Image: Shahir Chundra, CCA 4.0, Underground mining team, Wikimedia.
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Shannah Craig
Shannah is currently working as a Turnover Deputy and Automation Lead with Bechtel, a global engineering, construction and project management company, in the United States. She has been working in the engineering and construction industry for 11 years. Originally from North Queensland, she started her career in the Bowen Basin, subsequently working projects in Queensland and Western Australia before being given an opportunity to live and work in the USA. Shannah arrived in Pennsylvania in February of 2019 and recently relocated to the Gulf of Mexico in Texas.
Shannah has a thirst for knowledge and throughout her career has taken each new opportunity that presented itself, which has broadened her experience and allowed her to obtain a wide range of skills. She believes that having the courage to stand up for what is right and to not compromise her integrity, just in order to ‘get it done’, has been both a strength and a point of tension at times. Shannah gains a great amount of personal satisfaction from learning new skills and achieving her goals and has been working in a supervisory role for the past 6 years. Working on mega projects in the Oil & Gas industry has provided her with a unique ability to quickly adapt to changing environments and industry requirements.
Shannah continues to participate in building women up and growing awareness of women in STEM roles by participating in projects such as the planning and execution of events for the ‘Women in Bechtel’ initiative. This initiative invites both men and women to events with a focus on appreciating the effort and work that women put in. Her contributions have included participating in International Women’s Day events and speeches that she hopes have encouraged up and coming women to stand strong and continue pushing forwards.
Shannah has a thirst for knowledge and throughout her career has taken each new opportunity that presented itself, which has broadened her experience and allowed her to obtain a wide range of skills. She believes that having the courage to stand up for what is right and to not compromise her integrity, just in order to ‘get it done’, has been both a strength and a point of tension at times. Shannah gains a great amount of personal satisfaction from learning new skills and achieving her goals and has been working in a supervisory role for the past 6 years. Working on mega projects in the Oil & Gas industry has provided her with a unique ability to quickly adapt to changing environments and industry requirements.
Shannah continues to participate in building women up and growing awareness of women in STEM roles by participating in projects such as the planning and execution of events for the ‘Women in Bechtel’ initiative. This initiative invites both men and women to events with a focus on appreciating the effort and work that women put in. Her contributions have included participating in International Women’s Day events and speeches that she hopes have encouraged up and coming women to stand strong and continue pushing forwards.
Note: This is the full length interview.
Career Pathway
STEPS (CQUniversity)
Bowen Basin: Entry level employee
Curtis Island, Gladstone
Western Australia
Bachelor of Business Administration (Swinburne Online; current study)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Gulf of Mexico, Texas, USA
Additional Training & Awards:
STEPS (CQUniversity)
Bowen Basin: Entry level employee
- Data Entry Clerk
- Database Administrator
- Punchlist and Turnover Coordinator
- Project Close-out Coordinator
Curtis Island, Gladstone
- Data analysis - Design Specification
- Hydro and Pneumatic Test Boundary and Isolation Coordinator
- Preservation and Maintenance Inspector
Western Australia
- Lead Completions Coordinator
- Implementation Coordinator
- Preservation and Maintenance program
- EEHA program
- Coating and Fireproofing program
- Handover to client
Bachelor of Business Administration (Swinburne Online; current study)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Turnover Automation Lead
- Turnover Deputy and Automation Lead (continued)
- Innovation Lead
- Startup and Commissioning Completions Lead
- Project Close-out Coordinator
Gulf of Mexico, Texas, USA
- Turnover Deputy and Automation Lead
Additional Training & Awards:
- Mentor programs (mentor and mentee)
- Mental Health ‘first aid’
- Internal and external communication (focus on unconscious bias)
- Data Analytics
- Cyber Security
- Manager Development Path Training
- Won Bechtel annual award for ‘Innovation’:
- Remote inspections utilising drone technology.
- Remote client and quality walkdowns trialing new technologies.