Poorni’s Story

This statement means a lot to me: my biggest strength is that I love what I do. I love new experiences and I’m excited all the time. I’d say I’m an enthusiastic person and I never stop smiling. I’ve discovered my self-confidence since I started with Shell, and that’s something that hasn’t always been the case throughout my life.

The girl on the left – which is me when I joined Shell, five years ago – used to shy away from performing. But the photo on the right is me last year, taking part in a team-building exercise. I performed the part of a hero character in a Tamil comedy show in front of 200 people. This was my opportunity to believe in myself!

The man beside me in this photo was my manager at the time. During my second pregnancy he was extremely supportive and considerate, for which I am very grateful. It made a huge difference to have that support from him, and I’m thankful to be working for a company that promotes a culture wherein people look out for each one’s safety and well-being.

We took this photo last year on International Women’s Day. I’m very proud to be part of the Chennai Women’s Network. This too has given me more confidence and now, women from all over the business come to me for advice and support. I’m delighted to say that one or two have achieved the promotion I helped them work towards. That really gives me a ‘wow!’ feeling!

We held a creative event where we had to show how innovative we are. We had to come up with a new way of branding and selling fuel. I’m a serious-minded Business Analyst, so I’m always focused on facts and figures! We then had to convince the rest of the delegates about our idea. Despite not thinking of myself as creative, I enjoyed it very much.

Here I am making a presentation about a project I worked on. I’ve changed roles several times during my career and I’m always curious and eager to learn more.

This is me and my team after we went out for lunch. We are all so immersed in complex reporting at work, but we do remember to enjoy ourselves. For Christmas, I arranged a ‘Secret Santa’ game where we each had to perform a dance, sing or read a script. I saw my serious team transform.

Here’s my family and me together. I’m proud to say that a good work-life balance and a safe working environment for women are hallmarks of Shell. We get flexible shift patterns and the ability to work from home and I’ve seen how part-time working has benefitted female employees. We also regularly get to update our managers on our stress levels. It’s great that my voice is heard; personally, I feel Shell is the best place to work for women.