Nicola joined Spirit Energy in 2018 as Executive VP and General Counsel – with responsibility for legal and commercial activities; including Board governance, compliance, acquisitions and divestments, and joint venture management.

Prior to this, Nicola was Director, Legal, Commercial & External Relations at Maersk Oil. She headed-up the UK team preparing for independence from the A.P. Møller Maersk Group, ahead of the purchase of Maersk Oil by Total SA, and led the merger and integration of Total and Maersk in the UK.

Nicola has an MA in Politics, an MSc, a Law degree and a Master of Commercial Laws. A Fellow of the Institute of Directors and member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators, she has held several non-executive roles, as well as authoring a number of publications – the most recent of which focuses on the concept of unitisation in oil and gas, and its operation within the UK Continental Shelf.

 

DIFFERENT PEOPLE, DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES, DIFFERENT VIEWS

 

I’ve had the benefit of working across different sectors, developing my experience in Legal and Commercial roles - both of which are integral to strategic business delivery. There is a lot of value in understanding a business from the perspective of different disciplines and that’s one of the reasons I am so passionate about creating diverse teams. I strongly believe that they find the best solutions, improve decision-making and drive better outcomes.

 

UNLOCKING VALUE

 

My role is about keeping the business on course, while being open to the possibilities afforded by exploring new ways of working. It is part-custodian, part-strategist and part-innovator.

I grew up in the Scottish Highlands and, consequently, I love the outdoors and enjoy hiking, surfing and snowsports. There are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between sports and business, in that you only get better by pushing the limits, never assuming you’ve hit your peak, and by being courageous and willing to try new things.