A manager at Geelong’s oil refinery has won a first Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame award exclusively for women.
Viva Energy commercial manager Vanessa Kearney won the inaugural Woman Manufacturer of the Year title at an awards presentation in Melbourne on Monday night.
The annual awards celebrated manufacturing companies and individuals for excellence in business innovation and productivity that contributed to strengthening Victoria’s economy, organisers said.
The new women’s category recognised “outstanding women working in the manufacturing industry, breaking down barriers and succeeding in their careers”.
Refinery general manager Thys Heyns was rapt with Ms Kearney’s “well-deserved accolade”.
“We are immensely proud of Vanessa’s achievement,” he said.
“With more than 23 years of experience in the manufacturing and energy sectors she has played a key role in driving the commercial performance of the Geelong refinery.
“She has also been a strong advocate for supporting women in manufacturing, notably through her sponsorship of the Geelong Refinery’s Women’s Network, which was established to support all women on site, from operators to lab techs and engineers, to develop the skills they need to continually improve and effectively manage their careers.”
Mr Henys called the “tremendous recognition” for Ms Kearny demonstrated the company’s commitment to “drive real change on workplace gender equality”.
He listed other company achievements in gender equality, including official recognition as an “Employer of Choice for Gender Equality” and its implementation of an Australian-first superannuation policy to help reduce the gap in retirement savings.
In 2017 the refinery’s operator intake achieved its first 50-50 male-female split.
Global energy company Vitol launched Viva Energy in 2014 after buying Shell’ “downstream” Australian assets, including the refinery and around 900 service stations. The deal made Viva Energy Australia’s exclusive licensee to the Shell brand.
