Thailand graduate career story: Naiyana
Graduate Naiyana discusses how the one-year bp Challenger Programme has helped her succeed in her career
How did the one-year Challenger programme help you succeed in your career?
I firmly believe that there are no shortcuts to success. I have been very fortunate to have had lots of opportunities during the Challenger Programme to maximize my potential and strengthen my skillset. I’ve worked on a number of important projects and assignments which required a wide range of knowledge from different areas.
The Challenger Programme really has given me fast-track exposure to a wide range of supply chain activities.
Have you always known how you wanted your career to develop?
I’m always looking to improve myself. From a career standpoint, you have to be honest with yourself and not just concentrate on your strengths but also where you need to develop.
Opportunities can come from out of the blue and I want to make sure that I’m as prepared as I can be to make the most of them.
What are the most significant development opportunities that you have experienced? Which role stands out as having contributed most to your personal growth?
For me, taking responsibility for new projects and / or important assignments is the best way to develop and learn. All of the projects that I’ve been involved with have helped me with my personal growth as they’re all learning experiences.
This has culminated in me being appointed to the project manager role of the Thailand Highlander Project, a position I’m extremely proud to have achieved. But – I’m still learning!
What are the leadership and technical skills that have contributed most to your success?
I’m pretty self-aware, so I think that’s helped a lot. I embrace chances to develop and don’t just rely on the areas I know I’m strong in. Follow through is something I believe is really important – when I commit to something, I commit! I want to see it through to the end and deliver the best result I can.
I’ve got a good grounding in communications, project management and systematic process management. I’m an analytical person and a strategic thinker which really helps.
But I think that having the mindset of “I can grow, I can learn more” is the key towards achieving your goals.
Which skills have you found most challenging to develop? How did you tackle these?
When I was asked to lead a team. I was actually younger than the people that were reporting to me. They had loads more experience in their fields than I did.
So I had to adapt, communicate effectively and show leadership. Honestly, the core bp values of “respect” and “one team” really came in to play here. These values have helped me and the team work together extremely well.
Is there a defining moment that has impacted your career?
I joined BP in the beginning of EFG 2019. There were a lot of changes globally and internally during the year which help me to broaden views and options in my career path.
Looking back, is there anything that you would have done differently?
Honestly, no. I feel I really did put 100% into everything I did – I didn’t want to have any regrets.
And I took things that didn’t work out the way I anticipated as my “lessons learned.”
How important has coaching/mentoring been in your career?
My coaches and mentors have really supported my development. They’ve helped me look at situations from different perspectives and advised on how identify the best plan / course of action.
What advice would you give to anyone who wants to develop their career in sales/HSSE/GSC/marketing/operations?
Step out of your comfort zone! Take every opportunity to learn and always go the extra mile.
How important has networking been in developing your career?
Very. Networking hasn’t just provided me the opportunities to expand my skillset through shared learning, exchanging best practice and so forth. It’s actually helped me build a support group where we can assist each other at any stage of our careers.