After graduating in Civil Engineering from the University of Southampton, Jon joined Mobil in London as an Engineer in 1979. Early assignments were in Fuels Distribution and Human Resources and in 1986 Jon moved into Lubricants Manufacturing. Other than a year running an Aviation Refuelling JV at the London Airports he remained in the Lubricants business until 1993 when he moved into a Regional Safety, Health and Environment (SH&E) Manager role for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).