Balancing Parenthood and Professional Growth: My Journey with Shell

As I was stepping into my professional journey, I was blessed with a life in my womb that added new responsibilities. While everything was going fine, some complications in my pregnancy made it difficult for me to manage things far away from home and family. My introduction to the DASH team of Shell came through around that time, and I feel lucky enough to have come across such a great organization. While I knew Shell as a major player in the energy sector, I had little knowledge about the significant role of the DASH team working behind the scenes. Gradually, as I dived deep, I realized the value being added by the DASH team to the Shell business, and I was super excited to become a part of this energy giant. When I broke the news of my pregnancy to my line manager, I vividly remember his words. He said, “Mitali, first of all, congratulations, and secondly, you can avail maternity leave even from the first day of joining Shell!!”.

The interview went through, I accepted the offer letter, and after a couple of weeks, I went on maternity leave - that’s how my journey at Shell began on a very unconventional note!

As I joined back from maternity leave, I received a very warm welcome from my team, who helped me transition smoothly into the workplace. At this point, I have just started to work on my first project in Shell. While I am in the initial phase of understanding the project requirements, etc., I am already keen to learn and grow within the community. The positive impact of past projects handled by the team drives me to work and contribute to the growth of Shell businesses. I am currently part of a project that will support Shell’s plan to achieve net-zero emissions and drive its powering progress strategy. It really excites me to be a part of the journey that will not only provide energy to power the world but will also make it a better place to live for future generations.

Last but not the least, I also want to share my experience with the amazing HSSE (Health, Safety, Security and Environment) goal at Shell. I remember a joke cracked by a stand-up comedian at a Shell internal festival. It goes like this: At Shell, whenever someone asks – How are you? The answer should not be “I am good/I am fine” It should be –“I am SAFE”. Even with my limited experience, I can vouch for the culture at Shell, which puts its employee’s health and safety to the utmost priority. As a new mother, it is challenging to keep a balance between my personal and professional life, but I deeply believe that the robust environment at Shell will help me to achieve both my professional and personal goals.