Becoming a Fellow

What first sparked your ambition to pursue Fellowship and was there a defining moment when you knew you were ready?

My ambition for Fellowship was sparked during my role as Systems Interface Lead on Northern Lights, the world's first cross-border CO₂ transport and storage facility.

Managing safety-critical interfaces on a project of such global significance made me realise that risk and safety management wasn't just a complementary skill, it was the backbone of everything I delivered. The defining moment came when I led hazard identification and risk assessments on the Moho Infills Oilfield project, offshore Congo, achieving zero safety incidents during extended factory acceptance testing.

Completing my NEBOSH International General Certificate and IOSH Managing Safely qualifications, while simultaneously leading controls engineering on NCS projects across the Norwegian Continental Shelf, confirmed I had the depth of experience and commitment to apply for Fellowship with confidence.

How has becoming a Fellow changed the way you see yourself as a professional and leader?

Fellowship has fundamentally shifted my professional identity. Previously, I saw safety as embedded within my engineering discipline; now I recognise myself as a safety leader who happens to be an engineer. Leading global controls engineering projects at SLB-OneSubsea across Johan Castberg, Askeladd and Breidablikk oilfields(NCSP1 & Amendment 1), I now approach every technical decision through a risk-informed lens.

It has given me the confidence to challenge the status quo; for example, developing new engineering numbering systems that reduced technical clarification cycles by 40 per cent, while simultaneously embedding safety governance into every stage. As a Fellow, I mentor junior engineers not just on technical competence, but on the principle that safety excellence and operational performance are inseparable.

What do you value most about being a Fellow of IIRSM, beyond the post-nominals, and why does it matter?

Beyond the post-nominals, what I value most is belonging to a community that validates the integration of safety thinking into every professional discipline. My career spans subsea controls engineering, systems interface management, lifecycle services and renewable energy, and Fellowship recognises that safety is not confined to a single job title.

It matters because it connects me to a network of professionals who share the belief that managing risk effectively saves lives and protects assets. Having managed 500-plus technical requirements using Jama software while ensuring every test case was verified against safety compliance standards, Fellowship affirms that this rigorous, systems-based approach to safety is valued and recognised at the highest level.

Can you share a specific example of how Fellowship has influenced your career opportunities, credibility or industry voice?

Since achieving Fellowship, my credibility in cross-functional stakeholder engagements has measurably increased. On the Northern Lights Phase 2 project, I managed stakeholder engagement following the AA1000 framework standard on what is arguably the most significant decarbonisation infrastructure project globally.

My Fellowship status reinforced my authority when raising and clarifying interface queries across multiple work-packages, particularly on safety-critical design decisions for subsea injection systems. Additionally, my published research: "The Future and Challenges of LNG" (DOI: 10.24031/2454-7980.0603003), has gained wider traction as my Fellowship credentials lend greater weight to my contributions to energy sector thought leadership. I've also been invited to contribute more actively to INCOSE, IFSE, and IET activities as a recognised safety Fellow.

What is the biggest myth about the Fellowship application process that you would like to debunk?

The biggest myth is that you need to be a safety professional by job title to qualify. My primary role is Controls Engineering Lead, I lead subsea production systems integration tests, manage engineering resources and coordinate global engineering teams. But safety is woven into every aspect of what I do: from conducting HAZID workshops and preparing risk assessment documentation on the Moho Infills Oilfield project, to ensuring compliance with API STD 17F and ISO 45001 requirements across all my projects.

Fellowship recognises that safety leadership exists in every discipline. If you’re actively identifying hazards, implementing controls, and driving risk reduction to ALARP in your daily work, you are already doing the work of a Fellow, the application simply documents it.

From your experience, what makes a Fellowship application truly stand out and what advice would you give to someone considering applying?

What makes an application stand out is demonstrating measurable impact. Don’t just list responsibilities, quantify outcomes. I documented how my engineering frameworks reduced clarification cycles, how my requirements management approach cut verification time, and how my safety leadership delivered zero lost-time incidents across multiple international projects.

My advice: structure your application around the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and ensure every example connects your technical expertise to a tangible safety outcome. Also, don’t underestimate the value of continuous professional development: my NEBOSH, IOSH, and Women in Safety Leadership qualifications demonstrated ongoing commitment that strengthened my application significantly.

How do you see Fellowship contributing to greater diversity, inclusion and representation across the risk and safety profession?

Fellowship has the power to redefine who the safety profession sees as its leaders. As a Ghanaian woman who has led engineering teams across Norway, the Republic of Congo, Ghana, Angola, USA and the UK, I represent a perspective that is still underrepresented in our industry. My completion of the Women in Safety Leadership programme through the Institute of Leadership reinforced my belief that diverse perspectives produce better risk assessments and safer outcomes. When younger professionals and women from underrepresented backgrounds see a Fellow who looks like them, someone leading projects, publishing research and volunteering to inspire children at science centres, it expands their vision of what's possible. Fellowship should actively champion these stories, because diversity in safety leadership is not just equitable, it’s measurably safer.

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