While there are great policies currently in effect in Guyana to include and empower women in development, SLB’s Managing Director, Sharlene Seegoolam, believes that an excellent policy can only be borne from diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“Giving equity in the same space is not a checkbox, it is not a nice social initiative, it is not just the right thing to say to your employees—it is, in fact, an effective and therefore necessary business strategy or, in the case of a country, a nation-building strategy,” Seegoolam said during a panel discussion on Women’s Leadership at the 2025 Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown.
Seegoolam further explained that Guyana’s Local Content Policy also ensures that women and medium-sized businesses are given a “fair shot” in procurement processes. Over the last few years, these groups have seen remarkable growth in the sector.
“We are seeing more of them graduate and wanting to stay and work here. What that means for me personally, in my organisation, is that since we started recruiting five years ago, the face of my organisation in Guyana now, compared to five years ago, is completely different,” she explained, noting that SLB employs 76 local staff, 40 per cent of whom are women.
Now, SLB is working to employ persons with disabilities.
“Understanding that everyone contributes something means you start having better opportunities to build governments, businesses, and communities,” Seegoolam stated.
Also on the panel was Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Sonia Parag, who commended the enthusiasm with which the local private sector has been working alongside the government in the development of women.
Regarding government initiatives, Parag spoke about the various farmers’ groups formed by women and noted:
“The government has set up agro-processing facilities in various communities to empower women, as well as shade houses where women’s groups plant, contribute, and earn an income.
“Obviously, we can do more. I don’t think we ever stop at one point and say, ‘this is enough,’” Minister Parag stated.
Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, also joined the conversation to discuss the empowerment of women through land ownership across the country.
“If you look at the allocations we have done in the last four years, 18,000 single women now own land in Guyana.
“So, these are 18,000 women that we have empowered by making them homeowners very early in their lives,” Rodrigues highlighted.
Meanwhile, Supply Chain Manager for ExxonMobil Guyana, Hayley Gilbert, said the oil giant is dedicated and committed to the development of each of its employees.
“Our compensation and assessment processes are all designed to drive unbiased outcomes, but it is not enough to stop there. So, we have several different employee resource groups designed to support the development of employees across the board—one of which is our Women’s Resource Network, along with structured and unstructured mentoring,” Gilbert explained.
Mentorship, Gilbert said, is equally important in ensuring women have equal opportunities.
“I have been fortunate enough to be part of these mentoring programmes, and when you think about a career as a marathon and not a sprint, being able to build up that network and have teams, peers, and colleagues you look up to and rely on has been foundational to my personal success.”
To the women in the audience attending the Energy Conference, Gilbert urged them to believe in themselves, encourage other women, and have the courage to seize opportunities.
“As women, we need to make sure we are encouraging ourselves and our peers to have just enough courage for 10 minutes—to raise our hands and volunteer for the opportunity or to say yes when the opportunity presents itself.
“I encourage all our women here, and others, to make sure you have enough courage in the moment to say yes. Remember that you also possess infinite intelligence, and when things get tough, call on those around you.”
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