Hundreds of people gathered at a special awards event to celebrate diversity and inclusion in the energy industry.
AFBE-UK Scotland awards ceremony was held at Aberdeen’s Marcliffe Hotel and Spa last night.
Reneth McKenzie-Schoetz , who has run the AFBE-UK stem programme, Making Engineering Hot, for the past 12 years, was given the special appreciation award for her work which benefitted more than 6,000 pupils and helped more than 60 students gain internship experience.
AFBE-UK Scotland is a not-for-profit organisation that encourages young people, particularly those of black and minority ethic (BME) origin, to consider a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (Stem).
Celebrating achievements
Imrandd and Baker Hughes both won company of the year, while Helen West, of Thames Water, won outstanding mentor of the year award.
Vanessa Burton, of Mott MacDonald and Thaddeus Anim-Somuah, of Croda, were joint winners of the young BME professional of the year award.
Lydia Balogun-Wilson, north-sea engineering manager at BP , landed the BME (black minority ethnic) leader of the year, which was presented by air marshal Ian Gale, of the RAF.
Dr Ollie Folayan, AFBE-UK Scotland chairman, said: “The awards event was a huge success – a real celebration of achievements during unprecedented times.
“We are delighted to have been able to recognise diversity and inclusion successes for under-represented groups in the energy and engineering sectors.
“All of the award winners and those shortlisted absolutely deserve our appreciation.
“A great night was had by all and we look forward to our next awards event.”
Long-term partnerships
Last month AFBE-UK Scotland, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, signed a five-year partnership with Aberdeen University’s school of engineering to support its diversity and inclusion strategy.
The university joined big names including the RAF, Mercedes Formula 1 motor racing team, energy giant SSE and Subsea 7 in partnering with AFBE-UK.
AFBE-UK Scotland’s work includes its schools programme NextGen, where industry leaders and professionals give advice to pupils; Transition, where industry leaders help aspiring engineering professionals to enter the job market; and Real Projects, where industry professionals share their knowledge and expertise.
These programmes were usually carried out in person, however, they are currently taking place online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.