Åshild Hanne Larsen, Head of Subsurface Excellence & Digital.
Photo: Equinor
Embracing equity on International Women’s Day — and every day
Imagine a gender-equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
In Equinor, where equity is part of our name, we want to bring that world closer, celebrating the women in our workforce — on Women's Day, and every day.
Unfortunately, the reality is that we still have too few women colleagues in Equinor. We need women’s passion, expertise, creativity, perspectives and determination to create change — just as we need them from diverse and passionate people around the world, whatever colour of the rainbow they may be.
That’s why we care about attracting and promoting new female talent, raising awareness about discrimination, taking action to drive gender parity, and celebrating women’s achievements.
To mark International Women’s Day and support the global campaign theme #EmbraceEquity, we invited four of many talented Equinor women to share their reflections on International Women’s Day. What do equality and equity really mean for them, and for Equinor?
Partnering for progress
“Arne”-Åshild Hanne Larsen
VP Subsurface Excellence & Digital Equinor | EDLOTY runner-up 2023 | CIO100 2021 | CIO of the year Europe 2019 | Leader of the Year 2019
Åshild Hanne Larsen has a string of accolades to her name after an illustrious career in Equinor. She has risen through the ranks to become Head of Subsurface Excellence & Digital and an award-winning technology executive recognised as a thought leader and speaker within the IT/technology area. But you might be surprised to discover how she began her career.
International Women’s Day is truly a day to be thankful for the progress achieved by the women (and men) who came before us, and to think about how each of us can make a difference in the years to come.
Åshild Hanne Larsen
Åshild Hanne Larsen writes:
“To me, IWD and women’s rights is connected to personal memories of my grandmother, who told me how she loved learning, but was denied further schooling after 7th grade because her brothers were prioritised instead. Instead of letting this disappointment shape her, she grew into a strong, independent woman who married, had a family, and achieved a leadership position in healthcare. She has always been my number one role model.
My first job in Equinor more than twenty years ago was as an offshore catering assistant, working on an oil rig with kitchen, laundry and cleaning duties. Since then, Equinor has provided me with amazing opportunities and allowed me to take on exciting roles in HR, IT and the Subsurface – several of which I on paper had no qualifications for, but was given the chance to grow into.
But what I did have – perhaps thanks to my grandmother - was the courage to say “yes”, the willingness to learn, and the role models and sponsors who inspired and challenged me to make it happen. It’s been a steep learning journey – and I would not have been able to do it without the trust and support from my role models and sponsors – male and female.
Åshild Hanne Larsen with her grandmother
Private photo
The actions that can make a difference
If we want change and improvement when it comes to gender diversity, equity and inclusion, I believe we must attack it from three angles:
First, we need to engage more men in actively supporting women. Men play a key role in promoting gender diversity. Men can really help create a more inclusive and equitable world for everyone.
Second, women need to step up their support of other women. We can speak up for each other, create new opportunities by recommending female colleagues, and celebrate their achievements.
Finally, women need to proactively challenge and help themselves. I set clear career goals and was proactive in seeking out mentors and new challenging tasks. I have a network of supportive women around me where we celebrate successes together. And most importantly, I stopped wasting energy on trying to be someone I am not, and embraced just being me.
The gender diversity gap is a challenge we can only solve together, across genders, companies, societies and nations. Let’s work together to make it happen!
In 2022, Åshild Hanne Larsen added the man’s name “Arne” as a prefix to her name, along with many leading women executives in Norway — including then Prime Minister Erna Solberg — as part of a campaign to highlight gender disparity in leadership positions. There were as many men called “Arne” in the top 100 executives as there were women.
By adding “Arne” to their names, they were referring to a scene in the Norwegian television series “State of happiness” (“Lykkeland”), in which lead character Anne conceals her gender in a job application to the oil industry, misspelling her name deliberately as “Arne.”
I would like us to take the conversation one step forward, moving beyond equality to talking about equity. What can each of us do to ensure equity in our processes, deliveries, and culture?
