Woodside Energy chief Meg O’Neill says ‘be true to yourself’ to be a great leader

Leaders need to “be the best version” of themselves and take on new challenges, the boss of Australia’s biggest oil and gas business says.

Woodside Energy chief executive Meg O’Neill has led the company in a time of big change — a huge merger deal with BHP’s petroleum division, a major project in Australia’s North West, and hot debate about the national energy transition.

The $47 billion business has also made fresh investments into the US in recent months.

Ms O’Neill told The Nightly her top leadership lesson had been to “be the best version of yourself”.

“It’s easy to look at another leader and admire what they do – but at the end of the day, each person in a leadership role is there because of their unique attributes,” she said.

“So learn from others, fine tune your style, but be true to yourself.”

Her advice for future leaders was to jump at opportunities.

“One key to career success is being willing to take on new challenges, and say ‘yes’ to opportunity,” she said.

“Additionally, it is important to be self-aware, and have the ability to recognise and learn from mistakes.”

Woodside is developing a massive gas project off the coast of WA’s Pilbara region linking the Scarborough offshore reserves to a new processing plant at Pluto, near Karratha. The cost is about $19b.

But Scarborough — and many other projects — has hit plenty of hurdles. Environmentalists have concerns about the industry’s impact on the climate as exporting of gas accounts for about 8 per cent of national carbon emissions.

That has played out in a series of high-profile court battles and appeals to the approvals process.

Ms O’Neill keeps on top of changing sentiment by reading local publications, and with the support of Woodside’s external environment team assessing trends in politics and the economy.

“I also find it personally valuable to spend time with people with divergent views, to ensure I don’t get caught in one perspective of how the world might evolve.” she said.

Bringing people together and openness to new information were among the skills of a great leader, Ms O’Neill said.

She said creating space for debate enabled people to speak up.

“The final element (of being a great leader) is the ability to make risk-based decisions with conviction and confidence, and communicate those decisions effectively to the organisation and external stakeholders,” she said.

When she’s not leading a team of thousands, Ms O’Neill says she likes to get outdoors to unwind.

“I like to get outside and go for a walk or a bike ride or take some exercise,” she said

“I find fresh air is the best way to decompress and leave the stresses of the job behind so I can mentally reset to enjoy time with my family.”