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13 December 2022
Nicola has great passion for the environment, oceans and all the animals which call them their home. Now, working in an industry that interacts with marine mammals on a daily basis, Nicola is glad that she is generating some real change for a cause she cares about.
Nicola explains that her journey into the offshore industry was an accidental one: “I kind of fell into this industry, really. I was always an environmentalist at heart and loved marine mammals but as a young graduate marine biologist most people told me to get a job in an Aquarium or zoo,” she jokes, “but later I was introduced to a friend who was working offshore and was introduced to a career where I could travel the world and get paid to look for marine mammals every day – and I thought it sounded perfect.” Initially for her, it was going to be a brief position, but the industry stuck with her: “I realized the value of being in an industry where real change could be made from within.”
Nicola is now working for Seiche Marine Acoustic Solutions, a company that provides technology solutions for the Marine and Energy industry to navigate increasingly demanding regulations surrounding protection and reinvigoration of our oceans.
“Seiche is a scientific acoustic term – I don’t think anyone thought it to be a household name we would have to spell!” she adds with a smile. Nicola has been working for the company for 5 years now and has nothing but praise for the work they have been doing: “I have been working with Seiche since 2017. Seiche is a phenomenal company when it comes to underwater acoustics and technology. We’ve got some incredible minds – engineers and scientists – developing these incredible instruments that allow us to measure underwater noise in all kinds of environments so we can understand more about our oceans. We are always keen to engage in new conversations, developing new technologies and novel ways to do things. We are always trying to be better at what we do.”
Atlas Professionals has been striving to apply the same motto by providing the right solutions for the right Clients at the right time – and has been supporting Seiche with their constant need for highly capable personnel, providing tailored business solutions in a sustainable and reliable manner such as sourcing Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) Operators and Marine Mammal Observers (MMO).
Sounds of the Future
Seiche has been working with different stakeholders in the industry to ensure their solutions are as widely available as possible: “A company like Seiche will always be in the forefront of exciting developments within the industry as we are dealing with new and constantly evolving technologies. The sheer number of industries, locations and clients we work with keeps you on your toes – Seiche is never a boring place to be,” Nicola shares.
As the world becomes increasingly aware of the challenges surrounding our environment, the demand for sustainable practices have increased – and Nicola seems to agree with that: “The world has certainly experienced tangible change when it comes to protecting our oceans and seas. Back when I first started my career, these precautions that are in place were more of a bureaucratic hurdle than something all parties actually wanted to implement – now there are a lot of regulations and genuine interest in protecting marine life and integrity of our oceans.”
These changes and requirements have ensured Seiche to adapt and overcome new developments quickly and efficiently: “We are constantly keeping track of new regulations and scientific developments surrounding the oceans to craft tailored solutions for our clients to ensure they can keep up with regulations. With Seiche, it is an end-to-end process.”
Progress Across the Board
As a different yet somehow similar topic, the conversation steers into another area where tangible progress have occurred: Diversity and gender equality in the offshore industry.
As a woman who has been in the industry for a quite long time, Nicola shares how she thinks the industry is going through a wave of change: “I was accustomed to being the only women on any given vessel. I remember that one time where we were four ladies onboard and we thought how amazing and unbelievable it was. Nowadays, there are more and more women joining the industry – for example, more than half of our higher management here at Seiche are women and I am very proud of that. The industry still has a long way to go in gender equality, particularly in supporting all parents with parental leave and work life balance but it is good to see progress in the right direction.”
In accordance with the progress that has been visible in many aspects of the industry for some time, Nicola is hopeful about the future: “It has been exciting to see the rise of offshore renewable energy and it will be fascinating to see how it impacts marine mammals. Before it was all about circumventing the issue, at present it is ensuring no damage is done and in the future it will be about recovery and bolstering efforts – there are now studies dealing with how offshore wind facilities are and could be acting as marine sanctuaries. We are enhancing our knowledge and appreciation of marine life.”
As for her future? “I struggle to think about what will happen in the very next hour – let alone my future years. I’ve always said I would stay whilst I was still learning, and in this industry every day is a school day,” Nicola concludes.
