Contributing to the biggest story of the 21st century: Brandon’s story
As a senior strategy specialist in e-mobility, Brandon's job is to develop new strategies for future mobility, keeping track of the the rapid developing electrification markets
Having grown up in North Carolina in the US, Brandon made the trip across the pond driven by his desire to study archaeology in England. But as he looked beyond graduation, he realised that, whilst the past is important to him, he wanted to do something that impacted the world of the future. “Workwise, I love ambiguity, challenging things and working on new exciting projects. I’m attracted to being a part of ‘the next big thing’ and this has defined my career choices, and the projects I work on. This is all underpinned by a genuine desire to make the world a better place”, he reflects.
After spending a few years at Jaguar Land Rover in a graduate role, working on shared mobility and autonomy, he moved to bp in 2020 where is now a senior strategy specialist in e-mobility within bp’s group strategy team, having recently transitioned from an electrification-focussed role within the customers & products (C&P) business. His job is to develop new strategies for future mobility, keeping track of the rapidly developing electrification markets.
Supporting and defining the energy narrative
Brandon’s role is incredibly varied. From one day to the next he’s looking at competition, EV parc development, new technology, policy and anything else that could influence the growth of the business or bp’s role. “I use these insights to both evaluate our current strategies and explore new possibilities. It’s a good position to be in as it means I’m very involved in everything the team is working on”, he explains.
In recent months, Brandon has worked on projects to expand the growing ultra-fast charging network in Germany and to develop a key strategic partnership with the VW Group installing charge points across Europe. It’s an extremely fulfilling role as Brandon believes that the transition to net zero is the biggest story of the 21st century and will change everything around how we produce and distribute our energy. He says,
As a result, he feels that working for bp is giving him the opportunity to play an active role in supporting and helping define this transition – “In 20 years’ time the world will be very different, and I’ll be able to look back knowing that I contributed in a small way.”
A huge opportunity to bring new voices to the table
With bp now striving towards a low carbon future, Brandon views a career in the company as a huge opportunity for people to join an employer that’s serious about finding solutions and ways to decarbonize. And as bp continues its transition to becoming an integrated energy company, Brandon feels that diversity will be critical in enabling this. Brandon says,
Ultimately, Brandon’s advice to anyone starting out is to “find what’s exciting and what will make the biggest change in the world. It doesn’t need to be the change of now but the change in 5-10 years because that’s where the opportunity will be”.