Kristine Rønneberg
Head of Diversity & Inclusion
#EmbraceEquity: Kristine Rønneberg
Kristine leads Diversity & Inclusion in Equinor, developing and driving the D&I roadmap. Focused on building an inclusive environment and diverse workforce that will enable Equinor's ambition and strategy. In this role, Kristine is responsible for embedding D&I into key people processes, measuring and reporting on progress, and making D&I part of culture, behaviours and leadership.
“Working with diversity and inclusion in Equinor, I get a lot of questions about the difference between equity and equality, and I wanted to share some reflections on this.
Equality is about treating everyone the same so that everyone has the same opportunities. While at first glance this sounds great, the truth is that treating everyone the same does not always ensure equal opportunities. Because we are all different. We have different lives, backgrounds, caring responsibilities, and needs. And this is what equity is about.
I like this simple example: If the aim of a group of people is to travel from A to B on a bicycle, equality is about giving everyone the same bicycle. But because some people are shorter, or taller, or sitting in a wheelchair, giving them the same bicycle doesn’t really give them the same opportunity to travel. So a bicycle tailored to fit their needs would be better. That’s what we mean by equity.
This illustration is based on the original 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s "What is Health Equity" graphic.
I would like us to take the conversation one step forward, moving beyond equality to talking about equity. What can each of us do to ensure equity in our processes, deliveries, and culture in Equinor? How do we interact with our partners, suppliers, and local communities?
I have to admit that I hold stereotypes and biases about people myself, so I try to break them down.
I try to be open to listening to my colleagues, external network, and friends when they share stories about experiences that are different from mine, and them bring them into my job and how I work, engage, and communicate.
The need for an International Women’s Day is still highly relevant in countries where women do not have the same rights as men, such as the current fight for women’s rights in Iran. We must never take women’s rights for granted. And even in 2023, policy changes and dictatorships are impacting women’s rights to education, health, and their own bodies.”
I could have easily written a high-level, nice, empowering article for International Women's Day. That would have been easier and less personal. And I would have certainly felt less vulnerable on pressing the publish button on LinkedIn. But it would not have felt honest. And honesty is vital.
Hannah Mary Goodlad
Head of Baltic Sea Area Development at Equinor
Redefining Women: Hannah Mary Goodlad
Head of Baltic Sea Area Development at Equinor
“When I was a little girl, Saturday mornings were all about heading out to feed our two tiny Shetland ponies. Rain, snow, or wind, we would be out there suited and booted accordingly. It was precious time with my dad, rattling around in the back of his pickup truck, soaking up the lyrics of the all-time greats – Emmylou Harris, Patsy Cline, Joan Baez, and of course, Dolly Parton.
Country music still strikes a chord in my heart, and as my horizons have expanded, so too has my repertoire. One of the latest bands I’ve discovered is the Highwomen, and their debut song back in 2019 was “Redesigning Women.”
It’s a song about women, acknowledging all of our attributes and achievements whilst not shying away from our flaws. It celebrates everything about us that makes us powerful, unique, and wonderfully female. To be honest, it could easily be the soundtrack to International Women’s Day.
Gender-based obstacles, be they small or large, are everywhere. Even today, women have to navigate the workplace in a different way from men. It’s better than it used to be, but better is no reason to stop.
Throughout my life at work, I have had challenges that have hurt. Heard things that have stung a little more. And I choose to share this because we often don’t talk about it in detail - the stuff that hurts, the stuff that chips away at you and takes time to heal.
“You’re too intense, you’re not bold enough, not brave enough, speak up, but actually on reflection - you’re too loud, know when to say yes, know when to say no. Lean in, step up, step down, make room, take room, you’re too quiet, tone it down, you’d be a great mother, focus on your career for now. Be more assertive, be less aggressive, you’re tough, you didn’t take a strong stance here…”
We will all have our own lists. Lists of advice served up that contradict and confuse. Lists that are reserved for women. With all these diverse and apparently opposing incompatible traits, it’s a wonder women can function at all.
And, like many other women, I have been the butt of inappropriate jokes, comments that cross the line, and looks that diminish you, every time.
