Origin Energy Career Renewal Program - Employee Stories

Amber Fennell

I’ve worked in the energy industry for as long as I can remember. I joined Origin nine years ago because I was excited about the career opportunities that such a diverse company could offer. During my time here, that’s what I’ve valued the most. I’ve worked in three different parts of Origin and each time I’ve been ready for my next challenge, senior leaders have supported me and helped me take the leap.

Last year, I was promoted to General Manager and not long afterwards I fell pregnant with my second child. It was a tricky time – I was elated to be extending my family but had also taken on more responsibility and was excited about where my career was heading. Leadership supported me and as an organisation, Origin had the policies and tools in place that enabled me to balance home and work.

The energy industry is a great place to be – and at Origin, you can have your cake and eat it too! A rewarding career and the flexibility you need to get the balance right between work and home.

April Anfruns

I joined Origin in 2014, pivoting from my career in HSE with a major mining and resources company to take on a technical role supporting Integrated Gas’ Drilling and Completions team. What immediately struck me about Origin (and why I’m still here) is that the people are amazing, and I’ve always felt fully supported to take on new career opportunities while maintaining the flexibility I need to balance work and home. I love variety and breadth, and over the last nine years at Origin I’ve been able to take up roles in engineering and operations, systems implementation, business performance and strategy, digital, and now as a Specialist Consultant in our People and Culture Diversity and Inclusion team.

Since joining Origin I’ve bought a house (which of course has an Origin solar system with a generous employee discount and feed-in tariff!), got married and started a family, welcoming our daughter Astrid in 2019. Origin’s Parental Leave Policy and Flexible Working Arrangements meant my family and I were fully supported to manage the transition into my new life as a working mum. I genuinely feel that Astrid has a place in my working life, and hybrid working supports that balance. This photo is a fond memory and perfect illustration of that support – Astrid and I doing a reservoir modelling course during my Parental Leave keep in touch days!

Lily Robertson & Kelsey Bradley

Tell us about you and your role at Origin.

Kelsey: I am the Co-Head of Careers working in a job share arrangement with Lily. I’ve been with Origin for eight years working in People & Culture throughout that time (including two year-long parental leave stints for both of my sons).

Lily: I am the other half of the Head of Careers and I’ve worked at Origin for 10 years – but have come and gone a couple of times to explore working as a consultant and another time I left to have my daughter. I’ve always come back to Origin because of the many growth opportunities, including my recent role. I also love the people.

What’s it like leading Career@Origin as a job share pair?

Kelsey: It’s brilliant. We each bring a different skill set, style, and perspective which I think helps us make faster and better decisions. We put a concerted effort into being aligned – both for the sake of the team and the work. We do this through daily voice memo handovers, which we find more efficient and effective than email. As a part-time working parent, it also means non-working days can be spent focussed on my home life.

Lily: It’s awesome and in many ways makes me better at my job because I have someone to challenge my thinking, which makes for much better outcomes. We bounce ideas around and we have an honest and open way of communicating. Job sharing also gave us the opportunity to take on more responsibility than if we were operating as part time individuals.

Keziah Alimpulos

Kez is a proud Yidinji/Ngadjon woman on her grandfather’s side, and Kalkadoon/Wakka Wakka woman on her grandmothers’ side as well as a proud Filipina through her father. Kez is leading the way for her family and setting an example she hopes will inspire other young First Nations peoples. She continuously acknowledges her grandparents and ancestors who have paved the path for her to show up today and acknowledges their ongoing strength and resilience. 

Kez appreciates that she can bring her whole self to work each day.

“I love that I am able to embrace and celebrate my culture with all of my colleagues at Origin. The culturally safe and inclusive culture is what makes Origin a great a place to work,” Kez says. She truly believes in the quote “You can’t be what you can’t see”.

Kez hopes what she’s achieving will give other First Nations peoples the courage to push ahead on their career journey and she’s happy to be a role model for future generations.

“I’m thankful I am able to bring a different perspective to the table to create a culturally safe workplace and to be involved with the work Origin is doing to support First Nations peoples and communities.”

And we’re grateful to have you at Origin, Kez.

Michelle Heenan

Over the past six years at Origin I have worn a lot of hats, professionally and personally. Being environmentally conscious and sustainable for future generations has always been important to me and recently I have moved into a role as a Business Analyst in the Origin Zero side of the organisation. It’s taking me further away from my degree in Aerospace engineering but closer to my passion.

At the start of 2021, two months before our wedding and three months before moving interstate I fell pregnant with my first, Florence. We were elated, but also anxious about what this would mean for my job as being 25, not many of my friends had experienced this major life change. Origin and my team were nothing but supportive and not once did I feel like this limited me in terms of the work I could achieve or the professional goals I had set.

Now, four months away from heading back to maternity leave, I feel confident there will always be support from Origin throughout the pregnancy, birth and return phase. If I need to attend an appointment, be there for my daughter or am just getting through the days with two under two, I know the flexibility, open communication and understanding will always be there.

Sheree Gordon

Two years ago, I returned to work after a year-long break and 15 years at Telstra. It was more difficult than I anticipated and being out of the workforce can certainly erode confidence in your own abilities. But I am glad to have joined a company such as Origin which supported me through the transition.

I had the good fortune of hybrid working arrangements for many years prior to Covid. But I was concerned whether this would be possible in other companies. Origin, like so many others, has transitioned very well to hybrid and remote working, with regular communications , toolkits, IT applications and health and wellbeing seminars to support remote working. We target two days in the office – a balance I find perfect for reconnecting with a broader stakeholder group who I would otherwise never get the chance to speak to. Those cliched ‘photocopier chats’ provide valuable insights into what is going on across the entire business and a chance to build your network.

Origin has also ticked the box in terms of progressing my career. Shortly, I will be taking a secondment position as Group Manager HSE. Even though this is a business function I have limited experience in, Origin has been supportive of providing this opportunity for my personal growth.

Laurence Ledrut

I joined Origin in 2013 as a commissioning engineer working on the Australia Pacific LNG project and have enjoyed being part of a company with great career diversity and progression. I became a first-time mother in 2016 to a beautiful son, and thanks to Origin’s policies, I was able to balance my caring responsibilities alongside a very exciting and demanding career as a lead process engineer for Gas Assets Operations.

I came back after eight months of maternity leave into a promoted role, managing a team of 10 employees. I would not have been able to return to work with a young child at home and continue my rewarding career without the support of Origin and my managers. Since then, I have continued to grow and now hold a process safety manager role. I work remotely and ensure the same flexible working options are accessible to my team, as I believe my team members perform best when they can find the right balance between work and personal life.