Training to enable people on the frontlines of energy transition
A scientist by training but driven by a passion for working with people, Clarris transformed her career to work with Shell and further the legacy of her parents and others in her community. She shares her journey of growing as a human resource professional at Shell and finding fulfilment in enabling the business to contribute to the energy transition.
Gifted with an academic bent of mind, Clarris graduated in biotechnology and went on to become a scientist after securing a Master's in molecular medicine from Imperial College, London. While running experiments in laboratories, she realised it was not a career path she wanted to pursue for the rest of her life. “It was a lonely and isolated profession with few people to interact with and little guidance,” she says. She took a break and went on a pursuit to find her passion. Starting with working as a fitness trainer for two and a half years and then interning with a boutique consulting company where her responsibilities often centred around employee engagement and human resources. It's when Clarris realised that she felt fulfilled when she interacted with people and added value to their lives.
In 2019, Clarris applied for the role of Shell Student Graduate HR and her choice of company came as no surprise to anyone around her. Clarris spent her formative years in Miri, a once sleepy village that came into prominence in 1910 when Shell discovered its inaugural upstream energy site, laying the foundation of Malaysia’s thriving energy sector. Given that her parents had affiliations with the company, it was only natural for Clarris to apply to Shell. Reflecting on this, she remarks, “I have seen Shell transform Miri from a small town to a flourishing city. The economy of the city has grown significantly with the presence of SMEP (Shell Malaysia Exploration & Production). Shell is a part of my community.” Clarris promptly chose Shell as she knew that she had picked the right opportunity to continuously grow her transferable skills, while transitioning from a scientist to a human resources professional. This decision was rooted in Shell’s commitment to fostering an environment of formal and informal learning and development, by leveraging the extensive expertise within their organisation, particularly through in-role development.
Today, Clarris works as an international mobility policy consultant at Shell, ensuring the policies for employees travelling or posted in various businesses have their best interests at heart and enable them to grow, learn and do their best. And that is no mean feat with nearly 93,000 employees spread over 70 countries, who are together developing energy solutions for today and tomorrow.
While closely observing Shell’s efforts in achieving its net-zero emission goal, diversifying its portfolio and developing energy solutions of the future, Clarris has found a purpose to align with her passion for collaborative work. “To ensure success, it is important to deploy the right people, at the right time to the right project,” she says. “But that’s just one part of the job,” she points out. Staying ahead requires attracting talent with new skills and working closely with existing colleagues, thereby offering them avenues to help them grow, so they can feel motivated to effectively contribute towards developing solutions for the energy transition, she explains.
To affect this change, Clarris leans on her academic training that drives her to research, work with data, get a deeper understanding of Shell’s energy transition strategy and use her analytical skills to back the plans in the future. To be more effective, Clarris has helped pioneer the Malaysian chapter of Future Energy Leaders, a group that organises talks and sessions to explore sustainability within Shell and new energy from around the world. While to some this group may be an outside-of-work activity, to Clarris it is closely linked to her day job. “Understanding what is happening in the larger sustainability space can really help us drive our policies, anticipate changes and proactively participate in it,” she says. “To me, thinking differently is thinking beyond your daily tasks.” helped with pioneering the Malaysian chapter of Future Energy Leaders.
One would never guess, hearing Clarris speak about global policies, that she started her career in HR a little over four years back. “At the time of joining, I didn’t know anything. I had no foundation,” she stresses and credits the culture and people at Shell for her growth. The first team she worked with, she says, contributed a great deal to her learning and are her closest friends to date.
Working with experienced people across multiple businesses and countries over the years has reinforced her belief that people at Shell really care and go out of their way to help their colleagues learn and grow. “People ask for your opinion; ensure you have a voice in a room and are always willing to share their knowledge. If I need to learn a policy that I don’t understand, for example, people will sit and explain things to me like I am five,” she says. “The culture is designed to give you the opportunities and the time to learn and progress. You just must ask.”
Still relatively new to the sector, Clarris wants to spend the next few years growing her skills by learning various facets of HR. She also intends to continue leveraging the opportunities she receives at Shell to stay updated on energy transition efforts around the world, so she can contribute to the future of energy and enable her colleagues to also play their part.