Our STEM superstar takes on a new challenge

After spending the first 10 years of her career focused on helping the Altona refinery team to fuel Victoria, our Superstar of STEM, Caitlyn Broberg, is taking on a new role supporting Esso Australia’s supply of essential gas to eastern Australia.

As the Production Optimisation Lead at the Longford Gas Plant in Sale, Caitlyn will use her engineering expertise and extensive technical experience to support Esso Australia’s reliable supply of gas to Victoria and south-eastern Australia.

“The four plants that make up the Longford complex are situated on 169 hectares of land in Gippsland, so quite a change from Altona refinery’s metropolitan location,” said Caitlyn.

“But just like the refinery, Longford operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and, as a significant supplier of essential energy to Victoria for many decades, has an important role in supporting the everyday lives of Australians.”

Altona refinery is currently in the process of being converted to a fuel import terminal, which has provided some refinery employees, like Caitlyn, the opportunity to be redeployed to other roles within ExxonMobil Australia.

“Altona has quite a legacy and I’m proud to have contributed to that for the last ten years,” Caitlyn says. 

“The most rewarding part of my career has been working at the refinery for so long and developing a really strong network of supportive colleagues, all of whom are extremely smart and talented at what they do.

“This refinery has truly been a one-of-a-kind place that has developed an immense pool of talent. I feel honoured to have been able to work alongside all of these people for the past ten years.”

Caitlyn says she has had some incredible experiences at Altona refinery, such as climbing multi-storey distillation columns, supporting restart of the fluidized catalytic cracking unit (or FCC), and coordinating pipeline transfers to deliver vital fuel supplies to the local Victorian community – unique experiences which have taught her valuable lessons she will apply in her new role at Longford.

“Crawling through the insides of the FCC was amazing,” said Caitlyn.

“Getting right into the deep inner workings of the equipment, seeing how the catalyst particles flow, where the oil is separated and how the pressures are measured – all this gives you a true understanding of the complex equipment and chemical processes which you can take for granted day-to-day.”

In recognition of her commitment and enthusiasm for her career, Caitlyn was named as one of Science and Technology Australia‘s Superstars of STEM for 2021/22. As a female leader in engineering, Caitlyn is proud to be part of a program that aims to smash gender stereotypes by boosting the profiles of women in STEM.

“Being recognised as a STEM Superstar was a career highlight,” said Caitlyn.

“I’m passionate about promoting inclusivity and diversity within the industry, by inspiring young women to take up engineering as a career.

“I’ve also really enjoyed mentoring and coaching others to reach their full potential and this is something that I am looking forward to continuing at Longford.”