MRUGAL RANGARI, PROCUREMENT ENGINEER

Mrugal Rangari admits that she has let others’ prejudices and stereotypes about women in engineering roles bring her down in the past. She discusses rejecting these beliefs and how she found power outside her comfort zone.

My natural instinct is to stay within my circle and shy away from speaking to new people. I recognised this in myself and wanted to change it, which was a big push in me taking the opportunity to work in procurement.

In procurement, we make sure that our engineering projects have all the items and materials they need. I have been supporting on the Visakh Refinery Modernisation Project (VRMP) which is building a new sulphur recovery unit and expanding capacity at the Visakhapatnam Refinery in India. Our teams in India and Sharjah are given a list of items needed for this project called a ‘bill of materials’ and we work to procure them from vendors. Every day is different for me – one day I may be buying small pipes, valves, gaskets, or electrical items, and the next I may need to purchase a six-kilometre pipe! It can be a challenge as often these are urgent requirements needed in a short timeframe to keep a project on track, but at the same time, I still need to be making sure I am getting reasonable rates on items as well as quick delivery.

My background is in chemical engineering and I joined Petrofac as part of the graduate programme as a Process Engineer in 2019. This is often seen as the natural path to come into the oil and gas industry and EPC business as you work in rotation on various parts of a project, from practical on-site support to supply chain. I really enjoyed what I was learning on the supply chain side – about mechanical items or different instrumentations – and I could also feel that I was coming out of my shell as there is an urgency in procurement to reach out and work closely with many stakeholders and build a network in the business. I felt like I was being pushed out of my comfort zone and could see the positive development it was having on me as a person.

Because of my role, I often speak to men that have worked in the business for a long time and know the products well, so I feel a bit insecure about what I’m bringing to the table. I’m sure this is also due to my young age, but my gender definitely plays a part. Perception of gender roles and occupations are so ingrained in our society from a young age, particularly for a male-dominated field such as engineering. While this is improving and the gap between men and women is getting closer, there are still some prejudices and old-fashioned ideas, at least in my experience in India. Sometimes when I’m speaking to a vendor, I feel like it is assumed that I do not know what a certain item is. I often find that I have to challenge myself not to get caught up in it and develop an inferiority complex. That’s why it’s so important that young aspiring engineers see more women in senior leadership roles, it breaks the stereotype and encourages young girls to see themselves in those roles.

I have been very fortunate to have a strong network of support. My family and friends, a lot of whom are male, empower me to reach for my potential. I get a lot of support from my manager at Petrofac too. He and the team are very encouraging and I feel like I am able to grow here.

We should start seeing ourselves as individuals rather than by any defined idea of what we are supposed to be. I believe that women should challenge any beliefs ingrained within themselves, about any gender-based prejudices that limit them. The battle is not just with the outer world but also with ourselves. People shouldn’t feel limited in their choices or skillset for any reason because if there is something you don’t know, know that you can learn it. A big piece of advice that I can give is to build your network to seek out the opportunities that fit your goals and to find people that support and empower you. I was once very shy and it left me feeling isolated, so I say reach out to people, show your worth and above all believe in yourself.

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