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Hilde van der Pas, managing consultant, Shell Global Solutions International BV, plays a key role in the organisation’s centre for hydrocarbon management. But, when she spoke to Impact, she was also passionate about her role in promoting cultural diversity within the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies (Shell) and the positive influences this work has had on her team and family.
Van der Pas is responsible for hydrocarbon management development and heads refinery improvement studies for Shell Global Solutions’ customers. Refinery improvement studies are a cornerstone of our business, explains van der Pas. They can help to identify substantial new opportunities for our customers, and there are often ways that Shell Global Solutions can assist with follow-up work. We bring in our global experience, successful practices and creative solutions to find better ways of exploiting hydrocarbons in the refinery and increasing the refinery’s margins.
It is not easy to embark on a refinery improvement programme; we start with a blank sheet and look at a refinery from a fresh perspective to find new opportunities. You do not know what the end result will be, and so, initially, the customer may be sceptical. But it is all worthwhile when we arrive at the final presentation and I see the delighted faces of our customers.
Although van der Pas has always been interested in technical subjects she studied chemical engineering at university she also enjoys languages. With a German mother and a Dutch father, she benefited from a multilingual upbringing.
After her studies and travel in Eastern Europe, van der Pas joined Shell. She has enjoyed a varied career that has led to her visiting many countries. I love to travel and experience different cultures, continues van der Pas. Early in my career I ran a training programme for Chinese operators in Germany, which was a great experience. Over the 27 years that I have been with Shell, I have had similar experiences with numerous people of different nationalities, some of whom I still keep in contact with.
Shell actively encourages diversity, and one of my roles is to promote cultural diversity and inclusiveness. It is personally fulfilling, helps everyone to feel involved in the company and makes good business sense. The broad cultural mix in Shell teams gives us a good understanding of regional etiquette and business practices, which is important, as we are offering our services to an increasing number of companies across the world. One of my recent customers identified the understanding of cultural differences as a definite factor in the success of the programme we provided for them.
Working part-time for many years, van der Pas shared family responsibilities for her three children with her husband. She concludes, This was a key enabler for the success of my career and helped to maintain a proper work life balance. | 