Ep. 82 #WUN Finding Your Voice Offshore: Leah Clough Ørsted on Confidence & Career Growth talking with Julia Stichling, WUN Advocate

In this latest episode, WUN Advocate, Julia Stichling chats with Leah Clough, Offshore Manager at Ørsted

Leah is responsible for ensuring the safe and reliable operation of 384 offshore wind turbines on the West Coast. Driven by a vision of a world powered entirely by green energy, and a strong commitment to encouraging more women and young people into the sector, Leah brings honesty and perspective to the latest WUN podcast -  Finding Your Voice Offshore - Confidence & Career Growth.

We talk about Leah’s time working offshore as one of very few women on wind turbines, including the realities of that experience and how she came to realise that being female was not a disadvantage. From smaller hands to different ways of problem-solving, Leah reflects on how balancing strengths rather than trying to fit a mould, helped her find her passion and ultimately progress into a management role overseeing hundreds of turbines.

Leah also shares candid insights into moments where she had to speak up for herself, how her confidence grew over time, and what she has learned about advocating for your own abilities while building a career you genuinely care about.

Transcript

Speaker A: 0:03

Welcome to the Women's Utilities Network One for All podcast. Our corner of the world where we'll.

Speaker B: 0:09

Be talking all things energy, water, sharing personal stories and debating female issues. Enjoy. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Women's Utility Network podcast. My name is Julia Stichling and I'm one of the advocates here at THE One. I am really excited to be joined for today's podcast episode by Leah Grove, offshore manager at Austed. Welcome, Leah.

Speaker A: 0:37

Good morning, Jo.

Speaker B: 0:38

Really, really well, good to talk to you today. To start us off with, I'd be really excited to find out a bit more about you and introduce yourself. Where have you started? Where did your journey in the utilities industry start? And how did you kind of come along to now be an offshore manager for Ofsted?

Speaker A: 0:56

Yeah, so as you said, I work for Ofsted, been with the company now for just over seven years. I left school a bit undecided in kind of what I wanted to do. I knew that university wasn't really for me and I wanted an apprenticeship and I saw the opportunity with RSTED to be an engineer offshore, so an offshore technician. So I applied for the apprenticeship along with about 400 people. I think it was the first time that Austead had done an apprenticeship here on the west coast at Barrow in Furness. So it's quite a sought after, new, exciting opportunity. I was lucky enough to be offered one of the four positions with rsted, so I began my apprenticeship journey here in 2018. It was a three year apprentice apprenticeship alongside college and doing a HNC in electrical engineering. And then I was offered a position as a WT1 technician. So my job involved sort of going out and helping maintain the turbines. So it's a bit like taking your car to the garage. We service them big mot, tighten a lot of bolts, change filters, top up oils, all the fun, dirty stuff that everyone loves to get involved in. After about a year of doing that, I sat a panel to be able to lead the teams offshore. So I became a lead technician WT2 and then from there quickly decided that actually I wanted to get into the troubleshooting side of things. All the fun stuff trying to fix the turbines and getting that reward from the job of getting them up and running and keeping lights on. So after about nine months I sat a troubleshooting panel and became a troubleshooter offshore. Did that for a couple of years and then I've recently just moved into a offshore manager position, so gone back into the service sort of side of the jobs. I now Service just over 300 turbines across the west coast from Barrow down to Burbo in Liverpool. So making sure that we try our best to stick to all our maintenance schedules, schedules, setting teams to work, making sure they're carrying out their work safely, efficiently and on time. So, yeah, bit about me still like to go offshore.

Speaker B: 2:45

It sounds like you've got a very diverse role where there's a lot going on at one point and then you're back in the office and then you're out again. Is that something where kind of it gives you the thrill of being involved in it, but then also giving you the chance to kind of be in the office and do your manager role?

