Technical women thriving
By Dr. Hong Liang, STLE President | TLT President's Report March 2024
For STLE’s technical women as business leaders, there is no glass ceiling.
STLE Past Presidents Maureen Hunter (left) and Selda Gunsel.
March is special. Since 1987, March has been designated by the U.S. Congress as Women’s History Month. It is to recognize the achievement and to celebrate women who have made contributions to American history. In addition, International Women’s Day, March 8, is the worldwide celebration of women. Looking back on STLE’s 80-year history, our women members have continuously risen not only in the technical fields but also on the corporate ladders. From a business perspective, women leaders demonstrate strong leadership qualities, including empathy, communication skills and strategic thinking. They excel in roles at all levels of companies. Women demonstrate adaptability and resilience in navigating challenges and setbacks in the business world. They embrace change, learn from failures and persevere in pursuit of their goals. Women leaders often juggle multiple responsibilities, balancing career ambitions with family commitments and personal aspirations. Our members, like STLE Past Presidents Selda Gunsel and Maureen Hunter, are two examples shattering glass ceilings and paving the way for other women in leadership positions.
Dr. Selda Gunsel is the president of Shell Global Solutions US and vice president of global fuels, lubricants and mobility technology. After receiving her doctorate degree in chemical engineering, she started working at Pennzoil Products Co. in 1986 as a research engineer. She advanced on the technical ladder before moving into technology leadership roles, first as director of technology development and then vice president of technology and innovation of Pennzoil-Quaker State Co. She moved to Shell when Shell and Pennzoil- Quaker State merged in 2002. She held several roles in Shell, including business team manager for automotive and transport lubricants, GM lubricants technology U.S., GM global strategic R&D, GM global product management, vice president global fuels, engine vehicle and B2B technology and vice president global commercial technology groups, which include lubricants, aviation lubes and fuels and specialties. Selda was the 2003-2004 STLE president.
Dr. Maureen Hunter is the vice president and global business manager of the Lubricant Additives Division for King Industries and has been with the company since 1993. She started out working as a lubricant additives applications specialist and spent the next three years planning and running application and analytical testing for technical service work for customer projects and product development. In 1996, she was promoted to technical service manager on a worldwide basis, which allowed her to interface and work with all areas of the company, including production, sales, marketing, customer service, regulatory, etc., and to work directly with customers, including direct responsibility to specific key accounts. Since 2016, she has been the STLE STEM Ambassador spearheading efforts to make students aware of opportunities in the field of tribology and lubrication. In 2017, she joined the NLGI Board of Directors. She was 2007-2009 TLT editor and 2014-2015 STLE president.
As we can see, technical women thriving in business is the testament of their resilience, innovation and leadership capabilities. Despite facing various challenges, many STLE women members have excelled in the business world and have made significant contributions to the field of lubrication and tribology. As STLE continues to recognize the value of diversity and inclusivity, women and all our members will continue to play pivotal roles in driving innovation, growth and positive change in our fields and related markets.
Dr. Hong Liang is Oscar S. Wyatt Jr. Professor of the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. You can reach her at hliang@tamu.edu.