Meet the Team: Neil Thurston | OWC Oxford
At OWC, our teams are constantly expanding, into more locations, in expertise and in sectors of influence, so that our people can truly drive safety and sustainability across our energy and oceans.
Our people are at the heart of what we do, and we invite you to get to know our team members so you can meet the energy behind change.
This week, we speak to Neil Thurston – a geospatial lead based in our Oxford office.
Position: Geospatial Lead
Office: OWC Oxford, United Kingdom
Hobbies: Rugby, Football, Hill Walking, Travel, and Reading
Favourite Book: Hard to pin down this to one book but am a big fan of historical fiction – Conn Iggulden, S.J. Parris, Bernard Cornwell, Ben Kane, and Rory Clements would be a good top 5 author list for anyone needing some recommendations.
What does your day-to-day look like at OWC?
Since joining OWC in June, I have been involved in a variety of activities, including work on geospatial projects in the UK, Australia and Portugal; contributing to BD/proposals activities in projects in Europe, USA and APAC; supporting our wider GIS user base; and working to develop new geospatial procedures and templates for wider use across the company.
This final element includes a new teams site “OWC Geospatial” which has a current membership of over 80 staff.
What inspired you to join the industry?
My inspiration to become a geospatial (GIS) professional began through my BSc Geography studies and then re-enforced through my PhD focused on geospatial landslide hazard zonation. The skills ultimately supported by early geospatial career in marine/coastal civil engineering with Halcrow, and subsequent geospatial career with Entec, Amec Foster Wheeler, Wood, WSP and now OWC.
Can you tell us about something exciting you are working on right now?
I am currently working on a major geospatial (GIS) constraint study to help identify the most suitable sites for new offshore wind developments in Portugal. The project involves working with colleagues from a variety of backgrounds and our work is helping to refine geospatial methods/models which we can readily adopt for similar studies in the future.
What does the future look like in energy and oceans in the United Kingdom?
I personally think that the future for renewable energy in the UK is very positive, and reinforced by recent announcements by the new labour government to work with private sector to double onshore wind, triple solar power, and quadruple offshore wind by 2030. I look forward to our involvement in these developments and similar growth in renewable energy around the globe.
What do you enjoy most about working as part of OWC Oxford?
Since joining the company, I have been visited the London, Oxford, Norfolk (Coltishall) and Exeter office and have been extremely impressed by how welcoming everyone has been. I also particular enjoyed the recent UK geoscience team building event in Norfolk – a great event which helped build connections across the company.