Hinda Gharbi is President of Schlumberger's Asia Pacific operations. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Hinda directs the operations of Schlumberger's portfolio of service and product offerings in the Asia Pacific region.
Before assuming her current role in July 2010, Hinda was Schlumberger's Worldwide Vice President for Health, Safety, Security, Environment, Global Citizenship and Global Regulatory Compliance based in Paris, France.
In an earlier assignment, Hinda was Managing Director of the Central East Asia market,based in Bangkok and responsible for Schlumberger operations in Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Hinda is originally from Tunisia. She joined Schlumberger in 1996 as a wireline field engineer in Nigeria after earning a Master's Degree in Signal Processing and an Engineering Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (INPG) in France. Over the years she has held a variety of positions around the world including roles in Engineering,Personnel, Operations and Technology.
Expat Women's Interview with Hinda
Expat Women:Hinda, to be the President of Schlumberger's Asia Pacific operations is noteworthy by itself. But to be in such a senior position so young, and as a woman in a traditionally male field, is indeed impressive. What roles or projects in your career do you think really boosted your climb to your current position?
Hinda: I link my career progression to the way our company manages people. It is an organization driven by merit and as such accepts diversity in thought, origin and gender.
Multiple assignments in different disciplines around the world, and being able to make the most of each role, is certainly another key factor in my personal growth. I started as a field engineer - a very hands-on role in a quite challenging environment, mostly on offshore rigs and in unfamiliar countries. This role called for versatility and also a capacity to work with teams under very strong operational pressure.
I have also been blessed with working with great mentors throughout my career and this has been very helpful.
One piece of advice I give many of our new employees is to take some risk when considering career moves. Early in my career, I was offered not-so-obvious assignments a few times and I took them. This was a great way to be thrown in the deep end, to learn fast, and to succeed on unfamiliar ground. It definitely tests your ability to adapt and to deliver.
Expat Women:In your industry, do you think international assignments are essential for career advancement?
Hinda: Given how global the oil and gas industry is, having the opportunity to work in different environments has a lot of value. In the service industry in particular, the key is to provide a consistent service around the world regardless of whom you work for. Therefore, the ability to transfer knowledge from one part of the world to another is very important. Having an early exposure to international assignments gives a person great capacity to adapt to different environments and gain a very broad understanding of the industry.
Expat Women:Having been a recruiter and Human Resources (HR) manager within Schlumberger, what do you think HR teams look for when they are recruiting for positions abroad?
Hinda: In Schlumberger, we recruit new undergraduates and graduates around the world, we develop them internally, then they get sent to different international assignments. What we look for are qualities of versatility, adherence to our values of diversity, good team spirit, a "can do" attitude and a capacity and willingness to work in different cultural contexts.
Expat Women:What have been some of the challenges that you have encountered in your overseas assignments and how have you overcome them?
Hinda: Moving with a young family and having a demanding job presents some challenges. However, once the logistics are sorted out, you do start settling-in well, overtime.
In my early years, I had some challenges when dealing with teams set in their ways and people who have been doing things in a certain manner. Not having the right cultural sensitivity could make it very difficult to introduce change. I have made some mistakes and learnt from them, mostly through listening and choosing the right lieutenants for change in my teams.
Expat Women:What would be your top five pieces of advice for women thinking of accepting a work assignment abroad?
Hinda:
1.
There's an element of risk in accepting an international assignment. It is therefore very important your move overseas fits with your life plans. Uprooting the family, and putting a strain on the career of the partner, in some cases are very challenging matters and could be hard to manage.
2.
I would also advise professional women seeking such assignments to look upon these opportunities as a way to enlarge your horizons and have a completely different perspective on a business, and in some cases, on the entire industry.
3.
Understand the company business in whatever new country you are going to, and where it is going. This is important so you can foresee any changes ahead of time.
4.
Leverage women's and professional networks. Do not try to learn everything on your own.
5.
Finally, in every culture there are things to celebrate and others to grapple with. I try to see the positive in every culture I work in - it is the only way to truly connect with your people and have a better impact on your business.
Expat Women: Finally, which overseas location have you enjoyed living in the most and why?
Hinda: Well I have always enjoyed working and living in Paris - it is a city I am familiar with and France is a country where I did my university studies, and therefore, I have lots of friends there. My family also enjoys the culture, the language, the food and the overall atmosphere of France.
Expat Women:Hinda, thank you very much for sharing your insights and experiences. Congratulations on your career achievements and we wish you all the very best in Malaysia and for all your future work assignments!
