ADIPEC: Inclusion And Diversity Can Deliver Business Benefits For Oil And Gas Industry

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 14th Nov, 2019) Tala Al Ramahi, Chief Strategy Officer for the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi, said that diversity remained a challenge in oil and gas.

In delivering the keynote address for ADIPEC’s co-located Inclusion and Diversity in Energy Conference, she said, "Women make up only 15 percent of the oil and gas industry, a number that drops further among the higher-paid technical roles."

"The energy sector remains one of the least gender-diverse sectors in the economy, despite recent efforts to encourage and promote women’s participation.

"It is now time to understand why we fall short within various indicators of diversity and find remedies to correct them."

Among the current positive developments, Al Ramahi noted that 22 major international and national oil companies had this year issued a call to action to close the gender gap in the industry.

She also highlighted ADNOC’s programmes to increase the diversity of its workforce, having been named winner of the ‘Oil and Gas Inclusion and Diversity Company of the Year’ at this year’s ADIPEC Awards.

She also praised ADNOC for committing to recruit more people of determination into the organisation.

"Diversity matters, and inclusion pays off when an organisation commits to being as diverse as they can be for everyone. Regardless of ability or disability, gender, or educational background, race or ethnicity, or cultural background. And again, this is not just about improving a company’s reputation. Study after study on this topic has repeated that this commitment to inclusion provides organisations with a serious competitive advantage."

Held on the final day of ADIPEC, the Inclusion and Diversity in Energy Conference is part of Oil and Gas 4.0, ADIPEC’s landmark strategic conference. Since its inauguration in 1984, ADIPEC has continued to grow, gaining worldwide recognition as the premier oil and gas industry exhibition and conference. The exhibition brings together over 2,200 international exhibiting companies across 160,000 gross square metres, with 23 country pavilions, attracting over 150,000 global attendees and 51 National and International Oil Companies. The conference hosts over 980 strategic and technical speakers across more than 160 sessions, covering the full energy value chain and attracting over 10,400 delegates.