Aradel Holdings Plc, Nigeria’s foremost indigenous integrated energy company, celebrated its female workforce at its International Women’s Day 2024 Event.

The event, organised by the Aradel Women’s Network, brought female staff together from across the company’s three locations to inspire, bond and share their experiences. Present at the event were Ms. Patricia Simon-Hart, Mrs. Olanike Falade, members of the Aradel Executive Leadership Team, and the guest speaker, Mrs. Alero Onosode.

Mrs. Alero Onosode, is the Managing Director, AAO-Tsalach Ltd, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Women in Energy Network (WIEN), and a seasoned human resources expert with global experience in leadership and human capital development in the energy sector. She addressed the 2024 IWD theme, Inspire Inclusion.

Mrs. Onosode advised that the journey of diversity, inclusion and equity starts with each individual being inclusive towards others while constantly checking our respective attitudes to ensure we are not perpetuating the very thing we are advocating against. She also encouraged the ladies to be careful in how they tell their respective stories.

Drawing from our five senses, she advised that “what we see in ourselves determines the actions that we will take and how we present ourselves to the world. If you don’t see your strengths, you allow other people to define them for you. As the journey of inclusion is not a lone journey, you need to see things in others and enlist partners who can go on your journey with you”. Mrs Onosode concluded by saying “we start the journey of inclusion ourselves and we use ourselves to change the world around us”.

Ms. Simon-Hart, an Independent Non-Executive Director of Aradel Holdings Plc, Founder and Managing Director of Aftrac Limited and one of the founders of the Women in Energy Network (WIEN), aligned with the keynote address, saying “it is time to inspire inclusion, and it starts with ourselves. In inspiring inclusion, the most important thing we can wear is confidence. We must prepare to be confident so that our voices will be heard. We must also prioritise listening with listening ears, an open mind, and an empathic heart so everyone feels acknowledged and no one is left unseen”.

Representing the Senior Leadership of Aradel Holdings Plc, Mr Adegbola Adesina – Chief Financial Officer said that, “I am a committed gender champion at Aradel Holdings. While we have made significant strides in deepening inclusivity at Aradel, more needs to be done and the spotlight created by International Women’s Day is very welcome”. Mr Temitayo Ogunbanjo – General Manager, Refineries added “today is the international day for men to listen to women. There is no man that will not accede to the strength of women and to every woman here, we see you and we appreciate you. Please don’t stop reminding us of who you are”.

In the closing remarks, Mrs Olanike Falade charged the ladies that “inclusion is bigger than us, wherever we find ourselves today we need to see beyond ourselves and consider how are we shaping our world. As women, we impact our environment whether we realise it or not, so we should make our impact consciously, gracefully, and intentionally”.

Aradel Holdings Plc continues to take positive and intentional steps to deepen inclusivity and diversity across all areas of the business, in alignment with the company’s core values. In the words of the women of Aradel Holdings Plc, “We are women, we are strong, and we are unstoppable”.