Here in Vallourec we work every day to transform our company into a diverse place for everyone. Proof of this is that, in recent years, we have implemented various initiatives to promote equality and create more growth opportunities for the women in our team. Check some of them out:

1. Women's Mentoring Program, designed to empower women's careers.
2. Women-Focused Affinity Group.
3. Women's Talk Rounds + Diversity Dialogues held in the areas.
4. Inclusive Leadership Primer - chapter on gender equity.
5. Mamãe tá On | Accompaniment of mothers returning from Maternity Leave.
6. Flexible Breastfeeding Hours until the child is 8 months old.
7. Financial Consulting for Women Entrepreneurs (partnership with Coovall).
8. Lectures on mental health and self-management of tasks (Conviver Program - Vallourec Foundation Partnership).
9. 94% of the Vallourec team agrees that the company promotes psychological safety and an environment that welcomes and fosters "the diversity of women". Source: Vallourec Diversity Census 2022.

Career Development: Our Commitment

Since 2019, Vallourec has held the Mentoring Program for Women with the objective of mapping talents and generating even more growth opportunities for women. In the first edition of the program, 56% of the participants showed career development, taking on management positions or moving to strategic areas and/or positions of greater complexity in the Company. The second edition ended in March 2022 and, so far, 26% of the participants of that class have already had a similar career development.

We are in the third edition of the Mentoring Program for Women and, so far, we continue to achieve excellent results. Last semester, for example, 28 female employees, called mentees, were inserted in the program. This is equivalent to a 56% increase in the number of participants compared to the first edition, held in 2019. In addition to the growth in the number of participants, we also observed that, during the current cycle, two female employees took on management positions in the company.

And the novelty of this edition is that the employees who participated in previous editions as mentors have now taken on the role of mentors. In other words, all the learning can now be transmitted and shared with more women. It is one empowering the other!

Lucimar Almeida, manager of the Talent Management area at Vallourec South America, reinforces that since 2019, when the Mentoring Program for Women was launched, women in leadership positions have increased from 9% to 14% of the workforce.

Inspiring Stories from Amazing Women

A more diverse and inclusive work environment, with respect for people, guides us in our daily search for equity, doesn't it? Here in Vallourec, we recognize the hundreds of women who make our history happen every day. How about getting to know and honor the story of some of them? I am sure that it will motivate you to continue writing your success story.

First, let's learn a little bit about Sara Xavier's story, an area manager in the Operations Management department at VTS - Serra (ES). Sara started her career at Vallourec as a trainee and, in a protagonist way, she always tried to take advantage of every opportunity for her professional growth. "As soon as I saw the headline in the local newspaper 'A multinational company sets up in Serra/ES', I thought: this would be a dream achievement. After all, I was looking for my first job and I was selected for the first operational team at VTS. It was the beginning of a dream come true", she points out.

And Sara took very good advantage of her opportunities to grow in Vallourec, working with a feeling of ownership, dedication, and a lot of delivery. Attentive to the opportunities, she invested in her studies and, as she expanded her knowledge, more opportunities presented themselves. Check it out:

Knowledge opens doors, doesn't it? But putting it into practice can be even more empowering. Sarah Andrade, team leader of the Sales BackOffice team for the External Market, in the Barreiro unit (BH/MG), knows this very well. She started her career in Vallourec as a trainee in June 2006 and, at the end of the same year, she was hired as an administrative assistant. "I have always accepted the challenges proposed by the company with a lot of energy and willingness to learn. In 2015, I got very close to the IT and Sales team, when I also started to act as a key user. From then on, I was involved in projects that taught me a lot," she recalls her trajectory with optimism.

For Sarah, the secret to keep growing is to be in constant learning. With the commitment to keep the customer always happy, Sarah recognizes the challenges and, when faced with every opportunity, she invests in solving problems through single-team behavior.

Paula Magalhães, a civil technician in Infrastructure Engineering at the Jeceaba/MG unit, knows her life purpose very well. With a lot of focus and commitment to her career, she has been reaching her goals more and more.

For Beatriz Reis, an engineer in the Raw Material team of the Steel Mill, in Jeceaba/MG, having opportunities is as important as knowing how to recognize them. Beatriz started her career in Vallourec as a trainee and today she is the only woman working in the team. And it was through her participation in the Gembas and her commitment to collaborating with people that she realized she could make a difference and develop herself.

Have you seen so many inspiring stories? Vallourec believes in the potential and protagonism of the team of women and is seeking to implement more and more initiatives that boost the career of each one of them and contribute to our performance. For 2023, we will invest in internal and external operational development focused on women, in the technical development of women in the operational areas through internal programs, ensuring affirmative positions for women (including interns and young apprentices), among other actions. Let's go together?