I encourage you to ask yourself this — how many times do we all stay in situations or stay silent in cases where we’re clearly uncomfortable so that we don’t make other people uncomfortable? We make excuses for behaviour when it’s inexcusable. That’s a conversation that has to be held and heard. Women are not fair game.
I could have easily written a high-level, nice, empowering article for International Women's Day. That would have been easier and less personal. And I would have certainly felt less vulnerable on pressing the publish button here on LinkedIn. But it would not have felt honest. And honesty is vital.
Let’s start to tackle the problem to ensure that all feel comfortable being their full self at work. So for as much as I love them, I disagree with the Highwomen. Women don’t need redesigning. Work does.”
I want to be a ‘Company Man!’: Larissa de Farias Nunes
Well Completion Engineer at Equinor | HPHT Stavanger, Rogaland, Norway
I hope that one-day “gender gap” becomes an obsolete term that doesn’t make sense anymore. Although change is slow, it is coming. For example, I’m lucky to have a woman who was the world’s first female directional driller as my manager.
Larissa de Farias Nunes
Well Completion Engineer at Equinor | HPHT Stavanger, Rogaland, Norway
“I remember my high school years when I first said I wanted to be an engineer. It seemed like the obvious choice because I enjoyed maths, chemistry, and physics. But people said, “Why engineering? That’s a male profession.” Fortunately, my parents supported me, and I decided to follow my dream and become a petroleum engineer regardless of the opinions of others.
My first impression of my university years in Brazil was, “why are there so few female professors?” But during my bachelor’s degree, I fell in love with the Drilling & Well discipline. We’re the ones who drill and maintain the wells that produce the energy we use in our daily lives. I remember one of my (male) professors saying, “drilling and well is not typically the path that women take in the petroleum industry, but you should probably do it; you will have fun.” Finally, I got the encouragement I needed!
I got my bachelor’s degree and moved to Norway to take my master’s in Drilling & Well. As I got used to my role as a graduate in the petroleum industry, the gender gap in the younger generation seemed way less obvious than in the older generation of professionals.
In my day-to-day job, I still notice the gender gap, but I also see incredible female leaders. For example, I’m lucky to have a woman who was the world’s first female directional driller as my manager.
To my surprise, the first time I went offshore, the Drilling Supervisor was a woman — that means that a woman had the role of “Company Man” — which is still the standard industry term for the operating leader in offshore operations! That day I felt inspired and full of hope; I too could aim for such a position. Gender has nothing to do with getting the job done.
Things are changing: more women are aiming to become engineers, more female professors are teaching the next generation, we have female “Company Men,” and we have inspiring female leaders.
International Women’s Day is important to make us reflect on and celebrate progress, but also to reinforce that we are not there yet. There’s still work to be done. By being a role model and helping end stereotypes for the next generation. I hope that one-day “gender gap” becomes an obsolete term that doesn’t make sense anymore. Although change is slow, it is coming. The future looks bright!”
Vice President | Head of M&A and Insights at Equinor
Men play a key role in promoting gender diversity. And by providing mentorship and sponsorship for women in the workplace and taking concrete actions to address gender inequality, men can help create a more inclusive and equitable world for everyone.
One of them is Equinor Vice President Per Arne Solend, who celebrates Equinor’s women in his post on LinkedIn:
As an industry, we need to continue focusing on gender balance to increase the representation of women within energy. Diversity isn’t just about doing lip-service to values; it adds value.
Diversity and equality are not only fundamental human rights; they are also good for businesses and economies. According to “The Pipeline: Women Count 2022,” companies where more than a third of their executive teams are women, are on average 10 times more profitable than companies with an all-male executive team.
In Equinor, we have worked systematically with gender balance through our HR processes, including recruitment, development, and leadership. We partner with the ODA network in Norway, and our internal Women’s ERG supports events and training, encouraging more women to choose technology careers.
What’s your perspective? Are you inspired to make a difference? Then why not share this article on LinkedIn or other social media, and help spread the word: #EmbraceEquity
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