IBP announces pilot program on women’s mentoring
In partnership with LHH HR consulting, the program aims to develop women’s leadership skills in the oil and gas sector
The Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute (IBP), in partnership with LHH HR consulting, had announced the Mentoring Program for Oil & Gas Industry Women Workers – an initiative of IBP’s Diversity Committee. With 17 pairs of executive-mentors and trainees, the pilot experiment aims to leverage the number of women in high management positions in oil and gas industry from the development of leadership skills.
“Our role is to create arrangements that help oil and gas industry achieves gender equality. The first women of the sector fought for their rights, broke paradigms, battled for their current position. The next step is to get the experience acquired through all this process and helps the new generation to transform in a multiplication factor”, said Adriano Bastos, BP Energy Brasil CEO.
Nowadays, women currently accounts for just 22% of the oil and gas workforce. Considering jobs related to geology, geophysics and engineering, this number doesn’t reach two digits. According to a research produced by Boston Consulting Group and World Petroleum Council, only 27% of women enroll the industry and only 17% achieve leadership positions.
To Mara Turolla, LHH manager of Talent and Diversity Development, work with female leadership is rewarding. “We are changing the history, putting mankind in other level, once our job affects society directly. In the corporative world, diversity produces innovation and allows companies to deliver the expected results to its shareholders”, affirmed.
As reported by Bloomberg, in Brazil, since 2010, 55% of surveyed companies are investing in women-led companies for their supply chain. The purpose is, from this initiative, this attitude grows in society”, reveled.
Mentoring Program Structure
The program has stages of application in its working methodology: launching, training of mentors and trainees, individual meetings, laboratories and, finally, the closing ritual.
The individual meetings and the laboratories intends to develop the pair skills, as a constantly experience exchange. The first laboratory will start on April 3 and the closing ritual on December. “The focus of this program is the collaborative question between oil and gas companies, without competition. The goal here is not fight for market share, though instruct those women to learn from others experiences and achieve representativeness and also senior levels position. So, it’s a pioneer action that must transcends business questions”, explained Cristina Fortes, LHH Consulting Manager, adding that gender equity increases 21% of profit and influences brand image.
“We want these trainees become great leaders and be an inspiration for market, other women and men. Because of that, we will work for ensure that each participant find their own leadership style and how to improve it”, said Ana Zambelli, Petrobras member of the Board of Directors.
The 17 first pairs were evaluated with Hogan, LHH exclusive tool for women. “The pairs were defined by LHH according to skills final results of Hogan, professional career and expectations of both parts. The program kickoff highlight was the pair’s presentation by LHH and a moment of interaction for them to present themselves.
The LHH research reveals that if the current scenario doesn’t change, will be need 217 years to fill the gender gap, meaning that gender inequity would be extinct only in 2235.
“All of us have some moment in our lives that we doubt our capabilities, skills, but some let the fear undermine. These uncertainties are normal, even healthy. The problem is when we start to believe that we are not capable”, pointed Cristina Pinho, IBP Diversity Committee Coordinator. “Our goal as mentors is to help skip steps with this experiences exchange, provide them courage and safety to find the inner strength everyone has”, concluded.
The Mentoring Program for Oil & Gas Industry Women Workers pilot is composed by Petrobras, Subsea7, Aker, Baker Hughes, Schlumberger, Enauta, Equinor, BP Energy Brasil, ExxonMobil, TechnipFMC, Total E&P do Brasil, Shell, Petrogal, Chevron, Queiroz Galvão, Governo Estadual do RJ e IBP.