Closing the gender gap with Shell’s #BabaeKasi campaign

Women! Drive The Future ambassadors DJ Riki Flo, Patty Laurel-Filart, Bianca Santiago-Reinoso, Girl Racers Club Directress Rowie Abracero, Michele Bumgarner, and Kelly Misa-Fernandez, along with Shell Payment and Loyalty Manager Tin Cerezo, Shell FuelSave Brand Manager Vanessa Ejercito, Shell Brands and Communication Manager Cherine Capadocia, and Shell Marketing Assistant Alyssamae Nuñez

Shell is among the growing list of global companies committed to inspire change in the workplace by creating opportunities for development that prioritizes the welfare of their staff, most especially women.

Indeed, it is no longer surprising to find women engineers working at Shell’s off shore facilities, or a woman leading one of the energy giant’s oil and gas exploration businesses.

As an employer that prioritizes diversity and equality, and as an active participant of each year’s International Women’s Day, Pilipinas Shell recently initiated the #BabaeKasi campaign to support Filipino women who brave the roads every day.

Jumpstarting the campaign with the Women Drive the Future! bootcamp, Pilipinas Shell gathered various women leaders and role models in a show of solidarity with other women who experience gender prejudice.

Lady racer inspires

Among those invited include professional race car driver Michele Bumgarner who related that in the motoring world, men are still favored. “I just let my driving do the talking. I always say just keep working hard and believe that you are just as capable as anybody else in reaching for your goals,” said Bumgarner who dreams of becoming the first Filipino to finish the premier motorsports competition, the Indy 500.

Held at the Blackbird Restaurant, Nielson Tower in Makati City, the panel also features: Kelly Misa-Fernandez, Patty Laurel-Filart, and Bianca Santiago-Reynoso, members of vlogging platform Baby Barangay.

They were also joined by Rowie Abracero, directress of Girls Racers Club, the country’s first all-female car enthusiast club. She noted how women drivers are often stereotyped as weak: “From experience, I find women just tend to be more cautious, and this is not a bad thing.”

Participants of the boot camp were also treated to a hands-on demonstration courtesy of A-1 Driving School that held a refresher on how to change a tire, deal with a dead battery, and perform lubricant check.

Complex life skills

“Driving is a complex life skill. It entails a lot of multi-tasking, which we know women to be a good at. For anyone to be proficient at it, we also need to educate ourselves,” said A-1 Driving School Business Development head Luna Garcia.

For Pilipinas Shell, the Manila bootcamp is only the beginning, and informed that it will be rolled out to different regions of the country. “We are very positive that through these efforts, we will be able to create a platform to help women take control of their future and gain confidence on the road and beyond,” said Shell FuelSave brand manager Vanessa
Ejercito.

A-1 Driving School Business Development Head Luna Garcia

She also noted how Pilipinas Shell has been actively serving the interests of female customers even prior to the campaign. “We are partners with SM, the country’s biggest retailer, to reward our loyal female shoppers with exciting shopping opportunities every time they gas up. Shell stations are also designed to provide a convenient, refreshing retail experience—from putting up well-appointed comfort rooms, to
offering a wide range of healthy products at Shell Select and deli2go.”

To highlight the many meaningful journeys that these women embark on every day, Pilipinas Shell has also recently released an online video featuring female drivers. With currently over 2-million views, the online video has successfully sparked conversation about gender stereotypes and has encouraged both men and women to vocalize their encouragement for women who drive.