Alumni profile: Helen Adair

Bachelor of Chemical Engineering / Bachelor of Arts (graduated April 1999)
Employer: URS Corporation
Position: Senior Climate Change / Sustainability Consultant

On graduating from Monash, I worked with Esso in Melbourne for 4 years. The first 3 years I worked as a platform surveillance engineer for Bass Strait oil platforms, sharing time between the Melbourne office and offshore. I then spent a year working at Esso's Longford Gas Plant as a project engineer, where I was project managing multimillion dollar construction projects.

In 2003 I moved to the UK and worked with UOP Technology for 8 months, doing technical chemical engineering and process modelling. I then joined URS Corporation as a consultant in their Sustainable Solutions Team based in London. I work primarily in climate change, which involves a whole array of activities from working with multinational companies to estimate, manage and report their greenhouse gas emissions, to advising companies on the implication of climate change policies and legislation, and working with companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and climate change risks.

In addition, I've also been working in broader sustainability, including corporate assurance work as part of non-financial reporting. My job has allowed me to travel significantly in the UK and Europe, with highlights including numerous work trips to Italy, as well as recent visits to Egypt and Turkey.

Having a chemical engineering background has really helped in gaining some great experience in different parts of the world, and has allowed me to move into climate change and sustainability.