Female engineers leading change at ExxonMobil site

At the ExxonMobil Fife Ethylene Plant (FEP) in Mossmorran, chemical engineers Susannah Storey, Sarah Polspoel, and Hannah Simpson hold senior leadership roles, overseeing key operations while advocating for a more inclusive and diverse future in engineering.

Susannah Storey, FEP’s safety, security, health and environment manager, leads a team responsible for the safety and compliance of around 500 employees and contractors.

Ms Storey said: "I didn’t come from a family of engineers – in fact, most of my family worked in law or accounting.

"Choosing engineering felt like a bit of a rebellion.

"But I loved that I had to work harder at it, and with that there was more personal satisfaction.

"My advice is to not be bound by what you see around you, but feel empowered to break the mould and explore opportunities that you didn’t realise were out there."

Ms Storey, along with Ms Polspoel and Ms Simpson, is helping redefine leadership in a traditionally male-dominated field, while encouraging the next generation to do the same.

Ms Simpson, the first female business team leader at FEP, manages a department of more than 60 technicians.

Ms Simpson said: "You have to advocate for yourself.

"Make it clear where you want to go, and don’t wait to be asked.

"I’ve moved from technical roles into strategic leadership, and I’ve been vocal about where my strengths lie and what my ambitions are."

Ms Polspoel began her career at ExxonMobil as an engineer before moving into senior product roles in Brussels, eventually returning to manufacturing.

She now leads a team of more than 90 people as process manager.

All three acknowledge that while progress has been made, engineering remains a male-dominated sector.

Ms Polspoel said: "The chemical industry is still very male-dominated, with only around 25 per cent of those entering engineering being women, which is consistent with the overall number of women entering engineering.

"That said, we are seeing improvements in female leadership.

"It’s something we can actively track year on year to understand where we are improving.

"We do this because we believe a diversity of thoughts and styles results in the best decisions."

She also highlighted some of the challenges women continue to face in the industry.

Ms Polspoel said: "Alpha behaviour can still be present in the workplace; however, it’s important to stay yourself and stand firm.

"There have been times where I’ve had to work harder to be heard as I had a different style to the majority in the room – however, persistency ensured I got the outcome I wanted.

"Fortunately, I’ve also had the support of brilliant mentors who helped me grow, and I now strive to do the same for others."

Ms Simpson believes cultural change is key to progress.

Ms Simpson said: "We’re actively trying to improve recruitment and open the door to a more diverse network.

"Real allyship is about speaking up, even when inequality doesn’t affect you directly."

Ms Storey added that supporting women in the workplace is a conscious effort.

She said: "I am very deliberate in supporting females to succeed in their roles through coaching and challenging biases that exist in the workplace."