EQUALITY IN ENERGY CONFERENCE (Formerly the Women in Energy Conference)

Equality, an economic concept that’s broader than gender, has been prevalent across global economies and is part of the foundations of law. Equality in opportunities and benefits have set a direct path towards development, including political transformation, justice, employment and economic empowerment. As global economies revisit their business priorities in a post-lockdown period, how can equality create new prototypes for global growth?

Gender diversity in the boardroom has been creating operational disparities across industries that have indirectly affected business profitability. Energy industries, with relatively lower participation of women on boards, need coordinated strategies to remove the barriers hindering equal opportunities for all genders. How are energy leaders creating effective boardrooms that have equal participation without perceptual discrimination based on race, ethnicity or physical capability?

The goal of achieving gender equality has become central across all economic verticals. Through gender mainstreaming, the United Nations established a global strategy for promoting gender equality in 1995 paving the way for a sustainable transition to achieve gender equality. Though critical gaps remain, the world has seen a substantial reduction in gender gaps across industries. How can governments and businesses realign their priorities and work together to promote gender mainstreaming and achieve equality?

SPEAKER

The energy industry has been at the forefront of transformational initiatives since its inception. Despite being tagged as a male-dominated industry, the energy sector has seen a significant adoption of corporate policies concerning equality, inclusion and diversity to create a happier workforce. How can the energy industry implement and measure the progress of equality, inclusion and diversity to create a vibrant business environment that is open to opportunities for women, men and people of determination?

12:15 - 12:25 | STEM and gender equality in energy

The large gender imbalance in STEM streams, particularly for the energy industry, has become critical as the sector has dropped in the global attractiveness ranking for engineering and IT graduates. How can oil and gas companies work with youth communities and academia to attract more talent without implicit bias?

12:25 - 12:35 | Countering organisational discrimination for a happier and unbiased workplace

Energy companies, at the front line of economic transformation, will miss out on innovation to capitalise future opportunities if they fail to create a diverse workforce with the right organisational culture. How are oil and gas companies eliminating institutional barriers to create an inclusive workplace with acceptable values, policies and processes?

• SPEAKER
  Kevin Edwards
  Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
  Bechtel

12:35 - 12:45 | Energy, technology, and people - futuristic HR strategies

Technological advancements are transforming the old norms of managing human resources. As oil and gas companies embrace digital technologies to improve productivity and reduce costs, HR executives are forced to rethink how people are recruited, retained and promoted to create business value. Will technology disrupt or support the global energy workforce?

• SPEAKER
  Randa Esmat
  HR General Manager
  Enppi

12:45 - 12:55 | Reducing the leadership gap - how equality and mentoring nurtures future energy leaders

As businesses grow, priorities continue to evolve to address social, economic and investor sentiments. In a period of intense global competition, it has become critical to nurture future leaders to ensure business sustainability and profitability. How are oil and gas companies redefining the role of equality and mentoring to resolve generational differences of junior employees to create leaders of the future?

• SPEAKER
  Latifa Al Said
  Global HR Executive Director
  Baker Hughes

12:55 - 13:15 | Q&A

The energy sector continues to largely remain male-dominated despite a significant rise in the number of female employees joining the workforce. Thanks to climate-conscious policies, oil and gas majors are undergoing a rapid change in their organisational strategies to suit global environmental commitments. To accelerate energy transition, and reduce carbon footprints, oil and gas companies must reduce gender inequality to catalyse this shift. How can the energy sector rely on talents from both genders to foster this transformation?

Putting their personal lives aside, millions of women have become part of the frontline workforce committed to combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, making women’s economic empowerment a national priority across most nations. Governments have already implemented various policies and measures to respond to women’s needs and increase their participation in decision-making in the public and private sectors. How are governments and inter-governmental entities formulating strategies to empower women across all industry verticals?

The 2022 Global Equality in Energy Awards are shaped by 5 individual categories that celebrate the achievements of outstanding people in the global energy industry. The winners and highly-commended of the below categories will be awarded during the ceremony.

• Women in leadership
• Nex-Gen female of the year
• STEM star of the year
• HR champion of the year (NEW FOR 2022)
• Employer of the year championing inclusion, diversity and equality