When choosing which organisation to work for, finding an inclusive employer has widely become the deciding factor for the next generation, ahead of high salaries or employee perks.
Inclusivity is an area ChampionX has prioritised and continues to encourage and develop across its culture as part of the company’s commitment to improving lives. This includes a focus on creating safe environments where colleagues are respected, valued, and seen for who they are as individuals.
As a global leader in chemistry solutions and highly engineered equipment and technologies that help companies drill for and produce oil and gas safely and efficiently around the world, ChampionX employs more than 7,000 personnel globally. Its RISE (Recognise, Inspire, Share, Engage) employee resource group was created to help the company become an industry leader in gender equality by inspiring all associates to promote a culture of diversity and inclusion. The Europe chapter was launched in 2018 and has developed a strong community through collaboration and shared best practices, formal mentoring programmes, and other professional development events, like unconscious bias training.
With a background in nuclear safety, process engineer Holly Pearson joined ChampionX at the start of the pandemic two years ago. She is also the professional development lead for ChampionX’s RISE Europe chapter, which has seen around 40% of European employees become members since its inception, including a growing percentage of male members.
To celebrate International Women’s Day 2022, Holly is championing her employer as an excellent example of a company breaking the bias on a daily basis to support other women into energy and engineering.
What drew you to pursue a career in engineering?
Engineering is the ultimate problem-solving job, and I have always been interested in understanding how things are made and work. Real world examples in maths and science classes were probably what first inspired me, even before understanding chemical engineering as a profession. I feel lucky that I managed to understand what chemical engineering was before applying for university, otherwise it would have been very easy to overlook it as an occupation. It never seemed to come up in any career advice discussions. I think this is something that is improving now, which should hopefully see more young women applying for engineering courses and working in the industry.
What does your job typically entail?
The variety of my role is one of the things I most enjoy about it. Every day is different, depending on the priorities at the time. Some of the staple tasks involve new product introduction, deciding on the best location to manufacture a chemical based on plant capability, estimating standard costs, working on engineering projects such as the installation of new blend vessels at our Aberdeen plant, root cause analysis investigations on manufacturing quality issues and auditing plants for advanced filtration capabilities.
What type of D&I activities are you involved with?
D&I is something I’m passionate about, so I am thankful for the opportunity I have had to become the professional development lead for ChampionX’s RISE chapter in Europe. We are helping drive awareness of gender gaps and promoting the conversation around D&I within the company. The focus and passion that ChampionX clearly has for these important issues was something that initially drew me to working with the company as well. I’ve really enjoyed being part of RISE and organising events on topics like Courage Training, which has received great feedback from those involved and has now been held in other regions.
Have you noticed these types of programmes making a difference?
Definitely. Initiatives both inside and outside the workplace are encouraging younger girls to remain interested in maths and science and are promoting engineering to young women pre-university. I think it is a slow progress, but changes such as these take time, especially when there is a shift in societal thinking involved. However, I believe my positive experience as a woman in an engineering role at ChampionX could help incentivise more women to join the industry. Children need role models that they can relate to, so seeing a female engineer talk positively about their job can have a lasting impact when you are young and influences the future of women in the industry.
