Jaclyn is the Divisional Marketing and Communications Director, Pressure Control North America Sales Administration Director for Weir Oil & Gas.
What does Empowering Women in Industry mean to you?
Empowering Women in Industry is very meaningful to me. Its meaning is two-fold – support your female colleagues and peers while simultaneously blazing a path for those women who will come after you. I’ve always been a bit of a Wonder Woman fan and see her power in every girl and woman. It is so important for women to know their power then to be aware of and explore the incredible opportunities available to them in industrial fields – especially oil and gas. There’s never been a better time for women to be part of oil and gas. Their different communication styles, perspectives, and ideation are invaluable.
How did you get started working in your field?
I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in Marketing from the University of North Texas in 2003 and began my career at marketing and advertising agencies. Being in Houston, I consulted for many energy companies across the industry from upstream to downstream, suppliers, and service companies during my time in the agency world.
I joined Weir Oil & Gas in 2010 as a Divisional Marketing Communications Coordinator. The dynamic oil and gas industry, combined with Weir’s outstanding culture, provided me opportunities to continually increase my level of responsibility. I currently oversee the company’s marketing and communications responsible for the artificial lift product line, support sales efforts for the wellhead and frac product lines, and most recently took responsibility for the Houston manufacturing plant.
What do you love most about your job / What are you most proud of?
As my career has transitioned from purely marketing and communications to now include sales and operational responsibilities, I love that I can live in two unique worlds. On one side my marketing team and I can be creative and can have a tangible impact on the business and our customers by communicating the unique strengths and value of our products and services. Then on the other side, I live in a world that manufactures technology that solves customers' challenges and we work in partnership with them daily. The customers we serve are continually challenged by the current realities of the oil and gas market. Being able to reach them in meaningful ways to share solutions that help them improve their profitability – which enables them to support their payrolls – is very rewarding.
When the world became disconnected because of COVID-19 shutdowns, marketing communications underpinned how we connected with our customers. When our sales team couldn’t physically be in front of customers, my marketing team partnered with IT to create virtual touchpoints and systems so that we could continue solving problems in our new reality. I was honored to be part of a team that brought our product experts into our customers’ homes and facilities to enable them to continue to maintain and extend the life of their equipment. Our team’s actions helped our customer partnerships thrive in an extraordinarily uncertain time.
What advice would you give to someone considering this line of work?
Take a closer look at the oil and gas industry. Explore the opportunities and raise your hand to pursue them. I tell young people on my team that I wish I would have found my voice earlier in my career. While I’ve never been one to shy away from voicing my opinion, early in my career I respected those that came before me by keeping quiet and listening to their wisdom. Now I realize that diverse opinions create a stronger team. So bring your creativity, your communication style, your viewpoint, and skills to bear on the challenges facing the customers you serve. Ask, ‘How can I be of service?’ to uncover new approaches that can foster greater connections with customers.
Anything else you would like to add?
Be a girl’s girl. There’s room for everyone to succeed. Help create paths for other women to join you within male-dominated industries, such as the oil and gas industry. Helping expand diversity in the industry is a leadership role all of us must assume.