Integra Petrochemicals is a petrochemical trading company headquartered in Singapore. Founded in 1989 by Gina Fyffe, a seasoned executive with over 40 years of experience in the petrochemical industry, Integra operates globally, with a presence in key markets such as Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas.
Integra is today considered a leading player in the industry, thanks to its unique approach to the market. In addition, owing to Fyffe’s exceptional leadership skills, strategic vision, and strong business acumen, Integra has emerged as a significant contender in the petrochemical trading sector, with an expansive global network of suppliers and customers.
Oil & Gas Middle East engages in an enlightening conversation with Integra’s founder and CEO, Gina Fyffe. A respected industry veteran, Fyffe shares her insights on the company’s remarkable history and success and elaborates on how Integra prioritises diversity and inclusion in a “male-dominated industry”.
According to Fyffe, Integra was established as an answer to the supply/demand imbalance that large companies face. She says: “Our theory was that large companies do not want to bring attention to their supply problems, but they also do not want to have excess staff on hand solely for contingencies. As a result, employees are fully occupied with regular business operations, and when challenges arise, suboptimal solutions are implemented. Integra was initially set up to solve that dilemma, in effect providing an outsourcing solution to a company’s supply/demand imbalance.”
Over the years, the company has expanded and developed its business globally but was initially based in Europe, handling business internationally. The founder of Integra shares: “The first couple of years were successful, and we started to expand much faster when Roger van Baal joined as a partner, expanding the product portfolio from olefins into intermediates and aromatics.” Soon after, Integra moved into China, South Korea, and the USA, which allowed them to cover emerging Asian markets much better. Fyffe adds that they expanded into the Middle East, India, and South East Asia, as each region developed its markets – needing import and export capabilities.
In early 2000, Integra moved its international HQ to Singapore, allowing the firm to strengthen its knowledge of the region, according to Fyffe. She says that the company’s policy of being low profile and delivering year after year has been one of the keys to its success, combined with being ahead of the pack when it comes to markets and changing trends.
She emphasises that Integra’s approach to working with its customers sets the firm apart from its competitors. “We work with our customers wherever possible and walk alongside them when needed,” she says. “That has, in the past, meant advising on jetty and storage capacities for their growing business, consulting on market possibilities to companies going downstream, helping with maritime legal issues, on ship time charters, and even ship purchasing.”
Looking to the future, the industry veteran shares that the company’s immediate focus is on doubling down and building on top of what they have now.
“We plan to build our team servicing the Middle East region more as our business continues to grow, and we need to give maximum support to what is one of our most important regions. We are also building our Houston office team; recently adding more operations and chartering capacity in advance of additional traders.”
Integra is also exploring exciting growth opportunities with its shareholder, not just in petrochemicals but potentially in energy products and more renewables, which according to Fyffe, will become more apparent over the next year.
She also expresses her excitement about the distribution business, which she describes as “an exciting one, but challenging as well since there is a very different way of doing business, a different mentality and also a different type of customer.” Nevertheless, she sees the limitations of the business and is eager to be part of the change process to grow and further professionalise the business based on both Integra’s and its partners’ experiences and backgrounds.
Meanwhile, Fyffe elaborates on the startup of the groups’ Zibo Qixiang Tengda Chemical Co., Ltd.(QXTD) PDH and derivatives plants in China: “The project was executed with a focus on sustainability and efficiency, delivering results in a remarkably short timeframe. Additionally, watching how it has gone from planning to production, and the care taken to achieve its growth sustainably while delivering results has been impressive.”
While the QXTD PDH and derivatives plants mark a significant milestone for Integra and the wider group, the company’s focus on developing its future leadership team is equally critical. As she notes: “After 45 years in the industry, 34 of which have been with Integra, I understand the importance of having a strong leadership team to take over the running of the company.” Over the past few years, with the support of the board, Fyffe and Roger have been working on building a solid leadership team, and the results have been remarkable. Fyffe states: “The majority of the leadership team are from within Integra itself, and we have been able to grow that talent pool. Doing so has strengthened the level below them, as they develop to step up in the future.”
