Chris Humphrey started out as an apprentice at Foster Wheeler (which later became part of Wood*).
Now a Senior Project Manager at Wood, he was one of 30 people offered a funded place on the ECITB Chartered Project Professional (ChPP) programme in October 2025.
He gained the APM Project Professional Chartership in June 2026.
Chris shared his journey with us – how his apprenticeship gave him a solid foundation for his career, the importance of collaboration and his experience of the ChPP programme.
When I left school, I honestly had no idea what I wanted to do
I’d joined Reading College of Technology to study electronics because computers fascinated me. Back then they were pretty basic, but it felt like we were on the verge of something.
I thought I’d end up designing computers or writing software.
Towards the end of my first year, my course leader called me into his office.
“Chris,” he said, “I’ve had a call from Foster Wheeler. They’re looking for an apprentice. I think you should go for an interview.”
I often wonder why he put me forward. I wasn’t the top student by any stretch of the imagination, but my tutor and I got on well—we both rode motorbikes—which just goes to show that building relationships can sometimes open unexpected doors.
To be honest, I nearly didn’t go. I’d never even heard of Foster Wheeler. Fortunately, my tutor persuaded me.
Looking back, that conversation changed my life.
I got the apprenticeship in Instrumentation without really understanding what I was signing up for.
The first year was spent at Richmond upon Thames College alongside other apprentices from piping, electrical, civil and other engineering disciplines.
I expected to be sitting behind a computer. Instead, I found myself standing at a drawing board, learning how pipes were made, learning how to weld, making cable terminations and how to calibrate instruments.
At first, I wondered what on earth welding had to do with my future career. Although it did come in very handy when the floor on my old VW Beetle fell through!
Forty years later, I can honestly say those practical lessons have been invaluable. Understanding how everything fits together—not just your own discipline—has helped me throughout my career.
The college organised site visits around the country. Some were memorable for the right reasons, others… less so. At Slough Sewage Works I saw some sights that I still struggle to forget. Then there was the legendary visit to Fuller’s Brewery, complete with a two-hour hospitality session afterwards. Let’s just say the journey home was considerably livelier than the journey there!
Back at Foster Wheeler, I rotated through different departments before joining my home dept Instrumentation. I was at the forefront of the technology moving us from an analogue into a digital world and the department evolved into Control & Instrumentation. I loved it.
One surprise I realised quite early was that I enjoyed working with people just as much as the technical work. Rather than simply checking drawings at my desk, I’d wander over to my old friends in Procurement or Piping to understand the equipment we were buying or considerations for installation and maintenance.
It made the designs better, reduced problems later and, without really knowing it at the time, taught me the importance of coordination and collaboration.
That approach shaped the rest of my career.
Over the years I worked on projects in the UK and overseas including Saudi Arabia, Japan, Thailand, India, Kuwait, Poland and, perhaps most memorably, Iraq, where in 2004 I became Programme Manager for the oil sector reconstruction programme.
People often ask how I’ve stayed with the same company for forty years. The truth is it never felt like the same company.
Every project brought new people, new clients, new challenges and a new puzzle to solve. That’s what has kept it interesting all these years.
Looking back now, I realise my apprenticeship wasn’t just teaching me how to become an instrumentation engineer. It was teaching me how an entire project comes together. That systems thinking has stayed with me ever since and eventually led me into project management.
Chris Humphrey
Senior Project Manager, Wood
Don’t worry if you don’t have your whole career mapped out
More recently, completing my ChPP has been another opportunity to step back and reflect.
Much of what I’d learned over the years had become instinctive. The process helped me understand why I approached projects the way I did, gave names to many of those instincts and strengthened my professional practice.
If I could offer one piece of advice to anyone starting out, it would be this:
Don’t worry if you don’t have your whole career mapped out. Stay curious, be positive, ask questions, build relationships and say yes to opportunities.
Technical knowledge is important, but attitude, teamwork and a willingness to keep learning will take you much further than you imagine.
I’m incredibly grateful to the ECITB—not only for giving me the foundation that launched my career, but also for supporting me again through my ChPP journey.
Looking back over forty years, I can honestly say that conversation with my tutor changed my life.
*About Foster Wheeler and Wood
Originally formed in 1927, Foster Wheeler was a global engineering and construction organisation that specialised in services for the energy, industrial, and power equipment sectors, including designing oil and gas refineries, petrochemical plants, and pharmaceutical facilities.
It merged with Amec plc in 2014 and was renamed Amec Foster Wheeler. This was then acquired by Aberdeen-based Wood.
Wood is a global leader in consulting, engineering and operations for the energy and materials sectors with 33,000 people in around 50 countries, forming the Energy & Materials pillar of Sidara.
About the ChPP
In partnership with the Association for Project Management (APM), the ECITB supports project management professionals to gain chartership. Throughout the programme candidates must demonstrate their capabilities as a responsible leader with the skills and abilities required to manage complex projects and use appropriate tools, processes and techniques.
