IDT Graduates at Shell tell their stories
Making an impact and gaining great experiences. Isn't that what all starters want? In this series, five young IDT graduates at Shell share why they chose to work for Shell. Breathing the air of the graduate programme and the common language within IT, this page is in English only.
Rather read in Dutch? Lees de verhalen van negen Young Shell'ers in het Nederlands.
The IDT Graduates at Shell who share their stories here have various backgrounds and diverse current roles within the company. Click on their name to jump to the story of each of them, or scroll down to read them all.
Lilly Simmons, IT Advisor
How did you land at Shell?
"My journey into IT at Shell is driven by my diverse background and a passion for driving positive change, especially around sustainability and the energy transition. Having pursued a Bachelor's in Psychology and a Master's in Management and Business Administration, a career in IT would not seem to be the obvious choice at first. But after working in a commercial role at a software company before joining Shell, I developed a newfound interest in IT. Coupled with a passion for Sustainability and the Energy Transition, I decided to apply to the IDT track of Shell's Graduate Program for a Business IT related role."
What kind of work do you do?
"Currently, I work as an IT Advisor for Renewable Energy Solutions, a role that allows me to combine my background in psychology and business with my passion for IT and the energy transition. I am involved in the development and execution of strategies for global standardization and optimization of customer-facing operations. This includes shaping the global strategy of a project, creating replicability strategies, and developing value propositions for various technical products. Part of my role is also being a Business Analyst for European markets, for which I collaborate with business stakeholders and technical teams, to ensure successful delivery of the SaaS solutions to help manage and grow the customer base and ultimately commercialise Shell's Renewables Businesses."
What makes Shell special?
"My experience so far at Shell has exceeded my expectations! Over the past year, I've gained new skills through my diverse job, endless learning opportunities, and by meeting new people from all around the company. Shell's diverse mixing pot of people within IT give the company the fresh perspective to drive innovation and sustainable transform making it an exiting place to work. Next to my role as an IT Advisor, I am a Campus Ambassador. As such I organize social and learning events and meet other starting IDT professionals, senior leaders, and people that are interested in Shell."
Rein Smid, Cyber Defence
How did you land at Shell?
"I started working for Shell in February 2022 with Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam in Pernis as my job location. Working on digitalization as an enabler for the energy transition was my main motivation to apply for the Graduate Programme at Shell and I got the chance to do so straight away"
What kind of work do you do?
"What keeps me motivated to work at Shell is the range of opportunities in the company. There is always a degree of freedom to shape your career as you want to, both within or outside your day-to-day job. Both roles have challenged me in different ways and I learned a lot from them. I would have never imagined that I would be protecting critical infrastructure of the Netherlands and contribute to Shell’s health and safety objectives only two years after I graduated."
What makes Shell special?
"Shell gives me the opportunithy to develop myself beyond my role. For example, the company is supporting me to be come part of the Netherlands Army reserves, where I can adopt a different set of skills."
Annika Reis, IT Advisor
How did you land at Shell?
"I joined Shell as a Graduate in Information Technology in February 2023. I do have a Marketing background but have always been interested in data & analytics and advisory, which I can combine nicely in my current role as IT Advisor. My first rotation as part of Shell’s graduate program is within 50/50 shared Exxon-Shell joint venture Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij, or NAM. The NAM produces gas from 145 locations in the Netherlands, both onshore and offshore."
What kind of work do you do?
"In my role, I closely collaborate with the business and central Shell teams to deliver day to day value with the aim to create fully augmented production plants. For example, in my team we use sensors to monitor hand valve positioning, pressure, or temperature, which transmit data to a cloud. The data is then transformed with analytical tools to provide new data insights. By doing so, we drive operational efficiency, increase reliability of plants, and enable proactive maintenance. Our IT team is also responsible for the safety of production plants, making sure software and hardware are up to date, to prevent threat actors from getting access. Cyber security is more important than ever, and in my current role I help spread awareness on the topic, by organizing and hosting cyber security events and activities at various of our locations. You may think that by working in a traditional gas business, I don’t contribute to the energy transition, but I do. At Shell, we have a lot of data. And 1 Terabyte of data roughly emits 3 grams of CO2 per day. So, keeping track of deletion and migration of data that is no longer useful contributes substantially to reducing carbon emissions, especially at large scales. I built a dashboard which reflects real-time changes and helps us to move quicker through deletion progresses, decreasing emission from data."
