MEET JENNY BARCLAY, PHI'S COMMERCIAL MANAGER - EMEA

Jenny Barclay joined PHI Aviation earlier this year, based in the UK and taking on the role of Commercial Manager for our Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. She’s had an interesting and varied career in both the aviation and energy sectors.

Prior to joining PHI, Jenny was the Principal Consultant for aviation at Equinor (formerly Statoil) and before that, with CHC Helicopters. HomeBase spoke to her about her career to date and what she’s most looking forward to in her new role at PHI.

Tell us about your career journey to date. 

I joined the oil and gas industry in 1990, working for Occidental on the Piper Bravo project. I took the challenge of working offshore during the lengthy hook-up and commissioning phase. This was closely followed by other projects—Saltire, Scott and Dunbar—but having children put a stop to this and, after a short break, my onshore career started in earnest. In parallel, I studied part-time for a degree in International Marketing at Robert Gordon’s University in Aberdeen.

It can be a volatile industry but I’ve really enjoyed working with and for major energy and service companies. It’s full of characters and there’s never been a dull moment!

What’s it like being a woman in the oil and gas industry? 

Whilst it does remain a male-dominated industry, it has changed significantly over the years. When I started working offshore, on a vessel of 800 people, I was one of only two women. However, I only ever experienced respect from the workforce.

The profile of the industry looks much different these days with many more women in key management and leadership roles. There’s a big cultural shift throughout the industry which is great to see. The industry has come a long way.

What does your role at PHI involve? 

I’ve taken on the role of Commercial Manager but the remit of my role is quite wide-ranging as we’re building a new business unit within the bigger PHI group. Along with the small EMEA team, we’ll be looking to grow the business in what is a significantly large—and challenging— geographical area. In many ways, it feels like a ‘start-up’ and my first challenge was to find an office!

With the establishment of the new PHI headquarters in the United Kingdom, we have a greater presence in the market and are looking to expand our footprint. We’ve got a big job to do and it’s exciting to be involved.  

What made you consider a career at PHI? 

Quite simply, it was time for a change and a desire to return to the area of my career I loved the most—helicopters and finding solutions for customers.

The opportunity to be involved at the start in establishing the EMEA business unit drew me in. This, combined with the opportunity to work under the structure of a global organization with a significant market share, motivated me to apply.

What has been your career highlight to date? 

I’m really proud of some of the new business wins and retention of contracts I’ve been involved with, in very competitive environments.  

More recently, I’m grateful to have been involved in the energy industry’s response to the COVID pandemic. It was a hugely challenging time for everyone and through collaboration, the industry—with support from OEUK—kept going despite many travel restrictions and worldwide lockdowns.

What are you looking forward to?

In a nutshell, helping develop our region and working with a fantastic PHI team. Focus will be on developing relationships internally and across our customer base, finding solutions that match expectations. There’s a vast amount of potential opportunities across the EMEA region and I’m excited as to what comes next.