SCOTTISH lingerie tycoon Michelle Mone told an event in Aberdeen yesterday that age did not matter for success.
Ms Mone was speaking to 150 young professionals at Oil and Gas UK’s next-generation conference.
The event at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre was held to help the industry learn what motivated its young professionals: often referred to as Generation Y.
Ms Mone is the founder and co-owner of Glasgow-based MJM International and the creator of Ultimo, a leading designer lingerie brand.
She said: “There are opportunities and pitfalls in perceiving the world in a different way to those that went before us. We all face hurdles at different stages in our career; the importance is never to give up.
“I strongly believe that age doesn’t matter for success. If you have ideas, passion and drive you can get to the top very quickly.
“You don’t have to be 40 or 50 to lead a business.
“There is no doubt that the young professionals in this room today are the future of this industry. To make it to the top, however, you need to work smart and reflect each day on what you want to achieve and where you stand in your career.”
Yvonne Scott, a graduate contract engineer with Technip UK, told the audience about the four key principles firms need to adopt to fulfil the aspirations of Generation Y: flexibility, communication, challenge and opportunity.
She said: “The motivators of flexibility, communication, challenge and opportunity are not just my personal aspirations but are shared widely among my generation. Flexibility in particular is important, offering a good work-life balance, opportunity for travel and personal development and working from home or remotely.
“Challenge and opportunity are very important motivators as well. Generation Y will leave a job if they do not feel that there are prospects for them and it is equally important that they have examples and mentors to illustrate how success can be achieved.
“I have heard that our generation . . . is lazy, unrealistic and demands to be coaxed and supervised in all they do, however, I argue that this is unfair and untrue. It is true that attitudes among young people in the oil and gas industry have changed.
“We do not accept a work culture of ‘keep your heads down and get on with it’.
“As generations develop and emerge, I feel that industry should be willing to change to accommodate this.”