The Worldwide Women’s Association Recognizes Shara Patricia Ciravolo Fesser
Shara Patricia Ciravolo Fesser is a globally recognized enterprise executive with more than 25 years of international leadership experience driving strategy execution, operational transformation, organizational performance, and sustainable growth across complex, multi-country environments. Throughout her career, she has successfully led large-scale organizations, executive teams, and enterprise transformation initiatives spanning 21 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas, earning a reputation for building high-performing organizations, aligning diverse stakeholders, and delivering measurable business and societal impact.
During her distinguished career with Schlumberger (SLB), Patricia held senior executive leadership positions including Customer Centricity & Digital Core Director and Managing Director for Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Atlantic Eastern Canada, Colombia, and Peru. She led organizations of up to 5,000 employees with full P&L accountability approaching USD 1 billion, combining strategic vision with disciplined execution to accelerate growth, strengthen operational performance, and lead enterprise transformation across culturally diverse markets.
Patricia’s leadership extends well beyond commercial success. She has worked extensively with governments, regulators, national and international energy companies, development organizations, industry associations, educational institutions, and local communities to establish strategic partnerships and advance initiatives supporting energy security, workforce development, environmental stewardship, digital transformation, decarbonization, responsible resource development, and long-term economic growth. Her experience includes leading organizations through major industry disruption, regulatory change, market downturns, and the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining operational continuity, strengthening stakeholder confidence, and protecting both people and business performance.
Recognized for her ability to translate strategy into measurable outcomes, Patricia consistently connects enterprise vision with operational excellence. While leading operations across a significant portion of the Asia-Pacific region, she successfully doubled regional revenue from approximately USD 500 million to nearly USD 1 billion within four years while maintaining an exceptional safety record and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and employee engagement.
Her executive expertise spans enterprise strategy, operational excellence, stakeholder engagement, governance, customer-centric leadership, organizational transformation, digital innovation, executive talent development, and sustainable business performance. She is widely respected for her ability to navigate complexity, build trusted relationships across cultures, align diverse interests around common objectives, and create environments where people, organizations, and communities can thrive together.
Patricia holds a Master of Science in Management for the Oil & Gas Industry from Heriot-Watt University and a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Universidad Central de Venezuela. She has further strengthened her executive capabilities through executive education at Stanford University in Artificial Intelligence and Decarbonization, Digital Business Excellence at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, and Strategic Finance at IMD in Switzerland.
Throughout her career, Patricia has been a passionate advocate for inclusive leadership, gender equity, and the development of future leaders. She believes that the highest-performing organizations are those that create opportunities based on talent, empower individuals to reach their full potential, and cultivate cultures where diversity of thought, experience, and perspective drives innovation and better decision-making. She has actively mentored emerging leaders, championed the advancement of women across technical and executive roles, supported diversity and workforce development initiatives, and contributed to charitable and community organizations dedicated to creating meaningful opportunities for individuals and families around the world.
As Patricia often reflects,
“I’ve always believed that leadership is about leaving organizations stronger than we found them. Technology, and particularly Artificial Intelligence, is transforming every industry, but technology alone does not transform organizations and communities. People do. Our responsibility as leaders is to equip teams with the skills, confidence, and opportunities to thrive alongside innovation, while fostering inclusive environments where every individual can contribute, grow, and lead. When strategy, technology, and human potential advance together, organizations become more resilient, more innovative, and better prepared for the future.”
Worldwide Women’s Association member Shara Patricia Ciravolo Fesser looks forward to connecting with fellow leaders who share a commitment to advancing innovation, empowering people, championing inclusive leadership, and creating sustainable impact through collaboration.
