Meet the Team - Southampton Alumni

Freya Brazier - Graduate

My name is Freya Brazier, I am from Surrey and am a recent graduate from the University of Southampton, where I spent 4 years completing an integrated masters (MSci) in Marine Biology. I have held a passion for marine environments since an early age, so have always been determined to pursue a career in which I can work closely with them. Since I graduated, I have been working at Intertek Energy and Water Consultancy Services (EWCS) as a Graduate Consultant. I joined the company in August 2023.

I have really enjoyed working at EWCS, especially as it has enabled me to continue working with marine environments, whilst also advancing my career. It has been a great experience to be able to apply the skills I learnt at university to real-life projects. I have had many opportunities to gain new skills and knowledge via my involvement in a wide range of projects, enhancing my understanding of marine environments, the challenges they may face, and, most importantly how impacts can be mitigated. For example, my highlights include completing work co-authoring multiple different impact assessment documents, in which impacts are defined, assessed, and mitigation measures are discussed. Further to this, I have also had the opportunity to become involved in a few aspects of Project management, which has enhanced my holistic understanding of how the business is run. Not only have I had a great experience technically, but I have loved getting to know the people I now work with. Everyone at EWCS has made me feel very welcome and it has been a brilliant experience becoming integrated into the team.

Joe Frean – Junior Consultant

My name is Joe. I joined Intertek Energy and Water in 2023 and currently work as a Junior geophysical consultant. I graduated from the University of Southampton in 2021 with an BSc in Geology, where I went on to do a MSc in Geoenergy at the University of Edinburgh. My geophysical work took me to Namibia and South Korea last year where I worked on offshore wind projects.

At Intertek I am a part of the engineering and site characterisation team where we primarily work on feasibility studies for offshore windfarms and subsea cables, as well as managing geophysical surveys and interpretating/quality checking geophysical data for clients. I have work on data around Europe including Southern Spain, the North Sea and the Irish Sea. 

Some of the more interesting pieces of work are cable burial risk assessments, combining interpretation of geophysical and geotechnical data, literature reviews and arc GIS to provide a comprehensive study for export offshore windfarm cables or continental interconnectors. 

Overall Intertek is a very enjoyable place to work, with a focus on different team collaboration, career progression through chartership and learning through work to progressing knowledge. Furthermore, the friendly and accommodating nature of the team is a plus.  

James Harding – Principal Consultant, Intertek Energy and Water

Studied an Integrated Masters in Marine Biology (MSci) – University of Southampton – 2007-2011

Joined Intertek in 2022.

Since leaving Southampton University I have worked in acquiring baseline data in the marine environment and applying this to assess the impacts of marine infrastructure projects. I predominantly focus on benthic ecology and acoustics which are key areas of concern for offshore developments.

Key highlights include working in weird and wonderful places including the Arctic and Caribbean Islands, although striking, these environments present a challenging set of circumstances to overcome. Experience gained here have provides valuable expertise in helping our clients overcome similar challenges.

I work with a great team of professionals here at Intertek which often presents a forum of knowledge sharing within a comfortable working environment, ensuring the learning doesn’t stop at university. This is well demonstrated in a project we are currently undertaking, working with the fishing community and offshore wind farm developers in establishing a coexistence that can benefit both the marine environment and its users while helping to reach the target of Net Zero by 2050.”