| Description | Tape 1 Side A. Alison Jane Patricia Goligher, born Belfast, Northern Ireland 17 03 1965. Family background. Father's parents from Scotland. Discussion re genealogical research. Grandfather an architect; grandmother worked at home. Comments on grandfather's work in Belfast and grandmother's artistic relatives. Mentions father's sister. Childhood memories of architect's drawing boards, pencils, being shown buildings, some designed by grandfather. Grandfather Samuel George Gulliver; Grandmother Elizabeth Gulliver nee Law. Father, Alisdair George, builder, quantity surveyor, was builder/manager for large company in Northern Ireland. Talks of father's lack of qualifications. Is elder of two girls. Mother's father worked in electronics. Maternal grandmother dynamic, Quaker, had three children. Mother, middle child, worked in photographic department of Belfast store. Higher education not encouraged. Father went to technical college. Knew both sets of grandparents. Talks of home life. Parents' pools win prior to marriage; anecdote about house-hunting. Description of first house and subsequent move to idyllic country property. Reference to mutual trust, good relationship between old lady, who owned country property, and father. Trust in business dealings, good relationships. Discussion about risk-taking, business and personal, growing up in Belfast, the community, the Troubles. Anecdote re soldiers coming to Christmas dinner. Religious tolerance in family. School religious and peer pressure. Describes father and his family, mother's strength, father's work and social skills. Own temperament, attitude to business dealings. Description of childhood, boundaries. Family musical abilities. Discipline of ballet lessons. Yoga used as stress control, to focalise. Discusses school. Describes own personality.
Tape1 Side B. Discussion re childhood; potential future career as astronaut etc. Interest in science. School's preferred career choices. Similarity to mother. Description of school. Top school, small, traditional, and conservative. Influence of teachers then and in everyday life now. Position in class, got better with age, winning prizes. Describes own driving forces. Family influences for good. Mentions glass ceiling in business. Describes sister, competition with her. Career choices, talents of sister. Own school, university degrees gained. Anecdote re famous tutor, Professor Higgs and his discovery. Impressions of tutors and other intellectuals. Enjoyment of reading now and in childhood. Obtained degree in Mathematical Physics, then in Petroleum Engineering. Discussion of political situation in early seventies. Protected environment from politics, local issues discussed. Relationships with Catholics in formative years. Catholic boyfriend. Repercussions. Compares public transport in Belfast with Edinburgh. Talks of long term friendship with daughter of judge. Mutual support. Details re families' relationship. Remarks on length of other friendships. Comments on own self-sufficiency. Discusses pressures of home and work and dealing with them. Visit to Anglo-Australian Observatory as part of University course. Mentions nervousness before travelling. Application to Queen's University but refused entrance into Aeronautical Engineering because of gender. Decided on scientific career in astrophysics. Recognition of limitations. To Papua New Guinea in eighties; stayed with relative. Job application to British Petroleum; their offer of sponsorship to study for Master of Engineering.
Tape 2 Side A. Discusses parents' philosophy in life, own childhood fantasies, fatalistic attitude. Anecdote re visiting fortune-teller. Mentions mother, Christine; grandparents, James Bunting, Christine Bunting nee McConnell. Sponsored for Master of Engineering by Shell Oil Company rather than BP. Details. Completed Petroleum Engineering Masters. Met people from Schlumberger, applied for job as a bet. Secured job but kept in touch with people at BP. Saw astrophysics an interest rather than a career. Discussion of Schlumberger interview and their business philosophy. Discussion of conduct of interviews. First interview, personal, talk of challenges; second one conducted in London, eight tests at university level in electronics, computer science, applied maths, geology, mechanical engineering, chemistry etc. Candidates set in situations on location. Only woman out of ten interviewees. Gave correct answer to solving problem; appointed Field Engineer. Delay in transit to Far East, Brunei. Description of arrival and journey to base. Recalls mechanical engineering course, details re enjoyable, difficult parts of course. Details re training for job in Brunei, on location and at training school. Recalls going with own crew out to take measurements for customer. Description of information gathered for customer, different techniques to diagnose data, wire line logs etc. Crew consisted of self and three trained men. Was only woman field engineer with Schlumberger. Spent two years in Brunei in 1980s when in early twenties. Description of attitude of men to her, living accommodation, area of worked. Brunei a Muslim country. Further details re relationship with male co-workers. Attitude of Far East workers, social interaction.
