Annabel Sall on Leadership, Success and Visibility

Annabel Sall is CEO of Think, an energy-focused Marketing, PR and Design consultancy founded in 2004. Based in Aberdeen with a global client base, Annabel and her team provide media relations, brand management, graphic design, videography, strategic marketing and crisis communications support to businesses operating across the energy and associated sectors.

Alongside leading Think for more than 20 years, Annabel is also a co-founder of Women in New Energy, launched three years ago with Beena Sharma and events partner Energy Voice. The platform has become a flagship industry event spotlighting diversity and innovation across the sector, with the most recent conference welcoming more than 300 attendees and 14 key sponsors.

Annabel is passionate about progressing DE&I across the energy industry and highlighting the challenges that go hand-in-hand with the ‘mother’s load’ many senior female professionals experience. Alongside her work in industry, she also served as a Board Director at Autism & Neurodiversity North Scotland (A-ND), supporting the charity through its transition to Scottish Autism while Think provided pro-bono PR and marketing support throughout.

We recently caught up with Annabel to discuss leadership, success and visibility.

Growth and Authenticity

Reflecting on Think’s 20th anniversary, Annabel says it gave her the opportunity to properly acknowledge not only the achievements of the business, but also the resilience required to navigate the many challenges that came alongside it.

“I hadn’t really stopped to think about what I had achieved- running a business through oil price crashes, a pandemic, political uncertainty, as well as personal challenges where I became a single parent during this time.

“For me, success over the last 10 years has been about remaining authentic to myself, building a team that I respect and support and being the best leader and mother that I can be.”

What stands out most to Annabel is that growth does not stop at any stage of your career. Even now, she continues to push herself outside her comfort zone.

“Doing a speech at our charity dinner in front of 200 people, hosting my first panel at Women in New Energy, interviewing a senior editor, speaking at my daughter’s school, doing my first podcast - it’s never too late to continue to learn and develop.

“For me, success is about continuing to look at opportunities to help others learn from your experience and be a good mentor to those around you. If I can do a small amount to help and inspire others, that is success for me.”

Mentorship and Networks

Annabel founded Think at just 23 years old after recognising a gap in the market for a PR consultancy focused on start-ups and smaller businesses. After graduating from RGU and working within a large agency, she saw an opportunity to create something different.

“One of my first clients was Roddy James, who I very much view as a mentor and who supported my journey. The work I did for his company at the time meant other businesses then saw the value I added and I grew my client base and team from there.”

While she believes the landscape has changed over the years, Annabel believes there are still opportunities for those willing to build strong networks and clear positioning.

"However, there are always opportunities and it’s important to be clear about how you want to position your offering, have a clear brand and messaging around your products and services and build a supportive and trustworthy network to support your journey.”

Creating Women in New Energy

Alongside Think, Annabel has also helped create one of the energy industry’s fastest-growing diversity and leadership platforms through Women in New Energy. She credits Beena Sharma with first recognising the opportunity to create a platform that would bring people together to share knowledge and support the sector through the energy transition.

“We met over coffee and realised that between us, we could create something that offered support to the industry." “Bringing Energy Voice in and their fantastic team was the final piece of the puzzle and provided us with a platform and events team to bring the event to life.

“Our aim has always been to inspire, share knowledge and bring together both men and women in the industry and it continues to grow year on year.”

For Annabel, communities and networks like Women in New Energy play a critical role in accelerating change across the industry.

“Learning from leaders and experts gives those working in senior roles, as well as those entering the industry, insight into key topics and challenges."

“Without the next generation and a fully informed workforce, change is hard to achieve.”

Navigating Leadership in a Male-Dominated Industry

Having built her career within a traditionally male-dominated sector, Annabel is open about some of the challenges she experienced earlier in her career.

“In my early years there were definitely challenges around being taken seriously as a young female working in a predominantly oil and gas market.”

At the same time, she reflects positively on the support she received throughout her career. “I feel fortunate that many men I have worked with have been huge advocates of my ability and the business. I always tried to remain true to myself, prepare fully for any meeting or discussion and stay professional when challenged with prejudice.

“Being confident in your ability and remembering that you have as much right to be sitting in that room is what I always focused on.”

For Annabel, visibility is also essential in shaping the future of the industry and encouraging the next generation of female leaders.

“Having women visible in leadership changes expectations of what is possible and normal and therefore more attainable to the younger generation…from talking at schools so girls can see how women lead and are creating change, to Board-level female leaders having a voice, it all impacts how we shape the future of the industry.

“Bringing in perspectives and experiences from all genders, cultures and backgrounds is what makes businesses successful and teaches future generations that we can lead no matter what.”

Parenthood and Balance

As a mother of three, Annabel also speaks candidly about the realities of balancing leadership and family life.

“My mornings start early with school and childminder drop-offs. My partner works offshore so during the weeks he’s away, it’s always a bit more hectic.”

At Think, no two days are ever the same. Alongside client strategy and campaigns, the team also supports crisis communications, events, videography, websites and global media announcements. Because of the nature of the work, Annabel admits her days are rarely limited to traditional working hours.

“As we provide crisis communications support too, sometimes there’s out-of-hours work that needs to be dealt with so my day is rarely 9-5.”

Despite the pace, it is the people and variety within the role that she enjoys most. “We have the opportunity to meet many different people in different roles and I love hearing business owners’ journeys and supporting them with challenges related to marketing and communications.

“Growing and developing a team is always very rewarding. Over the years, we have seen many young people enter the workplace in their first role and seeing them build their skillset and confidence is something I love. I’m definitely a people person so I love the social aspect and connecting with new and old contacts at events."

Annabel also recently visited Houston for the OTC conference and regularly travels to the UAE for her Middle East client base, which she loves to do.

Vision 2030 and Driving Meaningful Change

When discussing AXIS Vision 2030 and the pathway towards greater gender equity across the industry, Annabel explains the topic resonates strongly with her own experiences as both a business leader and mother.

“Becoming a parent later in life and at this stage of my career was unsettling for me…I worried about taking time off and being able to ‘do it all’.”

Her partner’s Norwegian employer offered 11 weeks of paternity leave following the birth of their son; something Annabel believes made a significant difference to their family and ability to balance work and home life.

“It allowed me to feel I could return to work without the extra pressure of childcare and also gave us more flexibility." “For parents in the UK, parental leave is shocking and provides no support to mothers or fathers who need that essential time following the birth."

She mentions that it very often does result in mothers having to make a choice over returning to work or not.

For Annabel, creating meaningful change across the industry means embedding diversity and inclusion into everyday decision-making rather than treating it as a standalone initiative.

“We are not only embedding diversity and inclusion into recruitment and our own policies, but also supporting our clients in how they communicate their own DE&I initiatives too. I understand I can’t ‘do it all’, so having people around me that support our processes is important.”

Leadership also comes with a responsibility to continue driving awareness and championing practical, visible change across the sector. “As a CEO, using a platform to raise awareness of the importance of DE&I at every stage of decision-making, but also through small behaviours and actions day to day, ensures it isn’t an afterthought.”

Looking ahead to 2030, Annabel hopes to see greater progress around parental support, more women in leadership positions and stronger representation across the industry.

“I would like to see progression around paternity support to allow parents to share the load of returning to work.

“More female leaders, more women at Board level and having a real voice in the industry is a must.”

We thank Annabel for taking the time to share her journey, insights and experiences. Her commitment to progressing diversity, supporting future leaders and creating more inclusive conversations across the energy sector continues to make a lasting impact both within industry and beyond - a true role model.