ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 22

it is still a male-dominated industry, there are a lot more
women than there were 15 years ago, " Ball said, adding
that she feels the lubricants industry has been welcoming to
women.
Serra-Holm said greater awareness is needed to attract
women and men. " Throughout my 11-year academic career,
I only saw the word 'lubricant' twice. I had absolutely no
idea, and I have a very technical education, " she said. " How
can we expect someone who doesn't have a technical education to know what lubricants are? "
Both Serra-Holm and Cisneros use their experiences to
attract young women to math and science. " I take every
opportunity to go into my daughter's school to do career
days, " Cisneros said. " I can see that not many, but one or
two, girls' faces light up, and I can tell I have connected. "
Cisneros said most people don't understand how critical
the petrochemical industry is. " We literally make the world
move, " she said. " It is a very interesting industry that is
constantly changing. "
During classroom visits, Serra-Holm tries to explain what
lubricants are in a tangible way. " That is part of my mission, " she said, adding that during classroom visits, she takes
various objects and lets students guess where the oil is in a
playful way. " Increasing the number of women goes hand
in hand with attracting more women into STEM subjects.
It is difficult to see women in the industry if women aren't
studying technical subjects. "
Today's female leaders encourage others to take on new
challenges. Harm said taking on roles outside of her comfort
zone earlier in her career was beneficial. " Spending time in
sales and marketing instead of staying purely technical gave
me an excellent cross-functional background that has been

MAY 2021

| COMPOUNDINGS | ILMA.ORG

of value in leadership positions, " she said. " I believe if you
show up, make a positive difference, recognize that you are a
part of a bigger team and endeavor to support those around
you, opportunities will present themselves, and your career
will most certainly benefit. "
Murphy-Smith encourages others to take those leaps of
faith and cross-develop early in their careers. " The move
from fuels to base oils exposed me to more aspects of Motiva
and helped me gain a better appreciation of the multifacets
of our refinery-centric business, " she said, adding that she
encourages other women to be open to taking on more risks
and new challenges. " Get out of your comfort zone and be
vulnerable. "
Women shouldn't be afraid if they are the only one
in a team with a lot of men, Serra-Holm said. " If you're
surrounded by people different than you, there is more to
learn, " she said. " The most important thing is finding your
passion and finding something you're good at. "
Serra-Holm doesn't shy away from the challenges that
many working mothers face. " You have to face a lot of negative judgment from people who think because you travel,
you're a bad mother. Then you have your own judgment
that is even tougher than everybody else's, " Serra-Holm said.
" Having two children, having my family and my husband's
families in different countries and trying to take care of my
job while raising the children is not easy. "
It is crucial to be resilient. " You're always struggling with
if you're good enough. There are times you aren't good
enough, but I think you really accept those moments of
weakness and then be pragmatic and step up and find a way
forward, " Serra-Holm said.
One year, she attended a gala dinner after presenting at
a conference and winning an award. She brought her two
young children to the dinner, and a woman approached and
thanked her for bringing her family. " She said that during
the afternoon, her boss had used me as an example of what
she could achieve if she would put her desire to build a
family aside. She said she felt like crying when I came to
dinner with two small children in tow because her boss was
speechless, " Serra-Holm said. " You don't need to choose, but
you must be prepared, because it is not easy. "
As for industry associations, which can set future-focused
examples and lead the charge for change within petrochemicals and lubricants, Alfano is seeing a positive shift. " The
association world in what used to be the male-dominated
petroleum industry has definitely become more diverse, " she
said, " and we're seeing the leadership in those boards has
changed dramatically. "
Long is a freelance writer and journalist. She can be reached at
925-750-7163 or mindy@mindylong.com.

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