ConocoPhillips China President Bill Arnold Named Male Ally of the Year at the 2021 Women Empowerment Awards in China

BEIJING –  Bill Arnold, the president of ConocoPhillips China (COPC), received the Male Ally of the Year Award at the 2021 Women Empowerment Awards in China today (June 18), in recognition of his outstanding efforts to champion, sponsor, and advocate for women in leadership. Since assuming the role of president, Bill has undertaken a range of informed actions to promote gender equality at COPC, in line with the company’s commitment to building an inclusive workplace.  

(Mr. Bill Arnold, president of ConocoPhillips China, accepting the Male Ally of the Year Award at 2021 Women Empowerment Awards in China on June 18)

Arnold revealed during the summit that his personal commitment to female advancement was fuelled by a conversation with his niece 22 years ago, who was at the time a young aspiring engineer struggling to enter the industry as a woman. “I realized that if my talented niece was facing discrimination in the workplace, then countless other women must be too. My niece’s personal story made me change. As a man with growing leadership roles in the industry, I had the ability to use my influence to make a difference—and I felt an obligation to do so.”   

(Mr. Bill Arnold delivering a speech at2021 Women's Economy Summit)

Since Arnold came to China in 2018, he has worked closely with COPC employees to deeply embed gender equality and inclusion into the company’s culture and vision. Inclusion was included as a China Business Unit (BU) key strategic plank and D&I (Diversity & Inclusion) goals were established as annual milestones. Besides, through introducing regular women-only discussion-based workshops, Arnold encourages female employees to speak face-to-face with him about challenges and opportunities at the workplace, providing an accessible and safe atmosphere to voice their concerns. This allows the company and him to better understand their perspectives and develop appropriate policies.  

Mr. Bill Arnold and Representatives from COPC Leaderhip Team, Inclusion Team and Communications Team at the awards ceremony

ConocoPhillips actively monitors diversity on a global basis, publicly reports representation of women in leadership roles and continuously improves processes and practices to ensure equal opportunities in the workplace. This includes incorporating inclusive practices across talent acquisition, talent development, performance management, goal settings and other processes. COPC is proud to have achieved 50 percent women in the workforce, and more than 47 percent women in supervisor and leadership positions, despite being in a traditionally male-dominated industry.    

COPC’s efforts to empower women and promote gender equality is further supported by various self-initiated platforms and activities, including employee-led committees and clubs, team appreciation moments, leadership commitment videos, gratitude challenges, annual family day events and diversified employee volunteering activities.  

“To me, every interaction is an opportunity to promote a better culture around gender equality,” Arnold shared during the summit.  

(Mr. Bill Arnold and women employee representatives at the summit)

This echoes ConocoPhillips’ belief that each and every individual is accountable for creating and sustaining an inclusive work environment that reflects the different backgrounds, experiences, ideas and perspectives of its workforce.  

To drive forward the agenda of gender equality and empowerment of women, ConocoPhillips has placed particular emphasis on three pillars that guide its actions and drive progress: leadership accountability, programs & processes, and awareness. A global D&I council, made up of top senior leaders, was set up to advocate, advise and serve as ambassadors for D&I across the company. This has led to the introduction of flexible working arrangements, inclusive working spaces and a wide range of actions and policies to ensure that the company’s D&I values are reflected throughout its operations.

(Mr. Bill Arnold, president of ConocoPhillips China, together with female employees at the event - “Talking with the President – Caring for Women at the Workplace")

“We hope that the next generation will never have to think about this, that it won’t be an issue because of the groundwork we are laying today, that unconscious bias will eventually go away. That’s my vision, that’s also the vision of ConocoPhillips,” Arnold conveyed during the event.  

At ConocoPhillips, we acknowledge that it takes ongoing commitment to make sustainable progress. Both the company and Arnold will continue to strive for a more inclusive workplace by living the company’s SPIRIT Values, leading from the top, enhancing awareness, sustaining progress and adhering to high standards for diversity and inclusion. Inclusion is a journey, and we are always on the way.

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About ConocoPhillips  

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, ConocoPhillips had operations and activities in 15 countries, $84 billion of total assets, and approximately 10,300 employees at March 31, 2021. Production excluding Libya averaged 1,488 MBOED for the three months ended March 31, 2021, and proved reserves were 4.5 BBOE as of Dec. 31, 2020. For more information, go to www.conocophillips.com.

Contacts  

Catherine Liu

ConocoPhillips China

(8610)59184525

Catherine.Liu@conocophillips.com