The inaugural meeting for the Women In Fuel networking and support group is taking place on October 8, dovetailing the Forecourt Trader Awards which is being held minutes away, and later on the same date.
Shell is hosting the gathering at 3.45pm at its head office on the South Bank of the River Thames. The oil giant’s general manager of mobility and convenience UK Janine Albrecht will be taking a question & answer session on why she entered the industry and what she likes about it.
“There will be drinks and a bit of light networking, with a chance for us to find what people want from the group,” says Clare Lafferty, sales director at MyAutomate, owner of the PetrolPrices app, and one of the group’s two founders.
There are now nearly 40 women signed up to the group – including Penny Petroleum’s chief executive Vicky Smithson, and BP’s head of fuel sales UK Natalie Cattermole.
Co-founder Naomi Short says that the take-up is a strong enough foundation to start looking into regular meet-ups, and to create content to share on the group’s Linkedin, as well as perhaps distributing a newsletter.
“We want there to be some sort of engagement once a month, maybe a write-up on a bio of a member, or an interview with a member sharing their journey,” says Short, senior relationship manager at mobility payments specialist Attenda.
“Then ideally we would like to look at holding quarterly regional workshops, with speakers. But first, October’s meet-up is aiming to get more information about what people want out of the group,” she adds.
“We’re not trying to alienate men and are so grateful that several have been helping us to get the message out there,” says Short. “It is about creating stronger connections and greater opportunities for women, while contributing to a more diverse, welcoming and successful fuel industry for everyone.”
If you would like to attend the gathering email: clare@womeninfuel.co.uk or naomi@womeninfuel.co.uk