Tape 2 Side B. Further recollections of Brunei, establishing relationships, ex-pats, different nationalities. Comments on communication on the job front, own friendships etc. Sadness at leaving Indonesia. Schlumberger multi-cultural. Staff deal with racial issues. Pride in company, Brunei hierarchy; team, Details re work as Field Service Manager, Operations Manager, comments on difficulties relating to gender through 'personality and attitude'. Recalls frustration at lack of physical strength and mechanical knowledge, collaboration with fellow workers, mutual support. Recalls excitement at meeting new people, different cultures, work, and customers. Spent eighteen months in Brunei during late 1980s. Discussion re Piper Alpha disaster. Mentions long vacation, going to Indonesia. Head Engineer from Belfast, Cannis McGarry. Mentions 'Irish Murphy' in Schlumberger. Spent 3 years in jungle, recalls living conditions, well testing. Conditions in Brunei after a blowout, aftermath, and disappearance of 130 foot rig. Details re wells, instability underground. Good experience. Mentions Well Services, formerly part of Schlumberger, their part in well stabilization. Experience of working in Indonesia with pressure and explosives. Details re equipment and work there; relationship with local workers. Comments on intuition in everyday work. Mentions open hole logging, types of wells, intuitive drilling, consequences of mistakes, and complications in 1990-1993, basic communication. Describes striking oil, size of strike. Mentions Faroes field. Need for confidentiality in work, e.g. with wild cat or tight wells. Secrecy connected with exploration. Recalls well testing, types of gas. Back home 1993, spent 5 months on holiday, travelling. Transferred to US as Field Engineer in Texas. Details re company there. Globalisation of Schlumberger included presence in US. Was only woman working in own field.
Tape 3 Side A. Indonesia a life changing experience. Recalls animals, insects, and conditions. Made mistakes, miscalculations. Is a perfectionist. Reaction to United States posting in small town, 9-5 working, cultural gap. Other colleagues were married. Details re own situation during 7-8 month posting. Recalls growing orchids, links to family. Given house there, no furniture. Recalls sorting out relationships with crew, motivating. Posted to Houston project to hire women engineers, identify good candidates. Mentions promotions at universities, women's societies. Over ten women then employed in company, some still there now. Attrition rate for young engineers through harsh working conditions. Macho culture in gas, oil industry. Dangers of staying too long in remote places. Recalls lost boy/lost men syndrome. Anecdote re friend living on boat in South China Sea. North Sea posting: sent to Norway 1994 as Manager, ' Engineer in Charge', on and off shore. Different culture, working practices. Had to find motivation for employees, enforce time schedules. Importance of family, lifestyle. Union issues: boss was a friend from Belfast. Story of Training Centre Manager, own initial job interviewer. Stressful time in Norway. Comments on recognising, dealing with stress. Posted to Wireline headquarters, Paris, 1996-7. Comments on self-analysis, 'mental gardening'. Describes enjoyment of Parisian amenities, culture. Hierarchy of firm, interaction with Frenchmen in work environment. 1997, sent to Bakersfield, California as Wireline's Operational Manager. Also offered job in Aberdeen. Reasons for choosing United States position. Eighteen months there. Compares American experiences. California important in gas, oil industry. Discussion of age in relation to management position in company.
Tape 3 Side B. Challenges of management, field crews, and numbers employed. In Paris introduced new technology, changes in logging tools; describes Platform Express. Specific market in Bakersfield, California - innovative, specific. Describes relationships with female engineers, being role model for others. Comments on personal relationships within the company; effect on work colleagues. Manager's role to liaise with boss in Denver. Comments on women's traditional image of marriage and family. 1999 returned to Paris, to portfolio involving more new technology development, research and development ideas linked to field-work, problems of putting new technology into practice. Anecdote re this to illustrate. Scientists' interaction with field engineers. Mentions Eureka Network, used to explain best practices, special interest groups. Schlumberger's research and development spending. Mentions tool customisation, base modules. Oil and gas industry global so friends world-wide. After time spent in Paris, offered position in United Kingdom. Details re advancement within Schlumberger. Development of career to present position. Description of responsibilities as Managing Director, describes business of Schlumberger in United Kingdom. Mentions Wire line Services and Research and Development, recent split into geographical areas making business more customer friendly. Responsibility for resources, customer service. Comments on business competitors, product development. Technical group oversee competition. Details re main competition. Comments on business cultures of competitors, industrial relations, unionisation, working conditions, communication between management and workers. Started in this job on 20 03 2001, 18 months ago. Views of Aberdeen, forward planning, community projects, new industries, infrastructure. Mentions a possible missed opportunity, next move, future plans. Sees determination reflected in company culture
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