Sixth Annual LEWAS Women’s Leadership Forum, patronized by Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa of Bahrain

Sixth Annual LEWAS Women’s Leadership Forum, patronized by Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa of Bahrain

LEWAS Virtual Awards and Symposium

Sixth Annual LEWAS women’s leadership forum to convene virtually this October, calling on global energy leaders to celebrate resilience amidst uncertainty

Minister of Oil, Bahrain to give opening keynote address; call on leaders at every level for a global dialogue on cross-sector resilience

Hundreds of delegates from around the world, representing energy companies, institutions, and academia will gather for the sixth LEWAS Virtual Awards and Symposium held under the Patronage of His Excellency Shaikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Oil, the Kingdom of Bahrain from 27-29 October.
In line with the theme “Resilience Reimagined: Leading People Through Change”, the three-day free to attend the event will be a platform to discuss cross-sector resilience aimed at women, male champions, and organizations in the energy sector and beyond.
Now in its sixth edition, The Leadership Excellence for Women Awards and Symposium (LEWAS) engages, empowers, and elevates issues that are at the very heart of the energy industry; addressing the gender gap, stereotypes, and inclusion challenges.
Senior industry executives, as well as an international energy, talent, and diversity experts, will be among the featured speakers at the symposium, including:

  • Anna Mascolo, President – Global Aviation, Shell
  • Hanapiah Farehana, VP – Global HR, Petroliam Nasional Berhad PETRONAS
  • Dr. Julia Maria Sperling, Partner, McKinsey & Company
  • Dr. Sammy J Showail, Strategy & Market Analysis, Saudi Aramco
  • Marwa Al-Khuzaim, Managing Director, Aramco Singapore
  • Laurent Tainturier, Senior Vice President, BASF EUE, Emerging EMEA Africa, Middle East, Russia-CIS & Turkey, BASF
  • Vidir Ragnarsson, Group Head – People Analytics, Reykjavik Energy
  • Gisele Widdershoven, Managing Director – Accenture Security; Gallia Inclusion & Diversity Security Lead, Accenture Security
  • Wafa Bader Alothman, Team Leader – Strategic Planning, Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC)
  • Eboni Adams Monk, Global Marketing Director, ART Hydroprocessing

“This event has consistently transformed the space for women in energy in the Middle East,” said H.E. Shaikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Oil, Kingdom of Bahrain. “The timing of this event couldn’t have been better. We are meeting at a challenging time in the energy sector. The solution we will look for; will have to be in a diversity of voices. We must empower our societies by having more women at the helm of institutions especially in the energy sector”.
Reem Al Ghanim, Chair of the LEWAS Committee added “We are at an exciting phase. From starting out as a working group that focused on championing women in the Middle East, we are now taking the conversation to a global platform; diving deeper on hard-to-discuss issues for women leaders in energy. At LEWAS this year, we want to celebrate the spirit of resilience across all sectors. The pandemic has affected the entire globe and we need to come out of it stronger. We can do so by getting together and learning how we’ve grown more resilient in the way we lead our teams, manage our projects, and sustain our organizations’ strengths”.
The LEWAS Virtual Awards and Symposium is backed by BAPCO and Saudi AramcoBASF is a platinum sponsor, Bahrain Chemical Engineers are partners and supporters include The National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA), Gulf Downstream AssociationWorld Petroleum CouncilSociety of Petroleum Engineers, and Pink Petro.
This year, for the first time ever, the LEWAS Symposium will invite widespread participation with several live-streamed, interactive sessions to elevate a range of voices and drive deeper engagement across all sectors and regions.

About LEWAS:

LEWAS began in 2013 with the objective to Engage, Empower, and Elevate women in energy. Since its inception, it has recognized and honored women who are not only making a mark but are also being an advocate for women empowerment in the Middle East. The platform celebrates women who have consistently pushed boundaries having shown excellence by producing tangible and path-breaking leadership traits, raised the bar for gender diversity, and finding new avenues to address inclusion issues.