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Message: <blockquote data-quote="j.s.cox" data-source="post: 238189" data-attributes="member: 20454">Update: Changes at bp:One of the projects I have been working on is the H2 Teesside project that was part of the North East Cluster of renewable projects. It was a very cool thing to be working on and we were waiting for one final government decision for funding on 4th December. Unfortunately, on 1st December we were given the information that the company had decided to pull the project. I don't know the reasons why, but it was very disappointing and as soon as the announcement was made, we had to get to work on the terminations of several agreements. One thing I really hadn't been prepared for was the brutal reality of a project cancellation. It has affected the jobs of a lot of people who worked hard for months or even years on this project. The effects have even spilled into some other projects as well. It felt like a cruel blow just before Christmas and made me realise how fragile job security could be. It made me so glad to be working in private practice and to be slightly insulated from the effects. I didn't expect to be so upset at the loss of some people as we had only worked together for a few months, but in those months, I had watched them pour their heart and souls into the work they had done. It has certainly been a life lesson and has totally changed the dynamic of working in the office.The other big change is that the CEO has changed again. Murray left a bit abruptly in December and Carol has taken over as interim CEO. Everyone seems to be quite happy with her stepping in as she is trusted and well-respected. She will only be staying on until Meg, the new CEO, arrives in April. Until April, I think it is expected that business will continue as usual, but when Meg arrives, I think there are a lot of changes expected. There is definitely an anxiety within my team as we sit within the Low Carbon business which has had a widely publicised downsizing in the past-year. I do think there is a fear that a separate low carbon legal function may not even exist with the new CEO. I think that has also made the work environment a bit tense. Flu Season:Unfortunately, for most of December I was totally wiped out by the flu. I've never had it before and I was surprised by how weak it made me and how long it took me out for. During this period, I stayed at home partly from the fear of making anyone else unwell, and partly because I actually was incapable of leaving my bed. In hindsight, I think I probably should have taken time off work for illness, but there was a lot happening due to the H2 Teesside project being cancelled and the team needed all hands on deck. I think this is where there is a separation between team culture and individual motivation. I know that the team would have told me to take the time off if they had known how unwell I had been, but I also knew that they would have had to work a lot harder to get certain things done by the deadlines we had.  I couldn't even lift my head up for the first few days, so I was literally lying in bed with my laptop to get things done. As someone who is usually pretty good with rest and recovery, I do think I need to reflect on how I should deal with this in the future. It didn't do me any good and I wonder if that's why it took me the full month to recover. I just need to get over my own internal voice telling me that I am letting people down because everybody else is clearly and easily able to take time off when they don't feel well. Christmas Parties:December was also full of Christmas parties! The first one was a few days before I got hit with the flu for the Asset Finance team at NRF. I hadn't been able to go to the Summer party, so I was invited to this one in lieu. It was an absolutely phenomenal event as I realised it was a great opportunity to do some networking prior to qualification. I think I would be so happy to qualify into the Asset Finance team, so I am making a real effort to keep my connections with the team there and keep them updated with what I am doing. Hopefully, that will give me a better chance when it comes to qualification. It was also just a lovely event to be able to catch up with everybody. I saw one of my partner supervisors who is now retiring and it was such a joy to see his excitement at the future. I also caught up with the PSEs and current trainees. Unfortunately, I missed the Trainee, Apprentice and BLOGs Christmas social, as well as the Origin network Christmas social due to illness, but I figure that is something that I can always do again next year. Finally, I just about made it to the bp Christmas lunch and the NRF firm-wide Christmas party. I was just about up and about by that point, although still quite weak. The bp Christmas lunch was so much fun. It was just for a few of the legal teams at the company based in one of the offices, but the meal was delicious and our table won the quiz. It was also just great to be sat with the whole team I've been working with to catch up. The NRF Christmas party was pretty extravagant. It was held in the Londoner ballroom near Piccadilly Circus and was open to all of the staff (fee-earners and otherwise). This was a good chance to catch up with people, but it was also great because I met Farmida Bi (the chair of EMEA at NRF) who somehow remembered who I was from the Save the Children event I attended a few months ago! I also met some of the more senior people from the Asset Finance team at NRF who talked to me about where I wanted to qualify, so it ended up being a great networking event in terms of career progression. It was also nice to see people from my cohort. One thing I hadn't appreciated, is that these events are primarily a great networking opportunity beyond just a nice event put on for staff. I really tried to utilise that as well as simply enjoying myself. Traitors:This may not strictly be work-related, but everyone in my team at bp is obsessed with 'The Traitors' tv show. I've found that I've become a lot closer to everyone on the team, purely because we discuss each episode as if it were a very important work topic. Especially when the rest of the company feels like it is changing so significantly, this feels like a constant topic of conversation that can be safely discussed. I also feel like the more I get involved with these discussions, the more I am being trusted with some quite exciting work, but that could just be a coincidence. Anyway, I'm grateful for the social cohesion that this excellent show brings.Seat Selection:In the end, I ended up putting down the following seat choices:<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Singapore Project Finance;</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Singapore Asset Finance;</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">London Project Finance; and</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">London Transport Disputes.</li> </ol>On 22nd December, I received a call from the Early Careers Team to let me know that, unfortunately, I hadn’t been awarded any of my seat choices. Naturally, I was pretty gutted at first, but that feeling didn’t last long. The conversation then took an unexpected turn when they asked whether I would be open to doing a banking seat in Dubai!The timing felt almost surreal as 22nd December also marked the three‑year anniversary of receiving my training contract offer at NRF. Fast forward to that same date, and I was being offered an international secondment! While it’s taken some time to get everything finalised, I’m delighted to say that on 2 March 2026 I’ll be starting my third seat in Dubai.I did have to think more carefully than I initially expected before accepting the seat. I’ve been conscious of not wanting to narrow my qualification options too early. In the end, however, I felt comfortable taking this opportunity because of the breadth of experience it will offer: particularly the chance to explore a wide range of banking practices, which is where I see myself heading long term.Importantly, I’ll still have the opportunity to do a disputes seat for my 4th seat when I return, which will allow me to test that area as well. And with Asset Finance remaining a practice I’d be very happy to qualify into, it doesn’t feel as though my options have closed off at all. If anything, this feels like an exciting step that opens up even more possibilities.Thanks for following my journey!</blockquote>

Verification: Our company is called, "The Corporate ___ Academy". What is the missing word here?

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