Karen Purnell

"The job of a Technical Adviser at ITOPF is one of ‘campaigning’ to promote effective response to accidental spills of oil and chemicals in the marine environment. Our work is to constantly strive to raise awareness of the fate and effects of oil and chemicals in the marine environment and to take measures to prepare in case an accident should occur. We must also campaign to make our many shipowners aware of the work we do on their behalf (because we are a small non-for-profit organisation having about 30,000+ shipowner members) and we must campaign to convince government authorities worldwide of our objectivity as scientists.It is important to also be an influencer because we must be able to influence government authorities, shipowners and insurers to take measures to protect the marine environment and reduce damage caused by accidental spills of oil and chemicals. This influence must be levied in different cultures, in languages I cannot speak, and in different ‘walks of society’, from fishermen to senior government authorities.I am now a manager in both behaviour and title. This is a role I enjoy as it gives me the freedom to implement my vision for the company and to guide the team along a pathway to achieve our full potential. The responsibility of management is great, and I get greatest job satisfaction when I see others develop their skills, push their boundaries and grow. I believe that my personality types match where I am today but not where I started. I lacked confidence and belief in myself as a young woman and student. I constantly pushed at my own boundaries, grew in confidence and realised that I could do more. As a result, I’ve changed in that I strongly believe in the environmental value of the work I do; I love the shipping community and can’t imagine a better job for a chemistry graduate than working in the marine environment in such a stimulating industry. "

"I was a Technical Adviser at the start of my career. My job was to be available 24/7 to travel anywhere in the world to assist local people to try to minimise environmental and economic damage caused by an accidental spill of oil or chemicals from a ship. I would have at most, a day’s notice, but more often just a few hours’ notice before needing to board a plane to go to the country affected. I’d have a suitcase packed with everything I needed except clothes for the country. Sometimes, I wouldn’t even know exactly where I was going until I got to the airport and collected my tickets. It was exciting work, sometimes daunting, but never boring.I progressed through the ranks to Senior Technical Adviser and then Technical Team Manager (responsible for the Americas region). I have seen some amazing places and experienced some memorable occasions, such as sitting with Korean fisherwomen in their tents by the seashore in Busan; riding on the waves to see an isolated colony of Southern Fur Seals in Uruguay and speaking with the Captain on board his ship in the dead of night after the ship had grounded in a cyclone in India. I have needed an understanding husband, having disrupted our plans many times, missed birthdays, Christmases – even having to exchange gifts in Heathrow airport on one occasion! The job is undoubtedly difficult. I must go into a country, as a foreigner, and win the trust of those in charge of the response. This is often against a backdrop of panic, because oil has spilt and local people don’t know how to respond, or blame, because they are looking to blame someone and often this is the shipowner. I need to work hard to convince them of my objectivity as a scientist and, hence, win their trust. The most enjoyable part of the job is when I have achieved this and I am working together with the local people. In short, the lows are about as low as they can get but the highs are as high as they can get – this is what keeps the job so interesting!"

"I confess to developing my interest in Chemistry as a result of having a crush on my Chemistry teacher at the tender age of 13! However, after studying hard to do well in his subject, I actually found I really enjoyed the subject. I left school at 16 to become a Laboratory Technician at the department of Biochemistry at Bath University where I studied for an ONC in Biology. I changed jobs to become an analyst at Commonwealth Smelting in Avonmouth and studied for an HNC in Chemistry at Bristol Polytechnic. However, my grasp of maths was not strong, and I was failing in the subject. I took the decision to go back to my earlier college in Ashley Down and take an ONC in Chemistry. Two years later, I re-joined the HNC course at Bristol Polytechnic and moved to Bristol University as a Laboratory Technician in the Chemistry Department.I then decided to study for a Chemistry degree and enrolled with the Royal Society of Chemistry and did my degree with them. I developed an interest in doing a PhD and applied to move to the research department. However, my boss at the time said, ‘I’d never make it’. This gave me greater determination than ever to show him that he was wrong. I then took the decision to leave my job to become a full-time student at Bristol Polytechnic and study for my PhD. I chose to do my studies in Chemical Physics. It took me 9 months to write up my thesis on a part-time basis, but it was the best decision I have ever made as it has subsequently opened up so many opportunities. Whilst finishing my thesis, I was offered a job as a researcher for a small start-up company (Bradtec Limited) in the nuclear industry. My job was to develop methods to decontaminate land, water and even reindeer milk after the Chernobyl incident. Regrettably, after 4 years, the company was struggling to survive, and I left to move to London to join ITOPF. I recently celebrated my 25th Anniversary with ITOPF!"

"I keep and breed Welsummer chickens! We also keep quail and I grow our own fruit and vegetables. We live about 2 hour’s commute from my office (which can be tiring at times), but it means that we have a slice of ‘The Good Life’ within commuting distance of London. Cleaning out chicken poo helps to keep me sane when dealing with the stresses of a 24/7 job. When I have time, I also enjoy walking in Cornwall and visiting gardens around the UK. "

"I am usually using my commuting time to read reports or to organise my day. Once in the office, I will walk around to say ‘hello’ to the team and chat to those who have been out of the office ‘on mission’. This might be missions where a member of staff has been working with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to help train developing countries on preparedness and response to oil spills from ships, or it might be that they have just returned from attending an oil or chemical spill anywhere in the world and working with local communities to reduce the environmental or economic damages that could arise from the incident. I then work with my Personal Assistant to organise my day, attend meetings and respond to e-mails. Meetings I attend could be with other managers to ensure the company is running efficiently, it could be with insurers or shipowners concerning specific incidents, it could also be related to the company administration and governance; such as pensions, finance or the office building. Often, I am asked to give presentations or speeches to organisations or conferences that are interested in the work of ITOPF. In which case I spend part of my day preparing my own presentations or writing articles for publication. I am also invited to several receptions and dinners in the evening, some of which are ‘black tie’, which are good events for networking and often include a nice dinner and entertainment. It is a busy life but interesting and each day is different. "

"ONC/BTEC – Biology (Brunel Technical College, Bristol – Day Release StudentONC/BTEC – Chemistry (Brunel Technical College, Bristol) – Day Release StudentHNC/HTEC – Chemistry (Bristol Polytechnic) – Day Release StudentGraduate of the Royal Society of Chemistry Degree (Bristol Polytechnic)- Now University of the West of England (UWE)) – Day Release StudentPhD – Chemical Physics (Bristol Polytechnic (UWE)) – full-time student"