Careers Angel Profile: John Crowle

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Name John Crowle
Email Address john.crowle@btinternet.com
Industries/Sectors Mining, Oil & Materials
Employer BP (8 years), Enterprise Oil (18 years);Shell (2 years); Rockhopper Exploration and Salamander Energy (5 years)
Position Geologist/oil exploration and production, moving into technical and general management. Now a Non-executive Director of two oil companies.
Experience 45-50 years (approx.)
Degree Geology (graduated in 1975)
Other Qualifications Stanford Executive Program 1996
Internships
Information I have been involved in a wide range of jobs in the oil industry and have worked in Norway, Egypt, Viet Nam and Holland. I have experience of both large and small companies with strong views on their strengths and weaknesses.

During my time at Enterprise Oil I was responsible for all the technical functions within the company. This gave me direct experience of how various science and engineering disciplines differ from one another and the skills and aptitudes required by them.

Amongst other responsibilities, I devised and implemented a graduate recruitment and training programme which came to be recognised as one of the best in the industry. Unfortunately Enterprise was subsequently taken over but my experience here may be of interest to anyone wishing to enter the oil industry.

This exciting, global industry is a cornerstone of virtually everything we do and until alternative sources of energy are found it is critical to our future. Gas in particular could be key to reducing the world’s carbon emissions by replacing coal as fuel in power stations. This means we must find more gas to reduce our dependence on imports from remote and politically volatile parts of the world.
Things I Wish I'd Known If you get involved, you can help to ensure that the industry acts responsibly in the future and makes sure that peoples and environments do not suffer. It can be done and is being done but the all the publicity surrounds the very few accidents.
Did you know that the largest onshore oilfield in Europe lies beneath a British Heritage Site and holiday resort and has been producing for over 20 years? Not many people realise this , which shows how successful it’s been.

It’s easy to sit on the sidelines and complain about polluting industries whilst taking advantage of everything they do. If you’ve got a good science or engineering background you can make a difference directly.


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