“You can do everything else you need to do as a women – have a family, have kids and still do very, very well in the industry.”
Julya Bonkat made her transition into the oil and gas industry after studying to become a computer engineer.
The 34-year-old has always had an interest in maths and physics and she wants to see more women with the same passion consider science-based careers.
She works as a production engineer for Statoil with geologists, geophysicists and reservoir engineers to ensure production on the Mariner field can be met.
Her first job was with Schlumberger, where she was trained as a field engineer.
Ambitious and determined to hone her skills, Julya then went on to study an MSc in petroleum engineering.
Julya said: “Schlumberger was my introduction to the oil and gas industry, but then I had a desire to have a bigger picture and that’s what led me to want to join an operator.
“I was drawn towards it because I love maths and physics and the engineering-like courses.
“Most women think it’s hard and it’s difficult and it’s just something a man can do.”
But for Julya, who has worked her way up the industry career ladder, she has a much different perspective.
Her work with companies like Statoil has shown her that for every opportunity available to her male peers, a woman has the same ability, talent and support from the industry to fulfil those same roles.
Julya sat down with Energy Voice, to discuss her time at Statoil, what it’s like being a woman in the industry and how she feels about working on one the North Sea’s most exciting projects to date – the Mariner discovery.
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