International Women’s Day: Nilde Mateus

Say hi to Nilde Mateus, our Data Acquisition Engineer in Angola. After obtaining her degree in Petroleum Exploration and Production Engineering, Nilde joined the Expro Graduate Development Program and has been with us for over four years.

Working within the Well Test department, when she’s working onshore, Nilde is busy maintaining equipment. Offshore, Nilde’s main role is to ensure quality data is supplied to our clients, by continuously monitoring pressures and temperatures, and accurately calculating parameters of the fluid produced.

What advice would you have given your younger self?

I always say that willpower, trust and persistence are the keys for things to happen. In addition to the desire to reach a certain objective, we must believe in our own abilities to arrive there. And much more than to just believe, is to have the strength to make it happen; to act, to fight, and to persevere.

What advice do you have for young women looking to get into your field/oil and gas industry?

This industry is mostly male and there is a certain need for us as professional women, especially young women, to know how to establish ourselves as such. Do not lose your femininity, just learn to reconcile and adapt your woman side with your professional side. Do not put yourself behind others by the fact you are a woman, do not be afraid to get your hands on the dough! Do not limit yourself by the fact you are a woman.

Can you tell me about a female role model who inspired you?

To be honest, it was not a female model that inspired me, but male (my father). He has inspired and continues to inspire to this day. My father is a very hard-working man, who started working as a child (13 years old). Between the very young work and his studies, he managed to win in life and become an excellent professional.

Why is International Women’s Day important to you?

International Women's Day is very important to me because it is a day when the whole world stops and reflects on the importance and role of women in societies.

The times are gone when women were only seen as beings who procreate and care for the home. We are in a time where women empowerment is being talked about at a high level, although we still have some struggles to make this feminine empowerment felt throughout the world.

On this day the nations can open their eyes and see what it really means to be a woman. The mother who takes care of her children, the businesswoman who takes care of her business, the wife who cares for her husband, the daughter who cares for her mother, the sister who cares for her brothers, the woman who fights for her rights in a still macho society, the woman who fights for her voice through political issues, the multifaceted beings that we all are.