Making a difference
In a world where companies are under constant pressure to maximise profits and cut costs, it’s refreshing to come across a company that cares about the impact it has on the communities it operates in. Integra is one such company, and its commitment to social responsibility is evident in the numerous initiatives it has undertaken over the years.
When asked about the company’s involvement in the local and global community, Fyffe shares: “Since Integra’s founding, we have tried to be part of the communities we work in. That means listening to our staff on where they need or want us to be involved. Over the years, that has covered many different types of one-off projects, from people volunteering in disaster relief areas to contributing to the building of a sensory garden to packing a container bound for Beirut with baby and healthcare items following the massive port explosion there; sadly there is always something.”
Integra also has ongoing initiatives that focus mainly on a range of children’s and high-risk obstetrics charities and enterprises, as well as impact-related initiatives in impoverished parts of the world to improve health and education. Fyffe emphasises that Integra has a small team based in Singapore who, on top of their regular jobs, also look at the company’s plans each year and engage with staff on initiatives. This approach helps Integra keep its focus and avoid spreading itself too thin by trying to jump into everything when asked.
Likewise, she notes that advocacy can be powerful, citing the company’s recent efforts to highlight the plight of sailors stuck on board ships during the Covid-19 pandemic. “When looking at social support programs, sometimes money is not the best solution to a problem,” she explains. “Time and effort to raise awareness and be involved can be even more useful. This is something we try to remember.”
Integra’s commitment to social responsibility is commendable, but what about the challenges and opportunities facing the petrochemical industry in the coming years? Fyffe had a lot to say on this subject. “We believe that COVID highlighted many weaknesses in the industry’s business model,” she says. “The global search for the cheapest molecule combined with just-in-time delivery principles and lack of scaled modern infrastructure threw the global supply chains and shipping into chaos, resulting in panic and shortages as well as price rises on a global scale.”
Now, as the industry recovers from these issues, it faces increased regulation, canal blockages, the use of trade protectionist measures, and war. According to her, this should be a wake-up call for the industry to diversify its supply sources and customers, and for companies to develop local and national plans to develop their ports and networks. This, she notes, will allow companies to load and discharge products efficiently, avoiding delays caused by inefficient infrastructure or policies.
Fyffe also highlights the uncertainty around the number of ships and fuel types needed to transport petrochemicals: “This uncertainty is leading to owners delaying decisions on new shipbuilding, while current solutions are costly and short-term, which will result in the need for retrofitting. In addition, the industry’s reliance on cheap freight in many product areas may lead to an ageing fleet and a shortage of ships.”
She continues: “Unfortunately, Integra as a company can do very little about these issues apart from advocate, try to explain and educate. In certain areas of our business, we anticipate an impending shortage of shipping vessels to fulfil our contractual obligations. In light of this, we are proactively collaborating with the owners to devise viable solutions for financing new ships that can meet the growing demand.”
Looking to the future
Despite the challenges, Fyffe remains optimistic about the future of the petrochemical industry and Integra’s role in it. “We believe that the future of the petrochemical industry is bright, and we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. By staying true to our values and continuously innovating, we are confident that we can navigate through these challenges and emerge as a stronger and more sustainable company.
“Over the years, being open, direct and fair has worked well, but those are not necessarily only female characteristics; they are part of the DNA running through Integra,” Fyffe says.
She recounts her experience as one of the first women in the petrochemical trading industry, reflecting on the importance of the supportive relationships she developed with a few women who also navigated this male-dominated industry.
“Despite the external challenges of being accepted as a woman in the industry, my success was primarily determined by my ability to do the job, my passion for finding solutions, and my eye for detail.”
“I don’t usually view myself as a woman in the industry, but rather as a person,” Fyffe says. “The real luxury of my career has been the partly lack of a manager trying to handle the fact that I was a woman who needed to be treated differently. As a result, I could focus on doing my job like everyone else, which helped me progress in the industry.”
