A new support network – Life After Oil – has launched to help those working in fossil fuels who are wrestling with that dilemma. The initiative brings together oil and gas professionals from around the world who recognise that, with global temperatures already exceeding safe thresholds, the traditional energy transition narrative of gradual change is no longer credible.
The organisation held its official launch on 11 February in Westminster, aligning with International Energy Week, with founder-members sharing the personal stories that led them to rethink long-term careers in oil and gas and explore their next steps.
Voices from the front line
“Prestige and salary matter far less than whether you can look your children in the eye in twenty years,” said Arjan Keizer, a former Shell executive and one of the initiative’s speaker guests. “The majority of employees want their companies to lead the transition.”
Reflecting broader unease within the sector, recent surveys suggest more than a quarter of oil and gas workers are actively looking to leave their industry roles, while around 12 % of higher education institutions now refuse to advertise fossil fuel company jobs to graduates. These trends point to a shift in attitudes among both current employees and future talent.
For many, the emotional and ethical tensions have become too difficult to reconcile. “The level of cognitive dissonance made it impossible for me to remain within the company,” said former industry executive Guy Mansfield. “Staying in, the level of denial needed simply became too painful.”
Leadership perspectives on talent and transition
Jeremy Leggett, British environmental entrepreneur and Chief Executive of Highlands Rewilding, who received the 2025 Blue Planet Prize, was also present. Leggett, who left oil and gas many years ago on grounds of conscience, welcomed the initiative:
“Talent is the lifeblood of the oil and gas industry, and it is now imperative that we drain it into the transition away from fossil fuels. My experience shows there is nothing to fear, and indeed much to do that allows an oilman or oilwoman to look their children in the eyes without shame.”
A community with deep industry roots
At the heart of Life After Oil is Nick Smith, owner of Fuel Oil News and a fourth-generation coal and oil supplier who has long navigated the balance between meeting today’s essential energy needs and shifting his businesses toward renewables.
“What binds our community together is a recognition that the major oil companies are failing to provide a sensible contribution to the conversation about how to respond to the fossil fuel dilemma,” Smith said. He emphasised that while oil remains essential in many sectors today, overall consumption must be reduced urgently, and industry leaders need to take responsibility for shaping markets, investment priorities and narratives accordingly.
For many in the community, that realisation has led to a personal reckoning. “I had to decide if this was really a career I wanted to dedicate my life to,” said Jo Alexander, a former BP geologist. “The obvious and unavoidable answer was no.”
What Life After Oil Offers
Life After Oil describes itself as both a community and a collection of stories: a collaboration of people with deep experience in the oil industry who have arrived at their own answers to the question of what role they want to play in shaping the future. Community members span four continents and include engineers, geologists, traders, accountants and downstream staff, reflecting the breadth of roles affected by the energy transition.
The initiative’s website – lifeafteroil.net – will showcase personal transition narratives and provide a space for those wrestling with career decisions to explore alternatives, share experiences and find support.
The formal launch follows increasing discussion in the wider media; the community was featured in a full-page Financial Times article on Saturday 7 February.
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