Case Studies

Julie Taylor – Capex Director
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"I love the fact that engineering is practical whilst also very team and people orientated."

What is your role at Venator? 

I’m Venator’s Capex (Capital Expenditure) Director. That means that I am responsible for ensuring that the many engineering projects needed to keep our manufacturing sites operating safely are delivered by the site project teams in the most efficient way possible so that we do not exceed the overall budget that the business has allocated to Capex projects.  

Why did you decide to become an engineer? 

I have always wanted to do something in the science or engineering field and was inspired by a fantastic work experience placement that I had at an oil processing and blending plant in Manchester whilst studying for my A-Levels. I was encouraged by my parents to do something that would hopefully always provide employment and be able to travel if I wanted to (my dad is an engineer). That’s why I completed a Chemical engineering degree.  Not many women were on my course, but that didn’t deter me – I have always liked to be different and not follow the crowd! 

What do you love most about engineering? 

I love the fact that engineering is practical whilst also very team and people orientated. Plus, you are often changing something for the better, so you feel like you have made a difference, which is important to me.  It also has so many career choices in so many different industrial fields – you can either stay in pure engineering and progress your career that way, or you can start to specialise, for example into Process Safety Engineering, or you can use the skills to move into something related but a bit different like Project Management or Business Transformation, which is what I did.

How has Venator helped you in your career as an engineer? 

I had worked in many different industries before joining Venator, including nuclear, oil and gas, and pharmaceutical, but working in the TiO2 business was new to me and so it was a great learning curve to understand the processes we use and some of the unique challenges that we face on the plants that drive the need for Capex projects. I learned things like that high temperatures and the very acidic nature of the processes means that the equipment we use needs more frequent repair and replacement than normal, which then informs and drives the sort of projects that we need to deliver to make sure that we can keep the plants safely operating.    

What advice would you give to people looking to start a career in engineering? 

There are lots of different options regarding engineering, such as working in engineering design or working on a site on a manufacturing plant. There are also lots of different disciplines such as chemical engineering, mechanical, electrical, civil etc.  Try and talk to people about it, or better still get some work experience like I did, and research before deciding.  Also consider apprenticeships as a way of getting into engineering – doing an engineering degree isn’t for everyone; lots of people prefer the more generic and practical skillset that an apprenticeship can give you.

How can engineers change the world? 

A fact that is often quoted is “engineers save more lives than doctors”.
Engineers find innovative solutions, they help to design and build the world that we live in, and they make sure that the things we use are safe. In fact, pretty much everything we rely on in our day-to-day lives has some engineering input: roads, bridges, buildings, pharmaceutical drugs, clothes, food… you name it, and it will have an engineering element to it that ensures that it is designed and constructed in a way that keeps people safe. So that’s why engineers are said to save more lives than doctors! Imagine if we didn’t have trained professional engineers building the bridge that you were about to drive over - would you feel safe to use it? I don’t think so. 

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

I guess that I must have enjoyed my time in engineering and said something right about it as my younger brother followed me into it and became a chemical engineer! He hasn’t diversified like me – he has stayed as a specialist Process Engineer and, instead of joining a company as a staff employee like I did, he has stayed as a contractor and moved from contract to contract over the years. Good engineers are always in demand. His flexibility has allowed him to balance a rewarding and challenging engineering career with his love of travelling the world, surfing and snowboarding.

 
Rachel Jagger – Process Safety Specialist
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Engineering is always something new and it is never boring.

What is your role at Venator? 

I am a Process Safety Specialist – my role is all around understanding what risks we have on our sites, and what barriers we have in place to protect us against those risks.
 

Why did you decide to become an engineer? 

I was inspired by my physics teacher when completing A-Levels – I wanted to do maths and she mentioned chemical engineering to me. I didn’t know what that was, and there was a huge shortage of women engineers, so I went on courses specifically for women in engineering and loved it. I was always good at maths and physics, so it naturally fitted with my skills. 

What do you love most about engineering? 

The diversity of my role – I can be doing something different every day of the week. Engineering is always something new and it is never boring. 

