Overview

We are organising an industry insights talk to support recent and soon-to-graduate chemical engineering students as they prepare to transition into professional roles. The event will feature short career journey presentations (3–5 minutes) from invited speakers, followed by a panel discussion.

Speakers will share practical advice on securing graduate roles, navigating early career challenges, and provide perspective on opportunities and expectations across different sectors chemical engineering students go into after graduation.

This interactive session will give students valuable guidance on career development while broadening their awareness of the diverse pathways available for chemical engineering graduates.

Speakers

Sulaimon Abdullah, Assistant Manager, Deloitte UK

Sulaimon is an Assistant Manager in External Audit and Assurance at Deloitte UK, with over seven years’ experience spanning audit, financial reporting, and risk management across industries including oil & gas, telecommunications, consumer goods, and utilities. A Chartered Accountant, he has led high-value audit engagements for multinational clients, ensuring compliance with IFRS and global reporting standards, while coaching and mentoring audit teams. Sulaimon is also a seasoned facilitator, having trained over 1,000 ACA and ACCA students in financial reporting and auditing.

Alan McCulloch, Graduate Process Engineer, KBR Inc.

Alan graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2024 with an MEng in Chemical Engineering and has been applying his knowledge in solving problems. Outside of the office, he is a volunteer for IChemE's London and South East Coast Members Group where he is the Social Media Representative. 

Khanom Raseda, Environmental Engineering Graduate, Thames Water

Khanom's background is in chemical engineering and her dissertation was on designing a sustainable drinking water treatment plant. She explored her interest in sustainability further during her MSc in Nature Inspired Solutions at UCL, focusing on nature inspired innovations for traditional engineering problems.

Charley Game, Graduate Process Engineer, Plastic Energy

Charley completed her Master’s in Nature-Inspired Solutions at UCL, where her research focused on improving cooling systems for battery energy storage. Charley began her journey in Chemical Engineering at Swansea University, where she also completed a placement year at GSK. She is passionate about sustainable design and the role of innovation in transition to a circular economy.

Gavin Vicknarajah, Process Engineer, AtkinsRealis

Gavin holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Hull and a master's in Advanced Process Integration and Design from The University of Manchester. He began his career with an internship at the Institution of Chemical Engineers, contributing to the Learned Society team in Technical Knowledge and Policy for over a year. Gavin then spent nearly four years at Ameresco as an Engineer, where he led concept and FEED studies focused on decarbonising industrial utility systems. He is currently a Process Engineer at AtkinsRealis, working within the nuclear sector as part of a large team in Rolls-Royce SMR.

The material presented has not been peer-reviewed. Any opinions are the presenter’s own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE or the London & South East Young Member Group. The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE. Details you've provided may be passed on to the committee for venue access.

Time

18:00–19:30 GMT.