Gender equality and empowerment of women working in oil and gas sector were discussed at the forum in honor of the 5th Anniversary of “Munaishi Kyz” women’s club at NC “EmbaMunaiGas” JSC. The event was attended by representatives of Tengizchevroil (TCO) and other oil companies, government agencies, public and activists of the feminist movement.

TCO Deputy General Director Konilkosh Suyessinov spoke about company’s efforts to maintain gender balance: “Building values and open corporate environment in which every employee can understand their strengths and realize their potential regardless of their sex, age, education, religion, culture and ethnicity – “Tengizchevroil is guided by such principles”.

Mr. Suyessinov also noted that activities done by communities such as “Women's Employee Network” (WEN) encourage women to demonstrate leadership skills and develop them during master classes, lectures and motivational meetings with outstanding professionals. This year, the WEN activists initiated a Mentoring Program for Women, where experienced leaders become mentors for young female leaders. Currently, 5 mentors and 14 women who have taken a leadership position for the first time are attending the program.

In addition, in TCO in 2022, the MARC (Men Advocating Real Change) educational program was introduced. Objective of this program is to understand and personally motivate employees and managers to take actions to improve gender equality and promote a culture of diversity and inclusion in a workplace and beyond. Currently, 130 people are participating in the MARC program. The program participants meet 10-12 times a year to discuss and resolve issues related to diversity, inclusion and gender equality.

“In TCO, all policies and procedures are aimed at providing equal opportunities to all employees, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, education, religion and culture ”, - highlighted Kamshat Baizhanova, TCO General Manager of Human Resources Management department.

TCO commitment to development of an inclusive culture relates not only to the company itself, but also covers Kazakhstani business partners. So, back in 2020, a training was conducted on “Improving competitiveness of suppliers by empowering economic rights and opportunities of women” for representatives of domestic small and medium-sized businesses, within framework of a joint program with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The value of an inclusive work environment is that people with different experiences, knowledge, and values in the same team complement each other synergistically. Understanding of such value by heads of various departments and implementation of appropriate changes step by step leads the company to success.