Speaker A: 3:02

Yeah, I would say I'm quite, I'm quite career driven, so I'm only 25, so I'm quite a young person to have moved up into this people leader position. But when I started with aed, I was the only sort of female going offshore at the time. So it made me quite driven. It made me want to, to prove myself and push on with, with my career. I do like the people managing side of things, so the offshore manager position was perfect for me because it meant I, I could do that leadership and that management role. But I also still had the opportunity to go offshore and, you know, be part of the team and get hands on and stuck in on the job.

Speaker B: 3:33

You mentioned just now that you were the only women on the turbine when you first started. How was that experience for you and how did it shape the way that you approached your early career and now your manager role?

Speaker A: 3:45

Yeah, so obviously when I first started, I was the only woman at Barrow at the time. Working offshore had its ups and downs, obviously. One of the downsides being when I first started it was all male ppe and everybody will know that, you know, when you put your work pants on, if they don't fit correctly, then it's not ideal. But that soon changed. Stuff like no toilets on turbines, but we now have toilets on turbines. So there's been a lot of changes in my five years, but, you know, I was a farmer's daughter. I wasn't afraid of hard work and I might not have looked like the typical technician, but I think that pushed me more to sort of prove myself and it definitely helped me grow in my career probably faster than I originally anticipated. But, yeah, I was lucky to be surrounded by a really good group of lads and not one of them ever made me feel like, you know, I couldn't speak up. I always asked questions. And with that I built quite a strong relationship with the team and proved that I sort of belonged in that team.

Speaker B: 4:32

I could imagine as well that by being surrounded by a team that gives you that confidence, it allowed you to make these changes. So you mentioned obviously now, now there is PPE for females, now there is toilets for females. It must have given you the confidence that I can raise these things because people might not have been aware that that is actually an issue for you being obviously the first women on a turbine.

Speaker A: 4:55

Yeah, like I say, it was never really an issue before you come. And now I think there's currently eight females offshore at Barrow alone and then obviously across the country there'll be a lot more. So all these little changes, they do make a big difference and they do encourage more people into the industry because it is an inclusive workplace. It's not everyone's cup of tea. Travel an hour offshore and then climbing the same height as Blackpool Tower to carry out a lot of servicing tasks. It's not everyone's cup of tea but for some people it is and it should be an option for, for everyone to take part. And, and I think it only takes that, that little light bulb moment to realize. When I go out with the lads, one thing that I do notice is I can't always unscrew a filter that they've tightened on. You know, I'm never going to be physically as strong as 46 year old Mike who goes to the gym every night. But there's no reason why I can't say, do you mind just cracking that off? Because there'll be times that my physical ability be better. For example, if we terminate in a small fuse or something like that. You know, I have got smaller hands. You know, these size 7 hands don't always fit in the large gloves but they are handy for, for certain jobs. So it swings and roundabouts really. And I think the lads definitely realize that and they've definitely supported me through my career.

Speaker B: 6:02

And ideally that's what you want as well, isn't it? Is realizing the strength of every individual and then using those strength. And I think the example that you've just brought shows that if we use individual strength to their best abilities, it creates a really good workplace and a really good team.

Speaker A: 6:18

Yeah, definitely. And I think sometimes it's tough. Sometimes I felt when I first started that my voice wasn't always heard and sometimes I was overlooked and a bit underestimated or not taken seriously because, you know, I was the female apprentice. But I'm quite strong minded and I just made sure that if I wasn't listened to then I just spoke louder and especially if it was around sort of a safety critical issue. And I hope now that that's like sort of embedded within everyone's team that it shouldn't matter if you are a female, if you are the apprentice, if you person who's been here for 50 years. At the end of the day, if you notice something, we should be building like inclusive teams where everyone sort of listened to because everyone's voice should be opinioned and matters.

Speaker B: 6:55

Obviously these experiences are part of kind of what taught you how to speak up for yourself and kind of standing that ground in an operational environment. And I'd be interested to hear a bit as well around how do you try and enable now that you lead teams, how do you try and enable those teams to have similar conversations and enable especially also females now that there is more females coming through step by step, how do you try and enable them to have these open conversations and stand their own ground and speak up for themselves?

