Supporting International Women's Day

Representatives from the Esso Long Island Point Plant attended the Peninsula Rotary Club’s International Women’s Day Breakfast held at Mornington Racecourse. A diverse audience of more than 150 people from the local area heard from Chief Operating Officer of the Big Issue and Homes for Homes Sally Hines and Victoria’s Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner Kristen Hilton. They covered a range of topics emphasising the broader theme of ‘Embracing and Celebrating Power and Growth’.

Acting Long Island Point Plant Manager David McCord said that Esso was pleased to host community members and students at their tables for the event.

“It is also important to reflect on and recognise the important contribution women make across our operations and also in the local community in which we operate. Getting involved with events such as these helps us to better understand and engage with our neighbours and stakeholders,” he said.

In addition to the annual Women in Energy Network (WEN) breakfast event, WEN also supported a table at the Engineers Australia International Women’s Day event in Melbourne. More than 900 attendees heard from prominent entrepreneur and business leader Naomi Simson, followed by a panel discussion on attraction, retention and support of woman in engineering.

Production Planner Nakita Minkevicius said it was surprising to hear that only 13 percent of engineers working in the sector are female.

“Hopefully networks such as WEN help to engage and inform our broader workforce about the challenges facing women in our sector. These events are a fantastic networking opportunity to share our insights in this area,” she said.

Australia HR Manager Kirsteen Butler said that ExxonMobil’s Equal Opportunity Policy covers our organisation’s commitment to support a diverse workforce in the areas of recruitment, training and development and flexible work arrangements. 

“Our Global Diversity Framework also highlights our commitment to diversity through key objectives covering attraction, development and retention of our workforce, fostering a productive work environment and development of leadership capabilities. 

“In addition, each year we are assessed against six critical areas of employment relating to gender quality by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) to ensure we are compliant with the Australian Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Act. In 2017, around 19 percent of management roles at ExxonMobil Australia were held by women and we continue to work toward improving this even further,” she said.