Women's Global Leadership Conference set to attract 700

HOUSTON -- Resiliency, optimism and perseverance will be resounding topics for attendees of the 12th installment of the Women’s Global Leadership Conference in Energy on Oct. 27-28 in Houston. Registrations are on track to exceed 700 attendees, mostly female, in the oil and gas sector.

Keynote addresses will be given by two industry leaders: Michele McNichol, CEO of Wood Group Mustang, and Vicki Hollub, senior executive V.P. of Occidental Petroleum and president of Oxy Oil & Gas. Setting the tone for the conference, which aims to further the professional development of women at all levels in their career, McNichol will share insights and experiences from her personal journey to becoming CEO of a global energy service company and will encourage and inspire attendees to reach for their career aspirations. Expanding on the theme of resiliency, Hollub will discuss how Occidental is positioned to not only meet the challenges of today’s lower commodity price environment but also to profitably grow its operations in the Permian Basin.

Other topics to be explored include the state of American energy, the regulatory environment, the future of unconventional plays, sustainability and the environment. In addition, the Women’s Global Leadership Conference provides insights on advancing career opportunities for women in oil and gas with panel discussions featuring executives from Schlumberger, Chevron, Rockwater Energy Solutions, GE Oil & Gas and BHP Billiton, among others.

Presented by Gulf Publishing Company, the conference agenda is developed by an advisory board of professionals representing various industry segments and career stages in the oil and gas and ancillary industries. Board Chair Susan Ganz, corporate public relations manager – western hemisphere of Schlumberger, said this year’s conference offers a powerful agenda of executive women sharing realistic insights relevant to the state of the industry today.

“We have a lineup of impressive presenters who will share their current-day perspectives and discuss how to stay positive in challenging times, while also giving a glimpse to the future outlook,” said Ganz. “While the downturn in the industry is not a new event for many attendees, it is a time to support each other and examine ways to keep career growth on track in a constantly evolving industry.”

Two dynamic authors will also address conference attendees and share advice from their research-based business books. Sally Helgesen is co-author of “The female vision: Women’s real power at work.” The book reviews specific methods in which women can use the way they view the world to tap their strategic leadership power. Dr. Pamela McCauley is a nationally recognized speaker and author on leadership, innovation and STEM education. Her book is titled “Transforming your STEM career through leadership and innovation” and includes practical advice on leadership development.

Sustainability and the environment are the topics of two sessions. Dan Domeracki, V.P. of government and industry affairs at Schlumberger, will present an update on sustainability and environmental reporting. A panel discussion on the ever-changing regulatory maze will also review some of the issues impacting the industry.

John Royall, president and CEO of Gulf Publishing Company, said conference registrations are strong this year despite the industry’s downturn.

“It appears that budgets for leadership development and learning have not been as strongly impacted as some other areas of the industry,” said Royall. “Our conference provides discussions from high-profile industry leaders on important topics such as sustainability, diversity and professional development – which are timeless and crucial to the industry.”

The Women’s Global Leadership Conference in Energy will be held October 27-28, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Houston. For more information and to register for the conference, visit www.wglconference.com.