In the LNG industry, more women are achieving at higher levels than ever before. And with these advancements, women are bringing greater value to the industry by providing experience, knowledge, education and viewpoints that are enhancing our businesses, our communities and our energy future.
The Power Play initiative was developed in 2016 to recognise these advances—to shine a light on these remarkable women and focus on everything they bring to the LNG table. What started as a one-off event kick-started a movement. Attendees forged connections, developed collaborative relationships and ultimately created even more value for the LNG industry.
More Power Play events were organised, the concept snowballed, and thus, in 2019, the Power Play Awards programme was born. By all accounts, the inaugural Power Play Awards programme was a tremendous success, and by 2020, the Power Play movement was flourishing.
But then, in what seemed like an instant, we all confronted a whole new world together thanks to the global pandemic. We all faced unexpected adversity, new working conditions and separation from friends, coworkers and colleagues. It reminded us all that powerful communities are not defined by places, but they are powered by people, purpose and very human connections.
This means the Power Play movement is as important now as it has ever been. In fact, as new challenges emerge, the LNG industry needs everyone around the table, working together toward common goals. In this light, continuing to champion diversity and inclusion in our industry is not simply the right thing to do—it is what needs to be done.
That said, with the objective to highlight those in the industry, the Power Play Awards has redefined the importance of recognition, support and empowerment, especially for newcomers and smaller players, through the announcement of the 2021 winners.
Power Play winners
The 2021 Power Play Awards programme is divided into four categories: The Rising Star Award, The Ambassador Award, The Pioneer Award and The Conqueror Award. This year’s winners exemplify the sought-after characteristics for their chosen award category. The winners by category are:
The Rising Star—presented to an outstanding female professional, aged 35 or younger
- Tolulope Ijitona, Instrumentation Engineer at Nigeria LNG Limited, Nigeria
The Ambassador—given to a professional who displays positive energy and collaborative leadership while inspiring those around them
- Candace Jimerson, Senior Director of Commercial LNG Operations at Golden Pass LNG, US
The Pioneer—awarded to a professional who has delivered outstanding business results or innovation and technology leadership
- Sandra Antonovic, Chief Operating Officer at Reflex Marine Ltd, UK
The Conqueror—recognises a female professional who has overcome challenges in the workplace, particularly in light of the 2020 pandemic
- Hilary Ware, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Cheniere, US
The winners were recognised during an in-person and virtual ceremony at Gastech 2021 in Dubai, UAE.
This year’s Power Play Awards received submissions from individuals representing more than 139 companies from across 36 countries. The winners were then selected through a two-part process.
Nominations were assessed by an impartial panel of 12 international experts from across the LNG value chain. This included last year’s award winners: Jill Evanko (Chart Industries), Mervin Azeta (Schlumberger) and Tolulope Longe (Nigeria LNG). The panel was also joined by Dena E. Wiggins (Natural Gas Supply Association), Elizabeth Vazquez (WeConnect), Frederic Barnaud (Pavilion), Martin Houston (Tellurian), Natalia Camba (National Petroleum Institute), Ohoud al-Baker (Qatar Petroleum), Stuart Broadley (the Energy Industries Council), Tebogo More (Avon Peaking Power) and Yao Li (SIA Energy).
In addition to the panel-based judging process, members of the LNG community had the opportunity to vote for one finalist per category during a period of community voting, resulting in over 17,800 total votes. Community votes accounted for a portion of the finalists’ overall scores. The individuals with the highest combined scores were selected as the winners.
Thanks to the collective efforts, leadership and brainpower that goes into each Power Play Awards programme, the LNG community is growing into the future together, stronger than ever.
Congratulations to the 2021 Power Play Award winners and finalists, and thank you to the judges, community voters and supporters for helping recognise the advances of the LNG industry!
Learn more about the 2021 Power Play Awards and winners: https://www.ExxonMobilLNG.com/Power-Play/Power-Play-Awards.
Disclaimer - Nothing in this material is intended to override the corporate separateness of local entities. Terms such as “we”, “our”, “ExxonMobil LNG Market Development, Inc.” or “ExxonMobil” are used for convenience, and may include any one or more of Exxon Mobil Corporation or any affiliates they directly or indirectly steward. ExxonMobil, the ExxonMobil Logo, the Interlocking “X” Device, and all other product names used herein are trademarks of ExxonMobil unless indicated otherwise.
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