How has Venator helped you in your career as an engineer? 

I have been at Venator for seven years and I do like that the company allows us within our roles to explore new ideas and try something different. I enjoy the flexibility here as well – you can work with different sites and people and build new soft skills, all while learning about different cultures. 

What advice would you give to people looking to start a career in engineering? 

Do it! My kids are all going to be engineers, and what I have advised them is don’t worry about what you want to do specifically. The skills you learn from your university degree or apprenticeship will take you anywhere. Engineering is such a flexible career, and you can do almost anything with it to make it something you love. This is really important because you are invested in your career for a long time. 

How can engineers change the world? 

Any way they like; that’s the beauty of engineering. You look at things from a different angle, think about how to change things and understand what the problem is in the first place. The flexibility of engineering means that you can be a chemical engineer and then go into sustainability. To me, it isn’t just how we apply our engineering, it’s about how we transfer our passion for it and help others have that passion, too. 

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

We have been doing work experience at UK sites at Venator this year which has helped to inspire the next generation. Even if engineering ends up not being for them, they have always learned something. I think work experience helps students understand better the diversity of engineering – it’s important to know that labels don’t mean you will do something forever. 
 
Bertrand Defoort – Finance Director
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Wherever you go in the organization, you can engage with people who show a genuine interest in what they are doing and they are passionate.

My role at Venator

I’m the Finance Business Director for titanium dioxide pigments, functional additives and the water treatment business.

Why I chose to work at Venator

A friend of mine told me about an opportunity to be Reporting Manager in a manufacturing plant in the north of France. I knew that the position was a great fit with my skillset. I visited the plant during the recruitment process and I basically found a fantastic product and also people passionate about what they were doing.

What makes Venator different

The main activity for Venator is the production and sale of titanium dioxide. This is our core business, and this activity is quite cyclical so that means you need to adapt permanently to make sure that you can catch the right opportunities and also address the challenges. I think that the way we do that is by focusing our efforts on delivering, on performance, on our Blue Chips and we do that by introducing a lot of innovation and teamwork. Wherever you go in the organization, you can engage with people who show a genuine interest in what they are doing, and they are passionate. If you are curious and if you work hard, people in the organization are keen to create space for you to develop in your role.

Jo Douglas-Harris – Product Development Scientist
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I was looking for a company in the North East that were doing exciting, innovative work where I could really use my science and engineering knowledge.

My role at Venator

I’m a Product Development Scientist based at the Innovation Centre in Wynyard.

Why I chose to work at Venator

I was looking for a company in the North East that were doing exciting, innovative work where I could really use my science and engineering knowledge. One of my favorite things about working here is that I’ve only been here about a year but I’m already leading teams. I’m only able to do that because of the time that the experts here have spent with me to make sure that I understand everything about the business.

What I’m proud of at Venator

I’m really proud that at Venator I’m able to continue to do STEM outreach work as part of my job. That involves talking to schools about exciting careers in STEM, whether it’s at science fairs or bringing them into Venator itself to see where we work.

Simon Hildred – ICON Technical Engineer
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My development as a mechanical engineer has increased vastly.

My role at Venator

My role is Technical Engineer. I’m based at Greatham in the UK and I’m responsible for reliability of plant.

What I like about working at Venator

From an engineering point of view, I find the challenges that the plant and the complex process brings really interesting. It’s like an engineer’s playground there are that many different aspects to the role and to the plant itself. My development as a mechanical engineer has increased vastly.

Brigida Cappellari – Source to Pay Manager
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We have English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Finnish people working in the same environment, which I think adds value.

My role at Venator

My current role is Source to Pay Manager. My team oversees processing and paying of supplier invoices.

Why I chose to work at Venator

I wanted to work for a big, global, multinational company. They needed people with different skills from different countries, so we both found each other, it was a kind of destiny.

What I’m proud of at Venator

I’m proud of being part of the big family that Venator is. We have English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Finnish people working in the same environment which I think adds value, not just from a professional point of view but also a personal point of view.