“I truly enjoy working in an environment where I am challenged and supported, but most of all knowing I have a purpose in this organisation through the work I undertake and through the results I deliver.” – Ivory Veley, Environment and Regulatory Specialist, BHP.

Meet Ivory Veley, based in our Houston, Texas office. Ivory is an Environment and Regulatory Specialist on the Petroleum HSE team. Ivory is responsible for the accuracy of Petroleum environment data that is reported to the Group and used to produce the Sustainability Report and Water Report. This involves collaborating with Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Business Partners, other data-reporting specialists and the Environment and Regulatory team.

Safety, a number one priority on BHP’s Charter and her parents (both in the oil and gas industry) inspired Ivory to join the company seven and a half years ago. Supporting the Gulf of Mexico team at the start of her career with BHP, Ivory quickly experienced the deeply rooted safety culture that extends from the men and women offshore to those providing office support.

In her seven and a half years with BHP, she has held various roles. In each role, Ivory has been able to see how the work she accomplished each day contributed to the Business. She has had the opportunity to work with diverse teams and gain exposure to development opportunities, none of which would have been possible without the support of the managers she has had throughout her career.

One of Ivory’s big achievement at BHP was, as part of our Water Stewardship Strategy, BHP’s adoption of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) reporting guidelines, to improve our management of water, increase transparency and contribute to the resolution of shared water challenges. Ivory stresses that without the input and teamwork of everyone involved, she would not have been able to complete this project on time. These efforts also contributed to the inaugural Water Report that highlights our water stewardship efforts and which reflects the importance of water to society and to the sustainability of our business.

In the time that she has been with BHP, Ivory has seen a positive shift in our culture, which is a vital component of our strategy. Of all the roles she has had, formal and informal, she is most proud of being selected to join the Petroleum Culture team (PCT). The focus of the PCT is to build a culture within Petroleum that will empower each of us to perform, grow, and thrive in a respectful and inclusive environment, while progressing our inclusion and diversity priorities and elevating our people’s health and wellness. Working with the team, Ivory saw inclusion positively impact our ways of working – from fathers working flexibly to attend their child’s first day at school to women working remotely.

Similarly, when Ivory was diagnosed with insomnia in 2017, she began working flexibly to accommodate her situation. The outcome of this was that increased productivity and a high level of trust was built within the team as a result of having a flexible work schedule. Accommodations such as adding WebEx to meetings, trusting her assigned tasks were completed even though she did not have a visible presence in the office. Ivory found a sense of purpose and value. She felt understood, supported and included. 

Ivory is indeed a testament to working with purpose, not only in her work but also individually and we applaud her for that.