Speaker A: 7:28

I think it's about creating that environment where everyone just feels comfortable around, around themselves. Especially working offshore. It's a very remote operation. Like I always say to people who are looking to join the industry, just be aware that, you know, we work week on, week off and you will spend longer with your work team than you will let your family that week. So number one, making sure that you're, you're happy and you feel comfortable around them people. Then the second thing is probably like sort of actively encouraging people to bring their ideas because as soon as someone feels confident enough to bring their ideas and their thoughts forward, it means they're going to be more comfortable with bringing any concerns or issues forward. So it's about like sort of building that trust, listening to people's improvement ideas, but also their concerns and being consistent about that. So people feel supported to speak up when they need to. And like I say, it can be harder when you are the one female in a, in a male dominated environment. But hopefully if we break down them barriers early and encourage people to be able to speak up and feel confident, then you don't even have to think about just comes naturally to you.

Speaker B: 8:26

And how much time at the moment do you tend to spend in kind of the operational environment still now that you've become a manager, how much time does it give you to actively interact with your team and also kind of foster that culture of let's have a chat, let's come together and let's speak about the things that matter.

Speaker A: 8:45

So in that role. That's a very hard question. To answer obviously week on, week off, if the weather's good, we need the teams out there and servicing because that is their job. At the end of the day, when I can, when my diary is not rampacked, then I will get off shove and I will just spend my day with that team because I think that means so much just having your manager there and getting stuck in with you. And I try and when I'm up with the teams make sure that I'm involved in, in the day's work, not just there to oversee so that then they feel like I'm an approachable kind of person. When the weather's not so great, we do have some onshore days and always try and an effort to sort of have out one to ones with our teams. Whether that's individually or whether that's with a group of people. And I think sometimes you find them group environments. So people may think that having a one to one or you can open up more but sometimes in group environments definitely bring out more sort of concerns or improvements that can be made in the workplace because people feel comfortable around their team. Sometimes it's hard to approach a manager. I like to think that I share my experiences so that I am approachable. But yeah, I think it definitely depends on a day to day but. But it's definitely important that you know you have a good relationship with your team to get the most out of them and make sure that they're also enjoying the, enjoying the work that they're doing.

Speaker B: 9:52

Especially with what you mentioned as well. I think it's quite important to make an effort on that relationship because like you said it's not, you know, your Monday to Friday but if you do spin a week on and a week off, it's sometimes difficult I feel to then know what's going on in other people's lives because you've not. You've seen them for a long time and very closely but then obviously for a week also you don't see them at all. So it's kind of like you do need those kind of certain touch points to understand what's going on. You know, is anything kind of impacting that person's life? Is there something where they need maybe support apart from obviously supporting them on their day to day jobs and their activities that are ongoing, I'd imagine.

Speaker A: 10:33

Yeah, and I agree it is important, you know, you want to make sure that that person is probably should be at work and is fit to be at work, but also that that person is comfortable around you. If you're Offshore and you're in a teamwork, you want to make sure that everyone's sort of working together the best they can.

Speaker B: 10:48

And also thinking about, obviously you've mentioned since you've started seven years ago, there is now more women coming through and choosing kind of the offshore roles as their careers. What advice would you give young women or women in general who are looking to join a career in STEM fields in specifically kind of offshore roles or more operational roles?

