An Aberdeen-based student has been crowned the youngest ever winner of a prestigious global energy competition in Paris.
Thomas Abraham, (22), who has relocated from India to complete a Masters in Oil and Gas Engineering at Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen, was part of the winning team at the World Gas Conference’s Youth Event held in Paris last month.
Established three years ago as part of the World Gas Conference, the Youth Event is designed to attract young talent to the industry and includes a series of sessions and workshops to help participants forge their own network across the supply chain and equip them with the skills needed to reach the top of their chosen careers.
150 young professionals from around the world were selected and sponsored for the Youth Event by energy companies. They were put into teams which competed against each other throughout the event, culminating in the final four groups presenting their project to the conference which were then judged by the audience.
Thomas was part of the winning ‘Blue Team’ which delivered an inspiring and engaging presentation on the ‘response of the youth to the energy transition’ which included a lively video using the hashtag #growupwithoilandgas.
Thomas, who was sponsored by energy giants Total and Engie (formally GDF Suez), said: “The whole experience was absolutely fantastic. It was a great opportunity to get an insight of the industry and make contact with some of its biggest players.
“The Youth Event was extremely challenging as I was competing with 150 young professionals from around the world. Presenting and executing a seminar in front of all of the exhibitors and delegates as well as competing against the finalists was intense but it was an invaluable experience and I took away a lot of new skills.
“I was honoured to be named as the youngest ever participant to win the competition and would like to thank my sponsors as without them I wouldn’t have been able to take part. I have no doubt that the experience will open doors for my future career.”
The World Gas Conference takes place every three years and is the largest and most prestigious conference in the global gas industry calendar attended by thousands of leading energy companies and key decision makers.
Now in its 26th year, the World Gas Conference 2015, which took place from June 1 to June 5, was attended by more than 4,000 delegates from 100 countries and featured presentations from around 500 speakers who discussed current and future industry developments.