Dining with the Sharks
Ben Andrew and Sam Manalertsakul, two of our experienced Process Engineers, are members of the region’s IChemE committee. Meetings take place on a regular basis, one of which was held at OSL House, catering equally for the north and south banks of the Humber. These events provide a forum that leads to positive change, career development, networking and the opportunity to organise mentorship.
The success of this regular activity led to the first IChemE annual dinner for the Humber region in Scunthorpe last year. The 2014 dinner took place on Thursday 13th November at The Deep in Hull, which added a particularly unique atmosphere to the evening.
Upon their arrival, guests were greeted at the entrance of the Two Rivers Restaurant and guided up through the Polar Gallery and the Twilight Zone exhibition, which uses linear LED colour-changing slots of light concealed in the walls to tell the story of the ocean depths. From there they were taken to a relaxed drinks reception in the Observatory, offering picturesque views over Hull and the Humber. With about one hundred people in attendance, everyone then made their way into the Oceans Gallery, where an outstanding meal was served surrounded by fish, stingrays and sharks. Sadly, the newly arrived Gentoo penguins were already asleep.
OSL once again sponsored a table at the event, with its committee members also helping to organise the meal. Principal Director Alastair Robertson and Operations Manager Neil Barnard were in attendance, alongside some of our engineers involved in the local committee. We also invited some of our recent graduates, giving them a taste of professional dinner events and networking sessions.
The second annual dinner for the Hull and Humber IChemE proved a very successful and enjoyable evening for what is possibly the fastest growing members group. Speakers included IChemE President Geoff Maitland, who gave an interesting and entertaining speech highlighting the successful role that Chemical Engineering plays in the Humber region, and Justin Blades, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer of the IChemE. The event effectively showcased the strength of the local engineering sector and the bright future that lies ahead for the industry.
We are also delighted to say that OSL’s success in promoting our philosophy of Clever Thinking in engineering, including our organising of a presentation for the local members group on technical creativity, was highlighted at the event.
“A major part of OSL’s commitment to developing our engineers is the company’s graduate development programme, which is IChemE accredited,” said Alastair. “We would like to take this opportunity to thank the IChemE for helping our engineers to access multiple opportunities, and for supporting OSL in various ways over the years.”
To find out more about the IChemE’s Hull and Humber Members Group, please visit their website.