Speaker A: 11:12

If you're already in an operational role and you are sort of struggling to feel like your voice is being heard or speak up. One thing that I was lucky enough to haven't, and what we call them in our study is sort of a male ally. And I know that people say, oh, well, I don't need a male, a man's voice to stand up for me, but I really do think that when you're in a male dominated environment, like, you know, these offshore operations are engineering, having like the male allies can really help improve like team culture and making you feel like it's a more inclusive workplace. And for me, it's not about having someone who can back you up in an argument or anything like that. It's someone who sort of treats me equal to everybody else in the room. And I'm lucky enough that we have a number of them, colleagues. So whenever I am in a meeting, it doesn't even occur to me that I am sort of sat in there as a woman on my own. So yeah, having like a male ally or having people around you that you really do feel comfortable for does make a big difference in how comfortable and how confident you are when you need to speak up and, and it creates an environment where you can feel like you are part of the team. So I definitely think if you are already in the industry and you are struggling, finding the male, always pulling someone across and just saying, oh, you know, thanks for backing me up in that meeting or thanks for speaking on my behalf, but I have the confidence to do that now is, is a great thing, wanting to join the industry, which is something that I'm quite passionate about, I would just say go for it. A career in stem, anything to do with engineering is definitely worth it if you are, if you're a young woman at school. I know from experience myself, I was never pushed into sort of engineering or anything like that. It was kind of all the boys do that and the girls do this. And I do believe that it's still a little bit like that in schools. And I don't think it's Pushed enough that all the opportunities that there are in the STEM fields and how we need a diverse perspective and how everyone's voice brings ideas and, and it can help build confidence, ask question and sort of seek mentors or, you know, people or role models and not shy away from the opportunities. I do think that I like to go in schools myself, go in colleges, sort of speak about my experiences, tell them, you know, what kind of opportunities out there. I'm not necessarily trying to encourage people to go offshore, but I'm trying to encourage people to look at all the opportunities that can be had in this sector of the work field because it's only growing and we need everyone's ideas and creativity to make sure that we're optimizing everything that we do.

Speaker B: 13:26

That's a really good point. I think being able to go into schools and show kids that these are options. I was at an event a while ago and someone mentioned you obviously as a kid, see your parents and maybe your aunts and uncles or like your parents, friends, but you don't really see careers outside of that. So for then you to go into schools and present them with this is something else that you could potentially think of. While obviously other careers are being presented as well. I think that's a really, really good way to encourage young people to think is that maybe something for me, is that maybe something where I could see myself making a career out of it?

Speaker A: 14:04

Yeah, definitely. And I think the younger that you can get people engaged and encouraged into, into these things, the better. If you can go into schools around the sort of year eight, year nine age group, that's when people are really starting to like, they're not thinking, what am I going to do? They're not worried about it, but it's the time that you can sort of almost get into people's heads about what the options are out there. And at the end of the day, whatever you choose to do when you finish school, the chances are you could be doing that for the rest of your life. So you do need to do something that you are quite passionate about and something that you can enjoy. And people, if you don't know about it, people don't know about what the opportunities are. I've also been to some events and spoke at sort of farmers clubs because obviously we have a lot of engineers that can come through them routes. I've been to women's institutes or wi and the amount of messages that I then got off, off for these people, like these are parents and grandparents and they're going home and telling their kids about this young lass that came in and spoke to wind turbines and they learn all this and it would be a great opportunity for you. And it's just good to know that if we can spread the word about opportunities in. In the STEM fields, and it only takes that little spark moment, I would have never have seen myself sat here 10 years ago at school thinking, oh, I'm going to be working offshore, fixing turbines and making sure that our lights are on at home, but here I am and I love what I do. So I think it's a great thing to. To get to these young people and hope that they pursue a career somewhere in engineering.

Speaker B: 15:24

In. Yeah, I 100% agree with that. We do quite a bit with a few local schools around, kind of sort of getting people to understand the water industry. So again, you know, a different field, but STEM related, again, trying to engage with the young kids so that they can see themselves having a career in the field. So I, Yeah, I think it's a really important part of giving back and showing other kids that there is options out there and it's worth. To kind of pursue what. What makes you happy. Well, I'd be interested as well to learn a bit more about. So you mentioned before that within Ofsted, you obviously have kind of male allies. Is this something where it's a formal male allyship or kind of allyship relationship, or is it something where it's just kind of developed over the years that this is something the. The company culture encourages?

Speaker A: 16:15

Yeah, it's.

Speaker B: 16:16

It's not.

