25 October 2018 I Kingdom of Bahrain
Under the Patronage of His Excellency Shaikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Oil, Kingdom of Bahrain

About the LEWAS Symposium

The LEWAS Symposium was created when a group of women decided there needed to be a forum in the GCC that provided a place to: celebrate women’s achievements, learn from well-respected women, have an opportunity to network, and improve upon knowledge.

This year, the one-day symposium took place at the Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre on 25 October 2018.

LEWAS Symposium

LEWAS 2018 Highlights

LEWAS 2018 Awards and Symposium was transformational as women in the Oil & Gas industry gathered at the Bahrain International Convention and Exhibition Centre to engage, empower and elevate. The one-day event cemented the ongoing drive to support, accommodate and recognize women in engineering who are taking lead and tackling barriers such as entering the workforce, the lack of retention and the need for promotion.

Held under the patronage of His Excellency Shaikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Oil, Kingdom of Bahrain, the event was supported with an excellent lineup of speakers from the Saudi Aramco, KNPC, Bapco, GPIC, Exxonmobil and many more. Over 250 men and women in Oil & Gas attended the symposium to learn tips on personal leadership, hear from women of empowerment in their sector and celebrate women’s achievements.

LEWAS Awards Winners 2018

Rising Star Award Winner Esra Alkhadhar Alhosani Instrumentation and Control Engineer,
ADCO - Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations
Leading with Excellence Award Winner Fatima Sharif Warehouse Supervisor,
GPIC
Woman of Achievement Award Winner Dr. Meena Marafi Executive Director, Petroleum Research Center,
Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR)
Academic of Distinction Award Winner Dr. Valerie Eveloy Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
PI - The Petroleum Institute (Part of Khalifa University of Science and Technology)
Academic of Achievement Award Winner Safiya Khalil Student,
PI - The Petroleum Institute (Part of Khalifa University of Science and Technology)
Corporate Champion Award Winner Dr. Ali Abdullah Al-Meshari Manager, EXPEC Advanced Research Center & CEO, Saudi Aramco Upstream Technology Company,
Saudi Aramco
Corporate Excellence Award Winner Tata Consultancy Services Tata Consultancy Services

Chairperson

Chairperson Reem Al Ghanim HR Leader,
Saudi Aramco

Steering Committee Members

Steering Committee Member Aisha Al Mehrezi Manager, Energy Optimization & Management,
ADNOC
Steering Committee Member Dr. Anissa Sedjerari Research Center Liaison Officer, Innovation & Economic Development Department,
KAUST Catalysis Center
Steering Committee Member Claudia Hardt Communications & Marketing Manager,
GDA - Gulf Downstream Association
Steering Committee Member Fatema Husain Process Engineer - Technical Services Department,
BAPCO
Steering Committee Member Dr. Ghada Salama Instructional Associate Professor,
Texas A & M University
Steering Committee Member Haifa Marzooq Superintendent Operational Excellence Department,
BAPCO
Steering Committee Member Heba Ismail Team Leader - Strategic Planning,
Q8 - Kuwait Petroleum International Ltd
Steering Committee Member Dr. Iván Martén Senior Partner and MD, Vice Chairman, Energy Practice,
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Steering Committee Member Dr. Miasser Al Ghamdi Sr. Manager (A), Computation and Reaction Modeling, ESD,
SABIC
Steering Committee Member Noor Talal Specialist, Marketing & Communication,
GDA - Gulf Downstream Association
Steering Committee Member Shamael Al-Sharikh Team Leader - Corporate Communications,
Q8 - Kuwait Petroleum International Ltd
Steering Committee Member Wadha Ahmad Alkhateeb Manager Technical Services,
KNPC
Steering Committee Member Zainab Al-Mohsen Supervisor Laboratory,
Saudi Aramco

Symposium Speakers

Speakers Abdulaziz M. Al-Judaimi SR VP Downstream, Downstream,
Saudi Aramco
Speakers Dr. Abeer Al- Olayan Senior Petroleum Scientist EXPEC-ARC,
Saudi Aramco
Speakers Basem Issa Ahmad Alissa Deputy CEO, Admin and Commercial,
Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC)
Speakers Dr. Dawood Nassif Board Director,
BAPCO
Speakers Ebrahim Talib Deputy Chief Executive,
BAPCO
Speakers Eithne Treanor Managing Director,
E Treanor Media
Speakers Faaeza Alkatheeri Geo-science Manager,
ADNOC
Speakers Fatima Sharif Moosa Supervisor,
GPIC
Speakers Mae S. Al Mozaini Manager, Research & Advisory, Corporate Affairs,
Saudi Aramco
Speakers His Excellency Shaikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa Minister of Oil,
Kingdom of Bahrain
Speakers Muna Al Suwaidi Vice President, Human Capital Division,
ADNOC Refining
Speakers Nabil K. Dabal Human Resources Executive Director,
Saudi Aramco
Speakers Naila Haider E. Baqer Team Leader, Market Research,
Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC)
Speakers Najla Baeshen Senior Civil Engineer,
Saudi Aramco
Speakers Dr. Pinar Yilmaz Advisor, External Projects Upstream,
Exxonmobil
Speakers Dr. Rania Al-Jurf Supreme Council for Women
Speakers Dr. Rawa AlJarallah Assistant of Vice President for Academic Affairs. Director of Evaluation and Measurement Center,
KU - Kuwait University
Speakers Reem Al Anbari CFO,
ADNOC
Speakers Reem Al Ghanim HR Leader,
Saudi Aramco
Speakers Sam Thiara Professor,
Simon Fraser University
Speakers Sarah Baradah Head of Legal Affairs ,
SATORP - Saudi Aramco Total Refining & Petrochemical
Speakers Suleman A. Al-Bargan Vice President, Domestic Refining & NGL Fractionation,
Saudi Aramco
Speakers Suleyman M Ozmen Sr. Consultant,
Independent
Speakers Ulrike von Lonski Director of Communications,
WPC - World Petroleum Council

LEWAS 2018 Award Categories

The Leadership Excellence for Women Awards (LEWA) is an award program dedicated to recognizing professional excellence in women from the Oil & Gas Industry, working in the GCC. LEWA celebrates women who demonstrate innovation, leadership, and talent, in both academic and business sectors of the energy industry. There are seven award categories, dedicated to women who have achieved distinction in academia, the industry, and technical experts.

The Awards Ceremony took place on the 23rd October 2018 at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay.

LEWAS Awards

Academic Achievement

A young woman in University who demonstrates academic excellence and leadership, and is majoring in Science and Engineering in the Energy field

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Academic of Distinction

A female academic professional with 10 or more years of experience in the Science and/or Engineering department in the Energy industry who is known to actively promote the field.

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Rising Star

A young professional woman with 3-5 years of experience in the Energy industry and a degree in Science or Engineering.

more

Leading with Excellence

A professional woman with 5-15 years of experience in energy: Science/Engineering.

more

Woman of Achievement

A professional woman, with 15 years or more of experience in energy: Science/Engineering.

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Corporate Champion Recognition

A professional male with 10+ years of experience who has gone above and beyond to develop and support women as professionals and potential leaders.

more

Corporate Excellence Recognition

An organization that has excelled at initiatives to encourage, advance, hire, and retain women through inclusive hiring and development practices.

more

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