“ It’s an incredibly exciting time to be in our industry, and for someone looking to join, I would say always keep your eyes and mind open to new ideas, ways of working and opportunities to do better.”
With an extensive career in the energy sector, Debbi Blackwood’s current role sees her as Head of Regulation, Compliance and Cyber Security at Aberdeen-based Engineering Consultancy and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm, Katoni Engineering. She currently supports clients across the oil and gas, renewables and nuclear industries to meet evolving regulatory demands.
Originally from the small town of Thurso on the very north coast of Scotland, my career in energy kick-started with an apprenticeship as an instrument technician in the nuclear industry. I then went on to complete a bachelors degree in electrical and electronic engineering, before graduating with a masters in power engineering with business. After finishing my studies, I spent time as an electrical, control and instrumentation (EC&I) Engineer in consultancies supporting the oil and gas, nuclear and defence industries, going on to become an EC&I specialist working with a UK verification body, and later moving into a role as a Health and Safety Executive.
I’m now head of regulation, compliance and cyber security at the fantastic Aberdeen-based engineering consultancy and EPC firm, Katoni Engineering.
In my current position, I identify areas where the industry can improve, particularly in relation to meeting new regulatory requirements and proposing steps that can be taken to achieve that. This requires me to take a step back and look at the bigger energy sector picture, thinking about how we can support it by also taking lessons learned from across the sector.
Overall, I’m feeling very positive about the future of the energy industry in the UK. At Katoni, we are seeing interesting ideas and projects being developed and novel concept work becoming available, while also supporting projects to make organisations greener, safer and more efficient. At such a pivotal time for the industry, we are lucky to be part of the change.
That said, my firm belief is that you cannot have energy security without energy diversity. The technology is not yet there to support the country’s energy demands with current renewable and low carbon infrastructure, or storage options. This means that oil and gas will continue to play a pivotal role as a transition fuel to support the advancements needed.
It’s an incredibly exciting time to be in our industry, and for someone looking to join, I would say always keep your eyes and mind open to new ideas, ways of working and opportunities to do better.
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