Gary Howorth BSc Electronic Engineering, 1982

Business Consultant, marketer, strategist, financial/economic analyst

What was your first job?
Control Engineer - BP Exploration.

My career has changed a number of times. I've been an engineer, a commercial analyst, model builder, a trading and risk management specialist and a financial analyst.

What is your current role?
Business Consultant, marketer, strategist, financial/economic analyst.

What are your main responsibilities and duties in your current job?
I’m founder of my own company Energy Redefined.

What has been your favourite job since graduation?
I've enjoyed them all and have changed when I stopped enjoying them. I guess my first job with BP Exploration for 10 years was my favourite, although I’ve had many different types of job within this organization and have made some very important friends during this period. Interestingly I joined BP to travel the World but did this in two of my later jobs.

What have been some of the key moments in your career?
It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut, but I've been lucky to have many opportunities to try different things. The key is to have the guts to try them. At 40 years of age and with others telling me it was a big mistake I left the UK to start a new career in the USA, where I remained for 10 years before returning to the UK.

There have been several turning points in my career, in 1982 I joined BP, then in 1992 I left BP and joined Arthur Andersen and travelled the world as well as taking on management responsibilities. In 2000 I left Arthur Andersen and joined PA Consulting, relocating to the USA and gaining skills in Trading and Risk management. I joined a small consultancy called PFC energy in Washington DC in 2003 and founded my own company in 2009 in the USA. In 2011 I moved back to the UK.

Do you have any regrets?
No. You shouldn't have regrets about any of your decisions. My career has changed a number of times. I've been an engineer, a commercial analyst, model builder, a trading and risk management specialist and a financial analyst.

What are you most proud of?
Innovative designs and Products – many! But finally having my own business was the start of a lifelong dream.

What advice would you give to current and prospective students who desire a similar career to yours?
Do something you enjoy. You may be working for 50 years! I like the subject (Electronics) plus my father had an electronics business.

How did your education prepare you for your future career?
The skills I learnt were required for my first job, but I also use the mathematics I learnt to great effect in modelling financial markets.

What are your future career aspirations?
I hope to grow my business and develop cutting edge techniques for the clean tech and renewable industries.