IN THE SPOTLIGHT
HANNAH LEADS THE WAY IN THE WORLD OF DATA SCIENCE
When OP Hannah Crompton ( 00-11 ) was announced as the winner of ‘ Next Generation Leader of the Year ’ at the UK Women in IT Awards earlier this year , we thought it was about time we caught up with her to find out a little more about her career journey to date and how she has excelled as a Data Scientist with bp .
Tell us more about your current job and what is involved ? I ’ m currently a Data Scientist in bp ’ s Digital Technology Centre of Excellence . My role focusses on gaining insights from data through the use of programming , statistics and machine learning . Examples include building forecasts , automatically detecting anomalies , and developing applications to enable greater business insights to support decision making . Because every part of bp uses data , the projects I work on have been incredibly diverse . I ’ ve most recently been leading the development of an intelligent fuel supply planning app initially piloted in reaction to the UK Fuel Crisis in late 2021 .
In addition to being a Data Scientist , I am the Reverse Digital Mentor to bp ’ s Chairman & Company Secretary which has been a unique opportunity to learn from and challenge the thinking of the leadership of one of the biggest companies in the world . I also established and lead bp ’ s Foundational Data & Analytics Community , a 2000-plus member community aiming to build digital capability across the whole company .
What drives you in your role ? I believe that innovation is the only way we can support the world ’ s current energy demands whilst also inventing the energy system of the future . I like problem solving and as a data scientist , I can ’ t think of a more exciting challenge to be working on .
I ’ m passionate about digital enablement so supporting people on their data science journey through building and leading the company ’ s Foundational Data and Analytics Community has been hugely rewarding .
Finally , you learn something new every single day . Every project has its own challenges , and data science as a technical discipline is constantly evolving so you never stop learning .
How did you become a data scientist ? Did you know this is what you wanted to do when you were at school ? Data Science is not what I thought I wanted to do when I was at school . At A-level I studied Maths , Chemistry , Geography and Physics and went on to study Geological Sciences at Leeds University - it was the best combination of all four subjects alongside having the opportunity to get hands on with fieldwork . During my undergraduate studies , I developed an interest in the energy sector so I went on to study a Master ’ s degree in Petroleum Geoscience at Manchester University . After graduating , I worked for an international energy consultancy where I provided technical and commercial advisory to governments in the Middle East and Africa . I learnt very quickly that a key part of my role was solving data problems . This was where I found my passion for data science . After three years developing my data science skills and building industry knowledge whilst living and working in Ras Al Khaimah , UAE , I joined bp as a data scientist . The experiences and learnings from the different roles and places I ’ ve worked have made me a more wellrounded scientist and problem solver .
How did the ‘ Next Generation Leader of the Year ’ award come about and how did it feel to win ? I was nominated for the award by my Senior Vice President at bp . Now in their eighth year , the UK wide awards recognise and celebrate women , allies and organisations across the UK for their outstanding contribution to the technology industry . The Next
Generation Leader of the Year is awarded to a nominee under the age of 30 who has progressed rapidly through their career and demonstrated business value and innovation using technology .
I was absolutely delighted to have won ‘ Next Generation Leader of the Year 2022 ’. It was such an inspiring evening and I felt so lucky to have been shortlisted alongside such incredibly talented women from some of the best tech companies in the world .
What skills do you need to become a good leader and can / how do you develop them ? I firmly believe that you never stop learning as a leader but there were a few key steps I took to start to build my leadership skills . At School I had the opportunity to lead the CCF and was a prefect which were both hugely valuable learning experiences . While studying at Leeds University , I was a member of the University Air Squadron ( UAS ) which was the most incredible place to build leadership skills , play sports and learn to fly at the weekends ! Through the UAS , I completed a Leadership Diploma with the Institute of Leadership and Management .
A few key principles I have learnt so far are : ( 1 ) be ready to ‘ fail fast ’, pivoting the plan quickly if it ’ s not working ( 2 ) make sure every voice in the room can be heard , ( 3 ) work with a really good mentor you can lean on , ( 4 ) learn from leaders you think do it well , ( 5 ) always have empathy , ( 6 ) embrace radical candour ( covered in Kim Scott ’ s incredible book , ‘ Radical Candour ’), ( 7 ) consistently and actively seek feedback .
Data science along with other careers in STEM are perceived to be very male dominated . Why should more women consider data science as a career ? Data Science is an incredible field to work in ; it provides you with a tool kit to solve some of
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