May 18, 2020
ADCO leading oil sector gender equality
3 min
Abdul Munim al Kindy CEO of Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO) Ltd, says that there are no restrictions on the employment of women in the petroleum sector, and that many women enrolled both in the administrative side and in engineering posts in ADCO's oil fields, have proven their skills and expertise.
The first entry of the Emirati women in the oil fields in ADCO was about seven years ago, he says. “We had asked the senior management of the Supreme Petroleum Council and ADNOC in Abu Dhabi to allow us to appoint some Emirati women to work in our fields for 6 months and then evaluate the experiment. At first, the working of Emirati women on the field was not acceptable because of traditions and the fear of risks in the fields. However, after this successful experiment, Emirati women have proven great capability and adeptness.
“We now have around 109 women working in ADCO oil fields, for example, there are three field engineers in Al Dhabea, Abu Dhabi who have succeeded remarkably in the performance of their duties. ADCO is keen to create a favourable working environment for women, to develop appropriate procedures to enable them to carry out their duties within the limits permitted by the traditions and Islamic law, and provide them with the opportunity to work in the fields near populated areas in Abu Dhabi and the Western region.”
Al Kindy has noted that because of the considerable support ADCO has received from ADNOC, the Senior Management in ADNOC has encouraged other ADNOC companies like GASCO and TAKREER to follow, by explaining that ADNOC has made great strides in that direction and showed a positive basis for women to be involved in all areas of employment, to reach senior leadership positions. Because of this, there are many leaders in ADCO including a female Senior Vice President.
ADCO was ranked fifth globally at the level of the oil companies, in terms of the proportion of women workers, which reached 12 percent, pointing out that ADCO and the other counterparts succeeded in eliminating discrimination in many posts that have been topping all the offers of jobs for oil companies in the UAE to work in the oil fields.
ADCO's CEO confirmed that the company is eager to attract University graduates both women and men in fields including petroleum and chemistry. The oil sector in the country will need more than 5,000 Emirati architects and engineers over the next five years, but there is a shortage in the number of graduates in this field. It is important to note that that ADCO supported 24 graduates to pursue doctoral studies.
“Finally,” he concluded, “we can't afford to estimate the courage displayed by Emirati women at the beginning of their careers in the oil fields, especially that the fields were, until recently, an environment dominated by men. They are without a doubt inspiring young Emiratis to build a successful career in the oil sector.”
Jun 14, 2021
5 minutes with... Janthana Kaenprakhamroy, CEO, Tapoly
3 min
Heading up Europe’s first on-demand insurance platform for the gig economy, Janthana Kaenprakhamroy is winning awards and leading with diversity
Founder and CEO of award-winning insurtech firm Tapoly, Janthana Kaenprakhamroy heads up Europe’s first on-demand insurance platform for the gig economy, winning industry awards, innovating in the digital insurance space, and leading with inclusivity.
Here, Business Chief talks to Janthana about her leadership style and skills.
What do you do, in a nutshell?
I’m founder and CEO of Tapoly, a digital MGA providing a full stack of commercial lines insurance specifically for SMEs and freelancers, as well as a SaaS solution to connect insurers with their distribution partners. We build bespoke, end-to-end platforms encompassing the whole customer journey, but can also integrate our APIs within existing systems. We were proud to win Insurance Provider of the Year at the British Small Business Awards 2018 and receive silver in the Insurtech category at the Efma & Accenture Innovation in Insurance Awards 2019.
How would you describe your leadership style?
I try to be as inclusive a leader as possible. I’m committed to creating space for everyone to shine. Many of the roles at Tapoly are performed by women and I speak at industry events to encourage more people to get involved in insurance/insurtech. Similarly, I always try to maintain a growth mindset. I think it’s important to retain values to support learning and development, like reliability, working hard and punctuality.
What’s the best leadership advice you’ve received?
Build your network and seek advice. As a leader, you need smart people around you to help you grow your business. It’s not about personally being the best, but being able to find resources and get help where needed.
How do you see leadership changing in a COVID world?
I think the pandemic has proven the importance of inclusive leadership so that everyone feels supported and valued. It’s also shown the importance of being flexible as a leader. We’ve had to remain adaptable to continue delivering high levels of customer service. This flexibility has also been important when supporting employees as everyone has had individual pressures to deal with during this time. Leaders should continue to embed this flexibility within their organisations moving forward.
They say ‘from every crisis comes opportunity’, what opportunities do you see?
The past year has been challenging, but it has also proven the importance of digital transformation in insurance. When working from home was required, it was much harder for insurers to adjust who had not embedded technology within their operating processes because they did not have data stored in the cloud and it caused communication delays with concerned customers at a time when this communication should have been a priority, which ultimately impacts the level of customer satisfaction. This demonstrates the importance of what we are trying to achieve at Tapoly in driving digitalisation in insurance and making communication between insurers and distribution partners seamless.
What advice would you give to your younger self just starting out in the industry?
Start sooner, don’t be afraid to take (calculated) risks and make sure you raise enough money to get you through the initial seed stage.
Powered by
Close