The African Energy Chamber has applauded the appointment of Taelo Mojapelo as the chief executive officer of British Petroleum Southern Africa. Mojapelo succeeds Priscillah Mabelane who was the first South African woman to head a multinational oil company.
“The appointment of Taelo Mojapelo is a motivating move by BP Southern Africa,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “At the Chamber, we have been extremely vocal about the increased participation of women in the oil and gas sector, particularly in leadership positions. We applaud BP for its continued commitment to supporting this move and we look forward to seeing other oil companies follow suit.”
The appointment is an encouraging step towards promoting the inclusion of women in leadership positions in the oil sector, a move strongly supported by the Chamber which is a signatory of Equal by 30, a commitment by public and private sector organisations to work towards equal pay, leadership and opportunities for women in the sector by 2030.
Prior to being named the new CEO of BP Southern Africa, Mojapelo was the head of optimisation and supply at the company and had previously held several leadership roles in multinational companies including, Mondelez International, Kellog’s and DHL.