Shell - Truly Leading by Example

Ruth Cairnie is a woman who epitomises what she preaches. After 30 years working for the Shell Group, working across a number of different disciplines and in many different countries she now mentors other women and leads by example.

She is a great advocate of Shell’s many initiatives to help women not only recognise their potential but also to capitalise on it.

Having started in the research division of the Group when she was just 23, she is now Vice President responsible for global sales of commercial fuels in 63 countries. But she is also a mum of four, having managed to balance the demands of family and business.

Ruth said: ‘Shell has always been very progressive in encouraging women to make the most of their potential, but it is not complacent.

‘It recognises a huge opportunity exists to do better by its female members of staff. We have some incredibly talented women who are not sure what to do about their careers. There are real challenges about how to balance work with children and a family life and because we’re a global organisation, there is also the challenge of handling travel. But Shell is determined to do whatever it can and give whatever support is needed to help unleash the huge amount of talent women possess, which can only be of benefit to the Group and the women themselves.’

A Women’s Network has existed in Shell in the UK and many other locations for many years and Ruth is a sponsor, giving senior management advice and taking part regularly in development sessions. She also takes part in a mentoring scheme where she gives regular one to one coaching.

But such has been the success of the scheme that there are more women who want mentoring than there are mentors. To address this, ‘mentoring circles’ have been introduced where one mentor can hold sessions with around a dozen people at a time.

Ruth has used hers to concentrate on political savvy and leadership styles, areas which have proved very popular - ‘There is a unique dynamic when you get women altogether and discuss issues openly. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere and the women have said they’ve really benefited and been able to put the advice to good use in a number of ways, not least their annual performance reviews. I really enjoy these sessions and I learn a great deal from them. Those taking part really benefit from having a friendly open environment to discuss issues they’d never otherwise have the chance to during their normal working day.  We want to create a climate where more women get to the top. This has been a particular focus for Shell over the last ten years and has improved representation to 11.6 per cent of the top jobs in the organisation.  We want our staff to reflect our customer base and in some countries more than 50 per cent of our customers are women,’ said Ruth.

Currently living in Epsom, and working at Shell’s London base, Ruth is committed to a future with the organisation and to helping numerous other women realise their true potential.