For the first time ever, a female Brazilian engineer will receive the highest global petroleum engineering award, presented by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). Petrobras CEO Graça Foster has been selected for the honor of receiving the 2014 Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to professionals who have made an outstanding contribution to the world’s oil and gas industry. The SPE is the world’s largest professional organization representing the exploration and production segment of the oil and gas industry, with approximately 123,000 members from 135 different countries.

The SPE’s 2014 Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented during the organization’s annual gathering, the 2014 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, which will take place on October28th in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. The purpose of this award, the most prominent among those to be presented at the event, is to honor the professional of the year for all the contributions they have made and show recognition of their exceptional devotion of time, effort, suggestions and activities on behalf of the oil and gas industry. Founded in 1957, the Society of Petroleum Engineers has 190 branches worldwide, three of which are in Brazil: the Brazil branch, the Macaé branch and the Bahia branch.

Maria das Graças Silva Foster graduated in Chemical Engineering from the Fluminense Federal University (UFF). She has been on the list of the company’s career professionals for 33 years. Since February 13, 2012, she has held the position of Petrobras CEO, while also performing the function of director of the International area since July 23, 2012. She was previously director of the Petrobras Gas and Energy business area, from September 2007 to February 2012. Between May 2006 and September 2007, Graça Foster was the CEO of Petrobras Distribuidora, a role she performed in addition to that of Financial director. In her technical career, she worked in oil well engineering.

Recognition - In May 2014, the Petrobras CEO was considered, for the third consecutive year, to be among the 100 most powerful women in the world, in the ranking published by Forbes magazine. In February, she was cited by the US broadcaster CNBC as one of the 200 individuals who has had the most influence on the business world over the last 25 years. Also in February, Graça Foster was placed fourth on Fortune magazine’s list of the world’s 50 most powerful business women.