Celebrating and Advocating for Equality on International Women’s Day
There has been a growing shift in recent years towards increased diversity and gender equality within the workforce.
At Advance Global Recruitment, we are proud to have a strong company culture that encourages fairness and inclusivity, which translates to a focus on our people and equal opportunities, regardless of gender.
AGR is fortunate to have had such a hardworking team built over the past decade and we are proud to have women make up 50% of our workforce. Several women represent senior positions within the company and our team has steadily continued to grow and develop despite the adversity of the past few years.
Today on International Women’s Day, 8th March 2022, we would like to acknowledge and celebrate the dedication and expertise of the women in our organisation across our offices in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dubai.
We asked a few of the women in our team about what it’s like to work at AGR, their experience within the wider energy industry, and thoughts on what International Women’s Day means to them.
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One of the most recent additions to the AGR team is Heather Loy, Trainee Personnel Coordinator at our Aberdeen office, who had this to say on her experience so far:
“One main reason I truly enjoy working at AGR is because of their integrity. Their moral principles reflect the endless opportunities within the workplace, and I am surrounded by inspirational colleagues that are women that work in higher management positions.”
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Floriza Bascuguin, Trainee Personnel Coordinator at our Dubai office, speaks on her experience within her role and joining the AGR team:
“Recruitment work is new to me as I came from a financial background. However, the team at AGR has been so welcoming that adapting to this new role has been seamless. Everyone here in Dubai shows their support and has been so patient in teaching me the process and giving me insights about the job. The UK team has shared their ideas, and everyone has been continuously inspiring me to bring out the best in myself.
One of the things I enjoy most about the job is the diverse people that I speak with, with different traits and cultures that give me the opportunity to learn a lot of things each day. Finding jobs for people within such a competitive industry also gives me a great sense of purpose.”
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Samantha Wood, Managing Coordinator at our Edinburgh Office, speaks on joining AGR in its early days:
“When I first started at AGR I was the only woman, so thought it would be hard to fit in. However, all the guys made it easy for me to feel like part of the team. It has been great to work with personnel worldwide and see that the oil and gas industry is not just for men. I have seen a massive increase of female personnel since I started 7 years ago.
A favourite quote of mine that sums up International Women’s Day; ‘Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.’
Having a daughter makes it important to me that we take a day to acknowledge and honour women around the world for the contributions we make to society every day.”
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On the meaning of International Women’s Day, Rose Cabilino, Account Manager at our Dubai office, said:
“To me, International Woman’s Day is all about celebrating the accomplishments and success of women while we work more closely together to make structural and social changes so every woman can have equal opportunities. When women support each other and work together, remarkable things can happen.
As one of my favourite quotes says; ‘You must be confident in your ability as a woman and then be tough enough to follow through’.”
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Allana Black, Operations Manager at our Aberdeen office, speaks on the significance of International Women’s Day:
“International Women’s Day is a day we should all celebrate. We should all be proud of what we have achieved and what we aspire to achieve in the years to come.
I think it takes extra courage and effort for women to succeed, especially in a male dominated industry such as oil and gas, however we should continue to break the glass ceiling. I firmly believe that organisations benefit from women holding executive positions. At AGR I am fortunate to have people around me who only want me to succeed, but I understand that not every woman feels the same in her workplace and that must change.
There should be no limits to success, choices, or opportunities and I hope that we continue to influence and empower future generations to be determined and confident that you can achieve your goals regardless of background, education, religion, or culture.”
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The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is #BreakTheBias, which imagines a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination, one that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive, and where difference is valued and celebrated.
As a recruitment company, we would like to think that all candidates looking for work are chosen based on their skills and experience rather than pre-existing bias or discrimination. Sadly, this isn’t yet the case in many sectors.
There is work to be done, but progress is being made towards a fairer and more inclusive working culture for all genders thanks to movements like International Women’s Day.
Today, we are proud to stand with women around the world in calling for an end to gender bias and for greater opportunities for women everywhere.