Meet the Team: Megan, Operations Manager

In our latest staff profile, we catch up with our Bristol-based Operations Manager, Megan Wright.

Initially joining the team as HSE Manager in 2019, Megan has been pivotal in developing and maintaining Rovco’s outstanding health and safety track record and has been key in shaping the company’s recent success.

We learn more about Megan’s career to date and her experience at Rovco, covering everything from the most rewarding aspects of her job to her passion for crocheting!

Tell us a bit about your yourself, your background and how you arrived at Rovco?

Originally from Bristol, I am the Operations Manager for Rovco. When I left school, I studied Surveying and Mapping Science at university; to be honest, I ended up on this degree course by accident, and like many young people I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I graduated. However, the offshore companies would visit the university to recruit, and I was subsequently employed by Subsea 7 as a Hydrographic Surveyor.

After five years with Subsea 7, I switched to an onshore company, GEMS Survey, where I eventually headed-up the reporting team for a few years. Following that, I worked for GL Garrad Hasan (now DNV) in their wind energy business, where I remained for seven years; during my time there, I transitioned into HSE management – so at that point, my career had taken me from survey to reporting, to quality, to HSE.

When I saw the role at Rovco, it offered a mixture of everything I had done before and seemed like the perfect fit for my particular background. I was also on the lookout for something more operational, so I went along to Rovco for a chat about the role and I’ve been here ever since!

What are your main responsibilities at Rovco?

I initially joined Rovco as HSE Manager, at which stage the business was in the process of being awarded its ISO accreditation.  When I started, I continued and accelerated the development of that system, ensuring it was fit for purpose to support the operations and continued growth.

At the beginning of summer 2021, I moved across into my current role as Operations Manager. Generally, I look after everything following the contract award stage; working with my team of specialists, I ensure that the planning is in place, the operations work correctly and efficiently, and that this follows all the way through into the reporting and invoicing.

What do you enjoy the most about your role?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of my job is being able to work with such a diverse group of people, and having the chance to contribute towards the many different projects that Rovco gets involved in.

What is the most challenging aspect?

The most challenging aspect of my role is balancing all of the various requirements across the business with our external suppliers and customer base.

What is your proudest achievement since working here?

I am proud of Rovco’s health and safety performance, which is really strong. We have also built and maintained a very proactive, positive, and transparent health and safety culture.

Can you tell us one thing you have learned while working at Rovco?

I have learned that the individuals within Rovco have a vast wealth of knowledge and willingness to apply it – even when it’s not within their remit.

Since taking on the role of Operations Manager, I have also been a lot more immersed in vessel chartering management – I’ve very much enjoyed getting myself up to speed on that side of the business. That has been my biggest learning curve since switching jobs, as it’s not something that I’ve covered in any of my previous roles. It has been extremely interesting, and I’ve enjoyed working with the vessel owners.

What is changing about the company and has this presented any challenges?

Since I joined the business, Rovco has grown rapidly. This presents its own set of challenges, such as managing workloads, identifying new roles, getting the right headcount in at the right places, and balancing the speed at which we’re growing with the personnel numbers and competence to make that happen.

The Covid-19 pandemic has also significantly impacted how we work, with the working from home side of things. It has been a difficult time, but we’ve found that working from home is extremely successful for us and allows a really good work-life balance as well.

Is there anything in the pipeline for 2022 that you are particularly excited about?

We’re really looking forward to introducing more new technologies and services to our existing and new customer base, as well as improving our efficiencies in project delivery.

What is your favourite part about working at Rovco?

Our team gets along very well and we have fun at work. It’s a very welcoming company to work for; everyone wants to help each other out, and people go above and beyond to do so – especially when someone is new and needs to be brought up to speed. We are just generally a fun and friendly group of people!

Is there anything that you would want prospective clients to know?

We are always driving continual improvement and looking for ways to be better. We genuinely try very hard to be reactive to client requests and continue to enhance our services year-on-year.

In your own words, what would you say Rovco is trying to achieve as a company?

We are trying to lower the environmental impact of operations on windfarms, through employing technologies to remove vessels and people from offshore, as well as increasing consistency and efficiency through the use of AI and machine learning. We lower the impact by acquiring the datasets that we deliver, driving consistency, efficiency, clarity and reputability.

What do you get up to off duty?

I have two young kids, so don’t get much spare time in and around their activities! In the rare moments I do get time, I enjoy reading, crafting and I love to crochet – I have a long-term target to wear something handmade every day. I also play netball in a local social team.

Follow Megan on LinkedIn here