Women and Technology 2020

Pursuing many paths to gender balance.

Diversity is an imperative at Schlumberger. We know that combining myriad cultural, educational and other perspectives makes us open-minded and inventive.

Gender is a fundamental part of diversity, and for 25 years, achieving gender balance has been the focus of study, policy and action in Schlumberger. We’re proud of our accomplishments to date, and we need to do more.

We’ve learned a tremendous amount about the subject of gender balance in those 25 years. For one thing, we know how important role models are in attracting the next generation of talent. Each year, between International Day of Girls and Women in Science and International Women’s Day (February 11 – March 8), we take the opportunity to highlight some of the many successful women working in engineering and science roles throughout our organization. In 2018, Schlumberger had a recruitment target of 40% women into those roles worldwide. We met that goal for two years running.

As all of our trainees discover, Schlumberger provides some of the most rigorous structured development in the industry. Through mentorship and career guidance, employees are encouraged to explore their potential, and to grow personally as much as professionally.

Encouraging women to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) vocations is also a priority for us. For example, the Schlumberger Excellence in Educational Development (SEED) takes a grassroots approach to enable educators in underserved communities where we live and work to engage their young students in science and technology, particularly in robotics and coding. At the other end of the education spectrum, the Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future program awards fellowships to women from developing and emerging economies to facilitate PhD or post-doctoral research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at leading universities worldwide. Graduates typically return to their home countries where they become powerful role models, inspiring girls and women to pursue science-related careers.

We aim to support female employees at all stages of their careers, and ensure that women are positioned to realize their full potential in the company. This requires greater flexibility in the way we work. Our Dual Career policies help mobile couples manage their career planning together. We are a founding member of the Permits Foundation, which for almost two decades has campaigned globally for improvements in work permit regulations to make it easier for partners of expatriate staff to gain employment. We’ve also instituted a family friendly maternal and paternal leave policy.

Together, women and men in Schlumberger are helping to lead the change that will further promote gender balance. The Connect Women global discussion forum, for example, holds workshops to guide women through the technical career ladder.

We invite you to read the profiles below, and learn about the careers and personal adventures of just some of our diverse women.