First lady of Petrobras

By GARETH CHETWYND Rio de Janeiro

 24 February 2012 01:31 GMT

MARIA das Gracas Foster became the first woman to head an oil major when she took over as Petrobras chief executive earlier this month, but it was the merit of her 32 years of experience with the company, rather than anti-discriminatory milestones, that created such a positive buzz around the appointment.

A chemical engineer and post-graduate in nuclear engineering, Gracas Foster’s Petrobras experience includes 15 years as a well engineer and stints heading the petrochemicals and retail divisions of the company.

More recently, she turned round the loss-making gas and energy division, where she also demonstrated an enthusiasm for the paradigm-shifting capacity of ­offshore liquefied natural gas.

Those who have met Gracas Foster describe her as an able and hard-working individual who likes to base her decisions on empirical data and rational analysis.



Highly focused “She is a lion in the workplace, extremely…

Become an Upstream member!

Membership includes a subscription to our weekly newspaper providing in-depth news from the energy industry, plus full-access to this site and its archives. Still not convinced? Try our free trial.

Already a member?

Login

Upstream share price index