We took some time out with Gillian Gray, Principal Marine Specialist based in HydroSurv’s Canada offices, to find out more about how she sees her role in the business, what she enjoys most about it and what else interests her outside of work.
Gillian Gray (credit Jim Davie)
Question: Can you describe your role at HydroSurv in just three words?
Gillian: Evaluate; Innovate; Deliver!
Question: What’s the most exciting thing that you have worked on so far?
Gillian: What I find exciting is that we are working in a new space within the maritime industry. Uncrewed and autonomous vessels are developing at a phenomenal pace and we are working in parallel with the regulatory authorities in figuring out what the risk factors are and how to manage them.
Question: What do you most enjoy about being a part of the HydroSurv team?
Gillian: Each of the team brings their own specialities, skills and knowledge so when we work collaboratively there are always things that I can learn from them. I work remotely from the main team so it is a highlight for me when we get on a call together and the ideas bounce back and forth.
Question: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Gillian: I was quite determined as a child that I would be an architect who designs buildings! Despite being around boats all through my childhood and knowing from a young age that I wanted to design, it hadn’t occurred to me that wherever a product existed that meant somebody had the job to design it. I was lucky enough to visit Strathclyde University while I was making my career choices and saw the work of Naval Architects – I have never looked back.
Question: What values are most important to you, both in your working life and personally?
Gillian: At the core of my working life is my professional integrity, and this is something I will always try to protect by being thorough and reliable. It is also important to me to approach each task with an open mind, to listen to our clients and my colleagues and to offer pragmatic and clear solutions.
From a personal point of view I also enjoy being an advocate for careers in STEM and being an example of a person making their way in a STEM career. The range of roles in STEM is mind-boggling and in my experience they can offer fantastic opportunities to work in different places, flexibility and great job satisfaction.
Question: What are the most important issues of the day that our work can solve?
Gillian: I spend a lot of my spare time on the water and in the natural environment and the protection of these spaces and their ecosystems is important to me. If I can align my work with
ethically sound projects then that is all the more satisfying, and it is an opportunity that can be realised with USVs.