specialisms we have are key to our success. However, we also need to provide people who are going to manage the organisation into the future over the next ten years."
	How have your skills developed?
	"One of the main things for me is that I've moved more in a managerial direction, and what I think I have learnt a huge amount of - both through course but more on the job through experience - is to understand the managerial skills of delegation, dealing with people, and understanding the needs of individuals. I also have a much greater background knowledge of engineering and I'm able to talk about project execution, which is something that you don't learn a huge amount about at university but is a key aspect of the engineering contracting business."
	What has been the high point of your time with the company so far?
	"For me on a personal level, there have been a number of high points. I'd spend six months on business in Singapore, and spend almost two years on a PMC contract in Madrid, which was very interesting from both a professional and personal standpoint. I think my absolute highlight, however, would be a project on which I worked for about two years, and that was the project I was managing in Madrid. When I finally went over at the end of the construction phase of the project to see the plant over in Saudi Arabia, and actually take up in the start-up of that plant, and it was magnificent to see something that I'd been involved in from the very early stages - the conceptual stages of design - to see it having been built there as a huge new oil refinery. It was quite amazing."
	What do you think Foster Wheeler offers you in your career that other companies could not or would not?
	"One of the main things is the variety of projects we do. There is always the challenge to learn new things. If you work on an operating plant, for example, the plant is the same: you understand it really really well. There is always the need here to pick up new things and pick them up quickly so that you can talk to clients and talk to them intelligently about what they require on their new projects."
	What sort of projects have you been involved with?
	"During my time at Foster Wheeler, most of the projects I have worked on have been related to refineries. These have included for example, the installation of a new hydrotreater capacity for a new refinery in Saudi Arabia. Hydrotreaters reduce the amount of sulphur in diesel and petrol and therefore make the fuels more environmentally friendly. I've also been involved in projects within refineries in the UK, around Chester and also down in Southampton, which have been to debottleneck and increase the capacity of existing units on those refineries. As well as that, I've been involved in a couple of grassroots petrochemical facilities, one in South America, and one in Saudi Arabia. That was the front-end design of how the petrochemical facility would be laid out, and how the different units would join together.
	What factors influenced your decision to join Foster Wheeler?
	"For me, more than anything else it was about variety of work. I didn't like the idea of being stuck in an office doing the same job with the same people week in, week out, because I think that becomes boring after a while. At Foster Wheeler, there's the opportunity to work on different projects, in different areas of the world, and learn about totally new technologies. That was really interesting to me. Another really critical thing for me was the idea of travelling. I was very keen to see and work on different projects in different areas of the world and experience those different cultures which I've had the opportunity to do."