My career in Halliburton has progressed far beyond what I could imagine when I was hired as a laboratory engineer in 1981. One can truly state that I entered a very male-dominated industry that was in its infancy in Norway.
As I am approaching 30 years of tenure with Halliburton, I have evidently enjoyed the environment. Looking back, my close to 30 years can pretty much be split into three eras.
The first 10 years I worked in very technical positions, gaining insight into the fundamentals of our business. Engineering, business development and offshore work were the name of the game. I developed client relationships that are the basis of a network that is still active today. I was blessed with numerous colleagues who taught me much of what I know and of whom many still are my colleagues.
I got my first management position in 1990 in a foreign country – the United Kingdom. Although not very far in distance, the business culture was different and my learning curve was steep. It was hard work and long hours, but I was persistent in my pursuit of exercising my own leadership style. I think many of my colleagues today will testify that this is true. I was given the opportunity to practice my leadership in several countries in various arenas.
For the last decade, I have been the country vice president for our business in Scandinavia. Together with my management team and with support from our executives and our engaged and skilled employees, we have collectively succeeded and developed the business in Scandinavia. It has been a fabulous journey, and we are proud of our achievements.
It is my sincere hope that I can serve as an inspiration to other females. I fundamentally believe that organizations and corporations function better when the workforce has a gender balance. It is important that each position is populated by the right person irrespective of gender.
I have been fortunate in that over the years, I have been “seen” by Halliburton executives and they have demonstrated tremendous faith in me. At the level I have reached in my career, it is my turn to acknowledge future (female) leaders.