What makes Shell special?
" What I enjoy most about Shell is the variety of opportunities it offers for professional and personal growth. It's an excellent place to develop new skills and learn. I also learn a lot from my colleagues, and value their openness and enthusiasm. No matter whom you approach, everyone is always willing to connect, support, and help. Shell also has a lot of great employee networks. For example, I am active in Shell’s Women Empowered network, powering diversity, equity, and inclusion. At the beginning of this year, I organized and facilitated a panel discussion on equity, which left participants inspired and motivated to seek actions. It's wonderful to see that we not only connect over work-related matters, but also on a deeper level."
Hemanth Kumar, Product Analyst, Supply Chain Contracts & Procurement (SCCP)
What kind of work do you do?
"As an IDT (Information, Digital, and Technology) graduate working at Shell, I get to be part of a dynamic and innovative team that plays a crucial role in driving the company’s digital transformation and supporting its energy transition goals. My experience as a mentor for the Summer of AI internship in Netherlands paved away the opportunity to focus on my commitment to nurturing talent and fostering innovation in young talent. In my first graduate assignment, I worked on the Digital Twin project, which highlights the importance of communication in my role. Digital Twin technology enables the creation of virtual replicas of physical assets, allowing for real-time monitoring, analysis, and optimization. Effective communication is essential in ensuring that stakeholders understand the benefits and potential of this technology, as well as its impact on Shell’s operations and sustainability efforts. My current grad assignment is within the team of Information Technology Supply Chain Contracts & Procurement. I assess on justful digital initiatives across Shell's SCCP domain as a DIY coach, through levers that are carefully considered and developed for efficient and resilient supply chain performance.
You are also a Campus Ambassador. What does this mean?
"As a campus ambassador lead, I actively engage with universities, building strong relationships and promoting Shell’s values and initiatives while also enjoy co-creating artifacts with my peer ambassadors on their initiatives. This involvement allows me to stay connected with the academic community, understand emerging trends, and identify potential collaborations and partnerships."
What makes Shell special?
In Shell, I have access to a wealth of resources, training, and development opportunities to enhance your skills and knowledge. This enables me to grow both personally and professionally. Overall, my role as an IDT graduate in Shell offers a unique and exciting opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects, collaborate with talented individuals, and contribute to the global energy transition."
Roos Martens, AI Engineer
What work do you do?
"As an AI engineer at Shell, I am part of a dynamic, international team that is not only driving efficiency in our existing businesses, but also pioneering in the next generation of clean energy technology. We leverage AI to optimize processes, making them more efficient and less resource-intensive. This not only improves the quality of our products and services, but also paves the way for a sustainable future. Once an idea is ignited, we ensure its automation and scale it up into a valuable and usable product for the business. Since the world of AI is an ever-growing business, my team and I learn new things every day, and we are right in the middle of innovation, working with cutting-edge technology. I am hopeful that in my role at Shell I can contribute to reducing our environmental footprint. Besides learning new technical skills, I am gaining insights into the energy transition every day."
How is it to be part of the Shell Graduate Program?
"Being part of the Shell Graduate Program, I have the opportunity to receive comprehensive training, both in technical and soft skills. This program has also introduced me to a diverse community of graduates, with whom I engage in various social and professional events. These events bring a big social aspect to our regular work that I enjoy very much. Beyond my day-to-day responsibilities, I am involved in organizing various events, and I take an active role in building the network between TU Delft and Shell as a Campus Ambassador. We organize on/off campus events and maintain a strong connection with students."
What makes Shell special?
"In the past, I had not envisioned myself working at Shell – however now I believe this is where you should be if you want to make a difference in the energy transition. Ultimately, I hope that we as a company can continue to learn, grow, and become an energy transition leader."
