Wigdan Hamour is living proof that you can achieve your dreams when you set your mind to it.
Inspired by her father’s engineering journey and shaped by mentors who recognised her potential, Wigdan has built a successful career dedicated to strengthening safety, preserving critical knowledge, and helping organisations and people perform at their best. Her work is grounded in technical rigour, integrity, and a strong commitment to continuous improvement.
Today, she brings this depth of expertise and passion for learning to Scapa Energy, where she works as an independent consultant and a specialist in integrity management for the Oil and Gas sector.
We spoke to her about her journey, the path that led her to join the team at Scapa Energy, her values, and the principles that guide her professional practice.
1. Can you tell us about your career to date?
I’m a Chartered Engineer with a Master’s and PhD in Structural Engineering. I started my career as a research associate at Manchester University. A career in the oil and gas sector followed, working across operators and contractor organisations where integrity of onshore and offshore structures has been a key focus. I have worked in roles covering both projects, and operations.
One of the defining highlights of my career was working on the Clair Ridge project as the Integrity Planning team lead. The project was a major multi-million-pound offshore asset development with a 40-year design life. It was a privilege and an honour to contribute to something of that scale and long-term significance.
On my last day with the company, one of the asset leaders stood looking at a poster of the newly operating asset and said to me, “In the future, you can always look back with pride and say, ‘I was part of this.’” That statement stayed with me, because it captured exactly what that project meant to me.
A subsequent move into the role of principal consultant with Scapa Energy, an independent assurance company has enabled me to continue my drive to help organisations improve safety, strengthen integrity management, encourage shared learning and ensure that critical knowledge is retained and effectively applied.
I am also genuinely passionate about developing others. Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to have opportunities to mentor younger graduates, and I have always cared deeply about diversity and inclusion. That’s why I became involved in the BP Women’s
Network when I was working for BP and the AXIS Network, that focuses on improving gender balance and diversity in the oil and gas and wider energy sector.
2. What does your role at Scapa Energy involve?
At Scapa Energy, I work as a Principal Consultant and subject matter expert in integrity management, where we apply a structured, evidence-based approach, supporting clients through auditing and assurance and assessing their systems and practices to identify gaps and opportunities, and deliver practical, actionable insights. My work spans a wide range of disciplines and activities, for example full cycle integrity management audits, corrosion management audits, pipelines and structures integrity audits, Regulation 5 audits, and contractor management audits.
The value we bring lies in helping clients benchmark their performance against recognized industry best practice and embed integrity management systems that genuinely reduce risk and enhance long term resilience across safety, asset integrity, and environmental protection.
A critical element of my role is building trust. The strongest outcomes are achieved through partnership – working collaboratively with clients to identify risks, improve performance, and ensure that learning is embedded and sustained across the organisation.
3. What was it about Scapa Energy that appealed to you?
In one of my previous roles, I worked with Graham, one of Scapa’s founding directors, on a project that delivered real value to the organisation. We achieved a strong outcome as a team, and that experience gave me a clear appreciation of his diligence, professionalism, and high standards.
I was also familiar with several Scapa consultants from earlier stages of my career. They are professionals who share the same commitment to technical excellence and delivering tangible results for clients. When the opportunity to join Scapa arose, it felt like a natural and very good fit.
I was also attracted by the breadth of Scapa’s portfolio. It offers the opportunity to work across a wide range of projects and challenges and to apply our collective experience and expertise to help clients strengthen integrity management and improve safety performance across the industry.
4. What or who inspired you to become a civil engineer?
My inspiration comes from my late father, who studied Civil Engineering. He completed his master’s studies in the UK, but when he later embarked on a PhD, illness prevented him from finishing. Following in my father’s footsteps had been a goal with me since childhood.
This is why I studied a BSc in Civil Engineering and came to the UK to pursue my master’s degree. The fact that he never completed his PhD stayed with me for years, given how much it meant to him, and I promised myself that one day I would complete a PhD on his behalf. After finishing my master’s, I applied for doctoral studies and was delighted to be accepted with a scholarship. Completing my PhD fulfilled that promise and marked both a major professional achievement and a deeply meaningful personal journey.
That experience instilled in me a deep sense of resilience, perseverance, and purpose, values that continue to shape my career and motivate me today.
5. You’ve been in the industry for more than 25 years. What are the learnings and pitfalls that you have seen?
The industry has made a lot of progress in understanding risk and improving the way it is managed, but one of the biggest challenges is still ensuring that learning and knowledge is not lost over time.
With mergers and acquisitions; as assets change hands, organisations evolve and people move on, there is always a risk that valuable learning, knowledge, experience and insight can fade. That is why it is so important that learning and critical knowledge is retained and effectively applied and there is a need to have systems and processes that supports this.
There is a clear and growing appetite across the industry to share learnings more effectively, yet in my experience further effort is required to ensure these insights are consistently embedded into systems, behaviours, and decision making.
Another area of change is the growing role of digitalisation and AI. Some regions – such as the Middle East – are much more advanced in using AI to understand and manage risk, while some organisations still rely on very manual processes. There is a real opportunity to combine technology with experience to strengthen safety and integrity.
6. When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your time?
I enjoy travelling and discovering new cities with my family, valuing the opportunity to experience different cultures together. Recently, my daughter and I shared memorable trips to Lisbon, Geneva, and Barcelona, experiences that I deeply cherish.
Staying active is also an important part of my routine. I train regularly at the gym and enjoy swimming.
I have also always enjoyed learning languages adding basic French and Spanish to my multilingual capabilities.
7. Finally, are there any values or phrases that you live by both professionally and personally?
My main guiding principle that I live by is always give your best – or the best of your abilities – in everything you do.
I apply this consistently in both my personal life and my professional career. Leading in this way not only helps me perform at a high standard, but it also encourages those around me to do the same. At work, this principle helps me ensure I’m adding value, managing risk, and improving safety. Collaboration is central to that by working closely with colleagues, clients, and partners to achieve the right outcomes.
Above all, professional integrity matters deeply to me. It underpins my commitment to excellence in every task and every project, and it is how I strive to make a positive and lasting contribution to the industry and the people I work with.