Since at least 2000, the relative lack of diversity in the global oil and gas industry has been a concern for company leaders around the world. According to research conducted by the World Petroleum Council and Boston Consulting Group and released in December 2021, only 22% of the workforce in the global industry are female, unchanged since 2017.
Yet, we all know from our experience and from studies that diversity is vital to the success of any workplace. Studies show that diverse workplaces are happier and more profitable. In a May 2020 analysis, the global consulting group McKinsey found that the most diverse companies are likely to be more profitable than less diverse peers. McKinsey’s report, Diversity Wins, outlines how companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams are 25% more likely to have above average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile.
ADNOC has been on a transformation journey since 2016, the year it created a gender balance committee to address diversity issues across the Group. Since then, ADNOC has increased the number of women in senior leadership positions to more than 17%, exceeding its own 2020-set target of 15%. Today, three ADNOC Group companies are led by women, again outperforming its own target, and every Group company has its own gender balance committee. This success is the result of a drive at ADNOC’s highest level. Our Group CEO, His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, has said that diversity translates into a serious competitive advantage and inclusion pays off when an organisation commits to being as diverse as possible.
When I moved to ADNOC Drilling in 2019, I saw an opportunity to further advance this ambition. ADNOC Drilling boasts a workforce of more than 6,500 people, representing 90 countries. But, like companies across the industry, more gender balance was needed. From the start, a top priority for me was to not only increase the number of women at the company, but their seniority.
One of my first questions was, “How do we make our industry more attractive to women so they will join and then advance to the role of drilling managers?”
As soon as I arrived, I met with the chair of the gender balance committee and asked her for an analysis of the gender situation at ADNOC Drilling, to find what positions could lead to future leadership. This matters because according to the Untapped Reserves 2.0 report, the proportion of women in senior, decision-making positions across the oil and gas industry is half that of women in mid-level positions, particularly in business and administration roles. We needed to know what potential existed before we could address any gaps.
A path for action quickly became clear. In 2018, ADNOC Drilling transformed into an integrated drilling services company, the first national drilling company in the region to offer start-to-finish well construction and drilling services. That meant the creation of an array of brand new, interestingly complex jobs for both women and men, fueled by technology and engineering. Untapped Reserves 2.0 found that representation of women in Oilfield Services (OFS) is lower than in any other part of the industry, at only 4%. We knew we had a valuable opportunity to fill these new roles with qualified women.
In 2020, with the support of our CEO, my team began an effort to actively recruit talented female Emirati engineers and scientists. Over a period of many months, we did something brand new for ADNOC Drilling: we targeted the best programmes at the best universities in Abu Dhabi, actively identifying women for roles in operations.
We started talking to a group of 30 women about the value of working for the largest employer in the UAE, underscoring that our commitment to diversity was iron-clad. In fact, ADNOC puts a special focus on local female youth; 44% of ADNOC’s scholars are women.
Once my team began interviewing candidates, I heard a lot about how women showed up completely prepared, knowledgeable, and full of questions. Their enthusiasm and passion for STEM was palpable. I recall that one of them, geoscientist Taif Yousif, said, “I thrive in environments that pose new challenges. I don’t ever choose the easy way.”
That was music to our ears, because, with the largest fleet in the region, we will be drilling thousands of wells over the next few years to enable ADNOC to meet its ambitious 2030 growth targets. Every person in the company must continuously challenge themselves to find efficiencies while maintaining a 100% HSE culture.
Ultimately, we selected 17 women to join ADNOC Drilling. I told them on their first day, in November 2020, that they would be pioneers, marking the way for all the women who follow. From the start, the business welcomed their professionalism. Assigned to mentors, the recruits spent the first 12 months learning every part of the business.
Meera Al Tayer, a chemical engineer from Sharjah, says she was shy at first, but the team who welcomed her to ADNOC Drilling made her feel as though she had found a second family.
As planned, many of the young women are now in Oilfield Services, including both Taif and Meera. And despite the global statistics about a dearth of women in this field, a few months ago ADNOC Drilling appointed our first ever Emirati woman Vice President in Operations. Manal Al Mazrouei is VP, Pressure Pumping, leading a team of 300 men and women. Increasing gender diversity is a priority for her; she seeks to share her knowledge and experience, and to ensure that “young women know they are not growing alone.”
The innovation and fresh thinking of Manal and her colleagues on a fast track to leadership roles have already contributed to changing the culture in Operations. Like other women across ADNOC, they have our unwavering support as we ensure that they have the skills and education to develop, grow to their full potential and excel in their careers.
As ADNOC Drilling expands our Oilfield Services offering, we are proud that at the vanguard of that growth is a workforce more diverse than ever before. Empowering women to develop, grow and lead is the right thing to do and it makes business sense.
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