Narel Gimenes Ferreira
MBA’21D
Brazilian
I'm Brazilian, the eldest of two sisters, born and raised in the countryside of São Paulo. While my sister and I grew up, my father travelled frequently for work, while my mother took on the toughest job of all—caring for us and our home!
At 17 I moved cities to study Chemical Engineering at The State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), where I was incredibly fortunate to meet and live with the most amazing women, who became my best friends and are my support group until today!
After graduating, I moved to Rio de Janeiro to join Shell's Oil and gas Operations and engineering team. I worked for Shell for seven years as a Process and chemical Engineer in offshore oil and gas exploration and production. I had a highly technical role, leading operations improvements and engineering projects on oil and gas platforms off the coast of Brazil—literally working and living in the middle of the sea!
Although I came from an engineering background and had studied mostly in male-dominated classes, Shell was the first place where I realised that being a woman brought additional challenges to progressing in my career.
That was when I decided to join a women’s support group for the first time, and fortunately, Shell already had one! Right before leaving Shell to pursue an MBA, I was managing a team of five engineers and had led projects across Brazil, Russia, and Kazakhstan.
I earned my MBA from INSEAD in 2021, splitting my time between Singapore and France, and since March 2024, have been working as a Manager at Ampersand Partners, a boutique consulting firm with the mission of supporting clients in achieving net zero and accelerating the transition to a sustainable future.
Here, I primarily work with utilities, energy companies, and large energy users, such as data centres, helping them become greener and decarbonise.
In my personal life, I have been practising yoga since I was 24 and became a certified instructor through the International Yoga Alliance in 2021. Yoga is essential for my mental well-being and balance, empowering me to navigate life's daily challenges with strength and resilience.
Have you witnessed any changes in gender dynamics over the course of your career?
I cannot say this is the norm, but in many places, I see men becoming more aware of gender differences and the privileges they hold, and often trying to support the women around them.
Unfortunately, I still feel that I often have to prove my abilities more than my male peers—to show that I am a good engineer, can deliver projects, manage and develop my team effectively, and that I am ready for a promotion.
I believe this is related to unconscious biases that are inherent to human nature—we connect more easily with people similar to ourselves. Whether it is due to background, having studied at the same school, living in the same city, or simply being the same gender, we unconsciously trust and relate to those with similar experiences. However, as conscious individuals, we have a responsibility to recognise these biases and challenge them.
We should always ask ourselves: Would I question her engineering or management abilities if she were a man?
Would I doubt whether she is ready for a promotion, or would I support her in succeeding in her next role?
Asking these questions and intervening when we witness inequities is the responsibility of both women and men, both in and outside the workplace. Many organisations are already speaking openly about this topic and raising awareness, and I hope we continue to train people and encourage them to take action when needed.
Can you share a moment when you overcame a challenge related to gender expectations, and how it shaped you?
I used to think this issue was trivial, but I recently realised it is not! I remember wearing makeup every day before work. This was simply the norm in my country. I had done it at university, then during my internships, and for many years in my career never questioning it. I was just accustomed to waking up early, taking considerable time to apply makeup, choosing stylish clothes, keeping my nails done, and wearing high heels to the office.
A few years ago, I started observing my male peers and noticed that many wore only two colours of shirts—white and blue—paired with black trousers, essentially a uniform! This made me wonder how much time they actually spent getting ready in the morning—twenty, thirty, or even forty minutes?
Meanwhile, I was spending at least an hour and a half getting ready and commuting in uncomfortable high heels—every single day! Over time, I realised that this was a significant advantage for them:
They could either sleep more and be sharper at work, arrive earlier to prepare for important meetings, or use the extra time to network over coffee.
Of course, personal appearance is a matter of individual choice, and I believe we should all do what makes us feel comfortable in our own skin. However, recognising that this difference exists and questioning whether I wanted to continue following these gender norms made a huge impact on my life. I still enjoy having my nails done, but I have swapped my makeup for a good-coverage facial sunscreen and have thrown away almost all of my work high heels!
Are you or your organisation taking steps to support and advance gender equity?
I am an active member of several women’s support groups, such as the Forte Foundation and MBBW, where I advocate for gender equality, mentor younger women, and support them in advancing their careers.
I love sharing my journey with younger women for two main reasons. Firstly, I hope to support them—particularly those in STEM careers—so they do not have to face the same challenges I did, but rather new ones they can overcome! Secondly, I hope to serve as one of many role models, demonstrating that there are multiple career paths and no single trajectory for success. I am very grateful for the few amazing women leaders I met early in my career. However, I lacked a diverse range of role models for inspiration and advice.
I hope that women starting their careers today have better access to these varied perspectives and insights.
At my organisation, I believe we are doing well in providing a diverse range of benefits and flexible working conditions, allowing employees to choose what best suits their careers and lives at any given time.
I believe that flexibility and support are key to progressing gender equity in business.
Can you reflect on the progress made towards gender equity and the work that still needs to be done?
Thinking back to my first time offshore on an oil production facility—where I was the only woman among 125 people—I feel confident that progress has been made! At the time, we recognised the gender gap, but we neither measured it nor openly discussed how to improve it. Now, an essential factor in advancing gender equity is the increased research and data reporting on diversity. This evidence is crucial in demonstrating the benefits that diverse perspectives bring to organisations.
To continue improving, companies must use and disclose diversity data to identify gaps and adjust their recruitment and internal support programmes accordingly.
For example, while increasing the number of women in senior positions is important, simply hiring or promoting them rapidly will not solve the issue. Companies must also provide appropriate training, mentorship, and support to help women excel and continue advancing in their careers.
Lastly, an important yet still taboo topic in many organisations is parental leave. The disparity in parental leave policies creates a significant gap between men’s and women’s career trajectories. I strongly believe that companies should offer equal paternity and maternity leave and actively encourage men to take their full leave entitlement.
Normalising men as caregivers could help balance both professional and domestic responsibilities, leading to greater gender equity in the workplace and beyond.
More information about the programme Mounia attended:
The INSEAD MBA is highly ranked and one of the world's most prestigious programmes for ambitious early to mid-career professionals. The accelerated 10-month curriculum develops successful, thoughtful leaders and entrepreneurs who create value for their organisations and their communities.
Programme benefits:
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