Women's Energy Council

In this month’s episode we sat down with Tessa Davis, Partner at Morrison & Foerster’s Singapore office. Having built her career on several different continents, Tessa has first-hand experience of what it means to be a senior female leader in varying cultures and contexts. Her candid stories of awkward boardrooms and failed diversity projects are both entertaining and enlightening, showing how good intentions are not always enough to create an inclusive workplace. However, she also highlights the great joys a career in energy can offer, and encourages listeners that the best way to be a success, is to simply be yourself. Enjoy the episode!

Published on 29th November 2021

On this month’s episode of the Women’s Energy Council podcast, we caught up with Carol Howle, EVP Trading & Shipping at bp. Following a turbulent year that turned the industry on its head, Carol describes that it is exactly this constant change and dynamism that keeps her excited about working in the oil and gas industry. She discusses the important role her trading and shipping portfolio will play in the decarbonisation of several industries, with projects such as a scaling power business, global integrated gas solutions, building a bio business, and exploring lower carbon shipping fuels. Carol goes on to say that given that the rapid rate of change, this transition will require many skillsets and perspectives, and therefore encourages the audience to use their voices, challenge the status quo and ask questions. We hope that listeners will end the episode feeling inspired as we did – enjoy!

Published 30 August 2021

On this month’s episode of the Women’s Energy Council podcast, we were joined by Lindsey McCarty, co-founder, Managing Partner, and COO for Selenite Energy Partners, and Ashley Zumwalt-Forbes, Director, Co-Founder, and President within Black Mountain Group. Having both begun their careers in the oilfield just over a decade ago, Ashley and Lindsey describe the challenges they faced as female engineers on production sites in the 2000s. While there have been strides over the past few decades towards equality of opportunity in technical roles, their experiences illustrate the subtle nature of persisting injustice in the energy workplace today. Now, as employers themselves, they are seizing the opportunity to do better by their own employees, and discuss the importance of improving representation, acknowledging one’s own biases and holding perpetrators of injustice accountable. Enjoy the episode!

Published 29 July 2021

In this month’s episode of the Women’s Energy Council podcast, we sat down with Gabrielle Costigan, Managing Director for AIK Energy Austria. Whether it was consulting major corporations into the digital age, building a new subsidiary from the ground up in war-torn Northern Iraq, or navigating BREXIT policy at the helm of a new Austrian company, Gabrielle has spent her career going where few others would dare. Her experience in these differing contexts equipped her with the skills needed to recruit a strong team and build a company culture in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. Join us as she shares her strategy in navigating tumultuous times, and describes the importance of a varied lived experience. Enjoy the episode!

Published 29 June 2021

In this month’s episode of the Women’s Energy Council podcast, we are in conversation with our first male ally to appear on the show! Oyango A. Snell is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for the Western States Petroleum Association, and describes himself as an unapologetic advocate for women and historically marginalized groups. In many of our conversations on this podcast we have discussed the need for allyship at the highest level to truly achieve the equity and inclusion so needed our industry. In discussing his own learnings as a male leader, Oyango illustrates his three-pronged approach to being a good ally, providing a helpful strategy for male leaders looking to be the change in this industry, and contributing to the all-important question of what can men do to help? Enjoy the episode!

Published 26 May 2021

In this month’s episode of the Women’s Energy Council Podcast, Amy Miller speaks with Gina Fyffe, Chief Executive Officer of Integra Petrochemicals. Gina discusses her experiences as the first woman hired to the ExxonMobil Petrochemicals Marketing team, the opportunities that often present themselves when you don’t have an end-game in mind, and the importance of recruiting good colleagues. Enjoy the episode!

Published 31 March 2021

In the last week of international women’s month, we caught up with Lamé Verre, Co-Chair at Lean In Equity and Sustainability. Through her own story Lamé illustrates the power of a simple ‘yes’, as her decision to study in a different culture and language became the springboard for her incredible career to follow. Through the story of Lean In Equity and Sustainability, Lamé goes on to show the power of women as a collective, working together to support each other in achieving their ambitions. Enjoy the episode!

Published 26 March 2021

In this episode we spoke with Eleanor Rowley, Vice President Exploration for the MENA and Caspian Southern Europe region at Total. During our conversation, Eleanor described the broad life experience she has gained in working in oil and gas, particularly having worked abroad for 20 of her 22 years in the industry. In reflecting on the past year, Eleanor describes the decade-worth of change we experienced, and the logistical challenges of moving a team to 100% remote working in a very short space of time. She also went on to highlight the three areas she thinks will be most important in rebuilding stronger, more sustainable businesses post-pandemic. Enjoy the episode!

Published 19 March 2021

In this episode, we hear from Louise Woods, Partner at Vinson & Elkins’ London office. Louise provides a wealth of knowledge in practical projects aimed at improving inclusivity. Through her work in the non-profit Arbitral Women and the projects run at V & E, she has seen the benefits of supporting women, and men, through the vulnerable return-to-work period after the arrival of a first child. She provides helpful advice for others who may be formulating similar projects aimed at inclusion, and encourages those with influence to support their junior female employees who may not believe in themselves enough. This episode is a must-listen for anyone aiming to institute inclusive initiatives at their organization. Enjoy!

In this episode of the Women’s Energy Council Podcast, Ima Ofulue joins us from Oando plc in Lagos, to share with us her journey to HR, and her belief in the potential of energy project development in Africa. With her background in talent development, Ima provided some useful advice for women transitioning jobs or those looking for new roles. She expressed that it can be lonely at the top for c-level women, so those in less-senior positions need only reach out for guidance and utilize the supportive resource that executive women can provide.

We hope you enjoy the episode!