Speaker A: 16:16

It's not formal. I would say it's more something that. That we encourage and it's maybe a bit more personal experience. A lot of the. As progressed through my career, I've progressed with some of the guys that have also sort of took the same path as me and we've built that strong relationship and that trust. And I feel like, you know, when we do have that team, that culture, that inclusivity that every team needs, and if I ever do need feel like my voice isn't being heard, maybe I can turn to one of them and say, come on, do you understand my point? Am I making sense? Is there any other way I can put that across and they can answer me quite straight? But I think what's important to remember is as much as these male allies sort of support you, they're also there to challenge you. And I think that's really important because they can challenge you in a very respectful way. And I would never sort of think, oh, why are they Being funny about that decision that I've made because we've got that respect, we've got that trust between each other and it sort of makes me think, you know what? Yeah, that that's probably right. So as much as we call them male allies, it probably works both ways and they probably see me as a, or I hope that they see me as a, as a female ally and know that we can challenge each other in a, in a respectful way.

Speaker B: 17:20

It's really about building that trust and that relationship, isn't it? Because as soon as you have people around you that you trust, then they TR you and you've got that close relationship going, then it is much easier to sometimes go, okay, well actually how can I improve this? Or actually maybe here someone's gone wrong and let's give them that feedback so that they kind of, you know, next time know I could approach something better or maybe think outside the box or think a bit in a different direction to get to a solution quicker. So I think that's a really, really important point of collaboration and I like that it's gotten to the point where you know, if needed they can speak up to you to, on your behalf but then equally as well you feel like in other areas you are kind of the ally and you can give them support when, when needed.

Speaker A: 18:09

Yeah, definitely. I think at the end of the day we all know it could be easier sometimes just to say quiet. But if I've learned anything and over the past few years in this industry and you know, and pushing myself to come through in my career, you know, as a woman in a male dominated environment, like silence doesn't help anyone. Not me, not the team, not the operations that are going on off there. So you know, if we can sort of speak up and make sure that our V are heard in, in all ways then it's beneficial for everyone.

Speaker B: 18:33

Yeah, 100% and that's a big part as well at the Women's Utility Network. So obviously we have our speak up campaign and we do a lot around giving women but in general people that are affected the confidence and the skills how to speak up. So it's, it's kind of like a bit like self defense. You have to train these things so that you're able in that moment to react and it just takes that experience, it takes being comfortable, feeling like there is people around you who trust you to then be able to, to do speak up and challeng challenge a situation or address the situation when required. And I think what we've seen as well over the years is that mentoring is a big part of that. And I think from a mentoring perspective, there is again, you've got that two way relationship where you get a lot, but then also you can give something back. And I think that again, helps to create that kind of trust and that environment where people then start to feel safe and ideally then obviously can perform their best because that's really what, you know, what we want to create and a workplace culture, really.

Speaker A: 19:33

Yeah, definitely. And I think now that I manage teams offshore, it's, you know, you've got to find that balance, haven't you, between being a manager and being a colleague. And sometimes that balance can be quite difficult. But I think as long as you're sort of actively encouraging people to bring their ideas forward, bring the concerns forward, you can build that trust just by listening and making sure that people feel supported. When they do, they do need to speak up.

Speaker B: 19:55

Yeah, 100% agree. Kind of. Looking back, what would be the one advice that you'd give to your younger self? If you look back and think, how's your career gone so far? What's the one thing that you would say to yourself?

Speaker A: 20:07

That's, that's a hard question. Probably be curious. Like I say, I've been working here for seven years. I'm in an offshore manager position now, but I'm, I'm still keen to progress my career and see, see where, where I can go and hopefully there'll be a lot more opportunities and doors that open for me. And, and I think my bit of advice for myself is to take every opportunity. But that would be my advice for anybody else as well. Like you can't take a backwards step, step in your career. You can only go forward and you take everything as an opportunity and not as, not as a regret. So, yeah, probably be curious and take opportunities.

Speaker B: 20:36

Thanks so much, Leah. I think that's really, really good advice. Thank you very much for coming on the podcast. I'm sure that there will be a lot of listeners who can take away something from this and might even giving their, their children or friends the advice of, hey, there might be something that you can try out and go into a STEM career if they aren't already. So thank you very much for coming on the podcast and sharing your experience.

Speaker A: 21:00

No, you're very welcome. Thank you.