Debra Stewart, Director of Supplier Diversity and
Diversity Outreach at Shell Oil Company.
continue to be valuable in the supply chain moving
forward,” she shares.
Through this program, WBENC hopes to continue
to spur the development of more WBEs in the energy
industry, an essential factor to evolving markets,
providing competitive insight, agility, and innovative
solutions within the oil and gas supply chain.
Janet Brewster, CEO, Brewster Procurement
Group, Inc. noted that the industry knowledge
taught in the program was "bar none, first
class.” “The program was a great moment that
brings us to the next level of growth and capacity
building with our potential clients.”
LS
About WBENC
The Women’s Business Enterprise National
Council (WBENC) is the largest third-party certifier of
businesses owned, controlled, and operated by
women in the United States.
the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council
(NMSDC), and the Women’s Business Enterprise
Council South (WBEC South).
“BP was very pleased to support and participate
in the inaugural WBENC Energy Executive Program,”
states Ray Dempsey, Vice President & Chief Diversity
Officer for BP America and President of the BP
Foundation. “This intensive week provided great
industry overviews and insights, along with some
hands-on experiences. We see this program as
an important investment in the capacity building
of women-owned businesses, and this supports
our goal of increasing the numbers of WBE’s that
participate in our supply chain.”
With women representing fewer than six percent
of CEOs in the energy industry, this program supports
the evolution of diversity and inclusion strategies
among major energy, oil, and gas companies, and
further shows the commitment towards impacting
the long-term success of diverse businesses that
are critical to the global energy supply chains.
“As I began the program, I quickly came to
appreciate the cream-of-the-crop professors
who willingly and openly shared their intellectual
knowledge in their respected fields,” shares Teresa
Lawrence, President, Delta Personnel, Inc. “I ended
up the grateful recipient of valuable knowledge,
wealth of experience, and treasured friendships
that will last a lifetime. More importantly, I am
confident of the growth my business will have in the
oil and gas space as now have a better understanding
of how to navigate their space and the role I can
play in their supply chain. Shell, BP, Chevron and
ExxonMobil’s commitment…just priceless.”
The program resulted from an analysis done
as a part of WBENC’s Energy Advisory Board, which
includes Diversity and Inclusion leadership from
BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Shell — all of which
are recognized on the annual list of America’s
Top Corporations for Women’s Business Enterprises
by WBENC. The advisory board analyzed data
based on the energy industry that showed that
while women entrepreneurs are represented in
the energy supply chain and some are thriving,
there is room for growth and improvement.
“The development and execution of the initial
WBENC Energy Executive Program represents
real progress in our industry’s efforts to address
the issues of inclusion of women owned businesses
in our supply chains,” states Dave Feldman,
Manager Supplier Diversity, Chevron. “I’m very
proud of the collaborative effort that was required
to make this first session such a success.”
The inaugural class of the 2017 WBENC Energy
Executive Program was made up of a diverse group
of fierce and driven CEOs and business owners.
Participants were varied in their offerings and
placement within the energy, oil and gas industry
supply chain, as well as in their racial and ethnic
backgrounds. Forty-five percent of the class were
women of color, and 22 percent of those were Latina.
“WBENC Energy Executive Program is the
most in-depth oil and gas education program for
diverse suppliers that I am aware of,” states
Phala Mire, President, Women’s Business Enterprise
Council South. “The exposure that these women
business owners received over the course of a
week was invaluable, and gives them a strong
platform of knowledge to access or expand
business opportunities in a historically, male
dominated industry.”
For Michele Ruiz, President & CEO, Ruiz
Strategies, by being a part of this program
there have been a lot of insights into trends and
more. “The areas that corporations are thinking
of procuring, and also frankly how they think
operationally and strategically. That in and of itself
is so valuable because it allows us as women
owned businesses and minority owned businesses
to think about our relevancy and how do we
WBENC Energy Executive Program Class of 2017 with Sponsors and WBENC
at the Robert Training & Conference Center on November 6, 2017.
(L-R) Michele Ruiz, President & CEO, Ruiz Strategies; Teresa
Lawrence, President, Delta Personnel, Inc.; Janet Brewster, CEO,
Brewster Procurement Group, Inc.
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