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The APPEA Journal The APPEA Journal Society
Journal of Australian Energy Producers
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Non peer reviewed)

Building an innovation culture and digital skills

Shelley Kalms
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Woodside Energy, 11 Mount Street, Perth, WA 6000, Australia. Email: Shelley.Kalms@woodside.com.au

The APPEA Journal 60(2) 459-460 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ19229
Accepted: 10 April 2020   Published: 15 May 2020

Abstract

Woodside is a leading natural gas producer in Australia, operating 6% of the global supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG). From the first LNG plant in the Southern Hemisphere to the largest not-normally-crewed offshore platform, innovation is part of the company’s DNA. Now, Woodside is leading the industry’s digital transformation through an approach of ‘think big, prototype small and scale fast’ that puts people and company strategy firmly at the centre. This paper focuses on the importance of building trust and investing in people to establish a culture where digital transformation initiatives are adopted and can endure.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, company culture, digital transformation.

Shelley Kalms has held the position of Chief Digital Officer at Woodside Energy since 2018, where she oversees Woodside’s digital transformation journey. Shelley took up this appointment after nearly a decade with Woodside in various leadership roles in logistics and data science. Prior to joining Woodside, Shelley held several senior business improvement, operations and commercial roles across the chemical, food and beverage, and energy retail sectors. Shelley grew up in rural Victoria, Australia, and holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. With a background in process engineering, Shelley’s motivation throughout her career has been process improvement: not just solving the symptoms of a problem, but also working with people to improve the underlying systems, processes and workflows. Shelley is also passionate about building STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) awareness, interest and skills in children during their early years.