Kelly Smith: Leadership, sustainability, and progress in energy
At 36, Kelly Smith is helping shape progress in one of the most complex areas of the energy sector: environmental and decommissioning. As Group Head of Environmental and Decommissioning at ASCO, she balances strategy, compliance, and performance with time on site, supporting both sustainability and business growth across operations.
In this blog, Kelly shares how a university placement sparked her career, what change really looks like offshore, and why backing yourself, finding support, and seeing representation in leadership can make all the difference.
Q: What does your role at ASCO involve, and what keeps it interesting?
A: As Group Head of Environmental and Decommissioning at ASCO, my role covers a bit of everything: strategic direction, compliance, performance, and getting out to sites across our operations. I love the variety, and I love the people. No day is the same, except, perhaps, the inevitable Teams meetings!
Q: How did you get into energy, and what’s changed since you started?
A: My career started with a university placement at an oilfield chemical company. That turned into my first job and set the direction from there.
Now, 11 years in, I’ve seen real change, particularly around inclusion and the make-up of the workforce. Offshore especially has moved on. In the early days offshore, some rigs didn’t even have toilets for women. That’s changed, thankfully!
It’s not just about policies. It’s about the reality of who a workplace is built for, and making sure that reality keeps improving.
Q: What barriers did you face, and what helped you push through them?
A: Being a woman in energy hasn’t always been easy. I didn’t have anyone in leadership I could aspire to. That made it harder to picture myself at the top.
But you keep moving. And often you only fully recognise the barriers once you’re beyond them.
Support made a big difference too. My former boss, Chris, backed me from day one. He asked what I wanted from my career and I told him I wanted his job. And here I am.
I’ve also gained a lot from the AXIS mentoring network. Having an external perspective really helps you grow and think bigger.
Q: What advice would you give to women thinking about the energy sector, and how do you balance it all?
A: My advice is simple: Back yourself. Take the opportunities given to you and make the ones that aren’t. The energy transition brings huge opportunity, and diverse thinking strengthens leadership. We need more women coming into the sector and staying in it.
As for balance, it’s perspective. Not everything has to be done today. And having an 8-year-old at home definitely helps shift my focus after work, especially when he insists I game with him!
Q: What’s been your proudest moment so far?
A: Getting this job. It’s what I worked for from day one. And who knows, maybe I’ll go even further.
As we mark International Women’s Day, Kelly’s story is a reminder of how representation changes industries, and why diverse leadership matters for the future of energy.