Women's empowerment
Providing opportunities to women is something we are very passionate about. Through partnerships with institutions and organisations we are helping women make a difference through education, knowledge sharing, training and skills development. The programs we support go beyond the individual benefiting, they add value and encourage growth and empowerment amongst the wider community.
Programs
Global Women in Management
Since 2006, ExxonMobil has helped 64 Papua New Guinean women attend the Global Women in Management (GWIM) training program. The ExxonMobil-led program is supported by our Women’s Economic Opportunity Initiative and run by Plan International USA. The program provides participants with the opportunity to network with other like-minded women, strengthening skills in areas such as project and financial management, proposal writing, leadership and advocacy. The selected attendees are advocates for driving change in their own communities and benefit from sharing their experiences and challenges.
PNG hosted its first-ever GWIM conference in 2014, inviting 26 Papua New Guinean women from across the country to participate. In 2016 we sent the largest number of participants to training overseas with nine women training in Indonesia.
Advancing PNG: Women Leaders Network
The Advancing PNG: Women Leaders Network (APNG: WLN) was formed in 2014 to provide PNG GWIM alumni with an environment that brings like-minded women together to support ongoing efforts in developing strong leadership, innovation and advocacy in PNG. The network is a membership entity, women who have attended GWIM training are eligible to become a financial member. Our contribution is helping the network grow their organisational capability through human resources and implementing systems, processes and policies to effectively deliver their vision.
Business and Professional Women’s Club Scholarship Program
We are helping young women seek further education through a scholarship program with the Business and Professional Women’s Club. The program assists financially disadvantaged women wishing to undertake tertiary studies. With the support of its partners, over 1,600 women and girls have benefited from the program and now have an education and skillset to progress their careers. In 2014, our partnership with the Club led to the formation of the Decie Autin Engineering Scholarship for Women. Named after the former PNG LNG Project Executive, Decie Autin, the scholarship aims to encourage young Papua New Guinean women to undertake engineering studies.
PNG Women’s Forum
We are an advocate for creating economic opportunities for women. Our support of the PNG Women’s Forum provides funding to improve national policy affecting women in PNG. The US Embassy led forum addresses topics such as leadership and mentorship, safety and security, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment. Through our support we are contributing to women leaders fulfilling their potential. We have been a pioneer supporter of this program since its inception in 2014.
Business Coalition for Women
We are a proud member of the Business Coalition for Women and are working together with companies and corporate leaders to drive positive change for women and businesses in PNG. As a member, we hold a representative seat on the Business for Women Coalition Board, have representatives on various committees and participate in a range of forums, seminars and activities that enhance positive change for women and businesses in PNG.
Women in Business Expo
To harness economic opportunities for women, we contributed funding to the PNG Women in Business Expo held in Port Moresby in 2015. Over 400 female small business owners participated in the expo, including Global Women in Management alumni. Women had the opportunity to showcase their products and services, with the expo highlighting the entrepreneurship of PNG women.
Women in Energy Network
Apart from the external initiatives we support, we also have an internal focus on empowering and supporting women. The Women in Energy Network (WEN) is an ExxonMobil-led initiative that was established to support and encourage professional growth of women working with ExxonMobil PNG. The network encourages the career development of women to ensure they are empowered to achieve their fullest potential and provides an environment for women to share knowledge and experiences.