Abbigale Loncke elected Chair of ‘Women in Oil and Gas’

Guyanese women have formalised their approach to securing a seat at the table of Guyana’s burgeoning oil sector through the election of the executive members of the Women In Oil and Gas Guyana (WIOGGY).

At their annual membership meeting, businesswoman and founder of Loncke Group, Abbigale Loncke, was elected to serve as the first Chairwoman.

In an invited comment to the News Room, Loncke outlined that the organisation affords its members the ability to gain a comprehensive overview of the emerging energy sector in Guyana and basic skills needed for personal and professional development.

To achieve this, Loncke said the first step is for women to have an understanding of the sector to better position themselves to benefit from it.

“We believe in education and the only way to get women involved in the oil and gas sector is to help them to understand what the sector is all about.

“So we are planning to roll out a number of drives to bring awareness to the sector, the opportunities available, and these are going to be opportunities that women can tap into,” Loncke told the News Room on Thursday.

Loncke said the organisation will be kick-starting its first event on July 3, 2021 – a virtual career day and job fair – to give an outline of the oil and gas-related companies with job openings that women can take up.

“Our core principle is to train and develop women in the oil and gas sector, developing their abilities so that they can hone their skills and excel in the sector. We want to be able to provide mentorship for women already involved and those who are interested,” Loncke relayed to the News Room.

She added too that this will help to motivate younger girls to get involved, not only in the technical side of oil and gas but the business and procurement side as well.

Membership with the organisation also allows women to be empowered by women colleagues in the oil and gas sector, explore current and future opportunities in this emerging space and network to improve their business and professional endeavours.

The WIOGGY elections also saw the appointment of several other prominent businesswomen to serve on the Board, including Dr. Melissa Varswyk as Vice Chairwoman; Adele Acosta as Secretary and Michelle A. Nicholas as Director of External Affairs. (Shikema Dey)