Fyffe highlights that collaboration is an essential leadership skill in her company, stating that “it helps to make quick decisions and tap into a colleague’s knowledge. As a result, we have managed to maintain a decisive, entrepreneurial way of working and avoided becoming corporate, committee-based, or hierarchical in our decision-making.”
She emphasises that trust is also an essential leadership characteristic in her company. “Being open about failure and bringing forward solutions helps build trust,” she says. “We provide a safe and open working environment where people can learn and grow in the direction that works for them and the company.”
Fyffe suggests that her leadership style, or how her company works, may be different because she is a female founder who has led the company for many years. “This style has set the framework and desire for a particular type of working environment that has contributed to the company’s success,” she says, adding that Integra’s staff generally tend to stay with the company and build their careers. “This, we believe, is the type of environment that attracts and retains good people.”
When asked how Integra actively promotes diversity and inclusion, Fyffe says: “The way that we promote diversity and inclusion is by living it every day in our business. As a company, approximately 50% of our staff are female, which is also reflected at middle and senior management levels. The holding company has four out of nine female board members, with the chairperson being myself. This does not mean that we have 50% women across every department, such as trading, for example.”
“Being a global company, having a wide range of nationalities and cultures is very important to us. However, we believe that having local staff in each region makes the most sense so long as we can find the skills we need.”
Integra is a company that values diversity and equal opportunities for everyone, remarks Fyffe, pointing out that the company has always had an open attitude towards recruiting the best person for the job, regardless of gender or any other characteristic. She explains: “It has never been an issue of trying to achieve numbers or some sort of ideal staffing. We have always had the attitude that you need to attract and hire the best person for the job, no matter what.” She adds that the company focuses on getting the widest range of CVs when recruiting and then choosing the best person for the role.
Fyffe also notes that once someone is recruited into the company and if an issue arises outside of work, Integra works with the person to allow them to sort out the outside problem and still remain with the company. She explains further: “This approach is best handled by open discussions between the staff member, their supervisor, and HR.” Fyffe believes this way of adapting makes it easier to retain good female talent, but it also helps the men in the company who appreciate the flexibility and tend not to job hop.
Integra does not specifically recruit from a pool of STEM individuals because they believe that could unintentionally lead them down the road of limiting diversity. “Additionally, we do not need to work with only STEM-trained staff,” says Fyffe. “We have found that having the right attitude and the willingness to learn new skills is much more important than having a STEM education.”
She elaborates: “This does not mean that we do not have engineers, chemists, economists, analysts and scientists in the company, we do, but we also have a wide range of staff members with different educational backgrounds, including English language graduates, journalists, ex-military, public affairs, sociology, healthcare, real estate, telecoms. These people work across a wide sector in the company from operations, contract admin, and trading.”
Returning to trading, Fyffe pointed out that one area where gender balance can still be an issue is in trading. She believes this is because there are still very few female traders in the industry, and the company finds that only a tiny percentage of the CVs they see for traders are female; however, Integra does not recruit on a female bias basis.
“What we do is recruit internally into trading, and some of our current traders, male and female, have come from different parts within the company. We value an internal trader pipeline and diverse intern groups to support its growth, although it requires time, and trading may not suit everyone’s profession or lifestyle,” she notes.
When asked about advice for other women seeking leadership roles in male-dominated industries, Fyffe believes that the most important asset is to be yourself and not try to be what you think will make you a fit. “Accept that you will never be the perfect fit since there is no perfect fit, so apply and try for the job. Focus on what you bring to the role that is special and not what you lack.” She encourages women to develop a high level of self-awareness and self-confidence, which is easier when you are yourself rather than trying to be somebody else.
In many respects, Fyffe believes there has never been a better time to be a woman in the industry since there is so much focus on diversity and complementary skill sets that, in some cases, there may even be a glass elevator rather than a ceiling for those women currently in the industry. “So, best to jump in and press the button and see where it takes you,” she concludes, with the final thought that whether a male or female, if you really want something, you can make it happen.
