Abu Dhabi, UAE : – Oil and gas companies are approaching human capital with a broader framework, aiming to foster inclusive workspaces and diverse resources, bridging the gender disparity in recruitment, mentorship and promotion.

According to research by Accenture , the oil and gas industry faces a critical human capital shortage in the coming years. As a prime example, estimates show the supply of technical professionals in the United States upstream sector fell by around a quarter between 2014 and 2016, while demand is likely rise by around 80 percent between 2017 and 2025. Current recruitment rates into the industry will struggle to meet that need, with only around two percent of graduates considering oil and gas as a top career choice.

To ensure they have access to the skills they need, companies must look beyond their traditional talent pool – such as placing greater emphasis on appealing to women and millennials, who are currently underrepresented. A study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), has found women make up just 22 percent of the oil and gas workforce, one of the lowest proportions of any major industry sector.

The gap is especially pronounced in oilfield services, where they comprise only 15 per cent of the workforce. The proportion also falls with seniority, dropping from 25 percent of oil and gas middle management, to just 17 percent of the senior leadership . W omen tend to be employed in office and administration roles, rather than technical professions that offer the most common pathway to senior positions.

“We have made enormous progress, but we still have a long way to go,” said Mae Al Mozaini, Manager - Regulatory Affairs, Saudi Aramco. “Women’s participation is essential to ensuring oil and gas has enough talent to drive growth in the coming years. This is why we need to focus on ‘inclusion’. By removing those barriers that many women face in the workforce, often in very subtle ways, to bringing more opportunities for women in the industry.”

To drive this change, this year’s edition of the world’s leading oil and gas event, the Abu Dhabi Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), has repositioned its distinctive women’s programme to create the new Inclusion and Diversity in Energy Conference.

The conference, which took place on day four of ADIPEC, brought together inclusion and diversity advocates, industry leaders and decision-makers, offering a full day of discussions, debates and practical experiences. Locating the event within a powerful global knowledge-sharing platform, ADIPEC, with its proven record of hosting leading CEOs, government ministers, and industry experts, ensure the discussion is placed at the forefront of industry decision-making.

“We are a complete oil and gas event, from trade exhibition and technical conference, through to strategic talks between leading CEOs and government figures, connected to every link in the value chain from exploration to end customer,” said Jean - Philippe  Cossé, Vice President – at dmg::events.

“Inclusion and diversity offers new thinking and new flexibility to businesses, which will be essential to achieving success and driving bottom line results in a time of rapid change. By bringing the Inclusion and Diversity in Energy Conference into ADIPEC, we bring it into the heart of the industry’s strategic thinking.”

The Inclusion and Diversity in Energy Conference explored myriad topics including identifying and addressing cognitive and cultural bias patterns in recruitment and advancement of employees across geographies, businesses and different career levels. A business imperative is securing leadership support and commitment to inclusion and diversity driving it from a compliance-focused perspective through to a mentorship and sponsorship approach and how this can be done will be an important discussion that the conference will cover. The programme also considered how government and the private sector can work together to promote change.

“Government-private organisation partnerships play an extremely important role in shaping any sector; be it their policies, their outlook or their roadmap,” said Omar Al Qurashi, Director – Corporate Communications and General Services, Supreme Council of Energy, and a 2018 Inclusion and Diversity in Energy Advisory Board Member.

“People are vital to any sector and creating inclusive and diverse working places are of paramount importance. The UAE is a melting pot of cultures with over 200 nationalities calling it home. The oil and gas sector is a major driver of the UAE – and many oil producers’ – economy. It is only natural that the oil and gas industry should harness the magnitude of talent that is flowing into the country and the industry. ADIPEC’s Inclusion and Diversity in Energy Conference is of paramount importance to bring everyone together and direct change.”

Key panelists joining this year’s event included: Isabell Hametner, Senior Vice President - Human Resources, OMV; Natalia Shehadeh, Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, Technip FMC; Omar Ahmed Al Qurashi, Director - Corporate Communication and General Services, Supreme Council of Energy; Mae Al Mozaini, Manager – Research and Advisory, Saudi Aramco; Sara Hassett, Director – Diversity, Inclusion and Culture, Baker Hughes, a GE Company; Ellen Chin, Vice President Human Resources, Weatherford; Mansoor Mohamed Al Hamed, Head of New Business Development, Mubadala Petroleum; Hege Kverneland, Corporate Vice President/Chief Technology Officer, National Oilwell Varco; Nour Al Maskari, Head of Strategic Human Capital, Masdar; Emeliana Rice-Oxley, Vice President - Exploration, Petronas; Saudamini Dubey, Managing Director, Middle East and Turkey, Accenture Digital; and Ghaliba Al-Hinai, Head of Omanisation, Petroleum Development Oman amongst others.

The Inclusion and Diversity in Energy Conference, and ADIPEC’s renowned strategic and technical conferences, are located alongside the landmark ADIPEC exhibition areas, underpinning the event’s status as the premier showcase for suppliers and customers across the oil and gas industry. For 2018, ADIPEC attracted more than 2,200 exhibiting companies, including 38 NOCs and IOCs, and 30 international country pavilions.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE; hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC); and supported by the UAE Ministry of Energy & Industry, the Abu Dhabi Chamber, and the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, ADIPEC took place from 12 to 15 November 2018, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

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About ADIPEC

Held under the patronage of the President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and organised by the Global Energy division of dmg events, ADIPEC is the global meeting point for oil and gas professionals. Standing as one of the world’s top energy events, and the largest in the Middle East and North Africa, ADIPEC is a knowledge-sharing platform that enables industry experts to exchange ideas and information that shape the future of the energy sector. The 21 st edition of ADIPEC will take place from 12-15 November, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). ADIPEC 2018 will be hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and supported by the UAE Ministry of Energy & Industry, Masdar, the Abu Dhabi Chamber, the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi Ports and the Department of Education and Knowledge. dmg events is committed to helping the growing international energy community.

For media enquiries, please contact:

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© Press Release 2018

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