Growing up in Santa Rosa, the largest indigenous settlement along Guyana’s northwestern coast, Francine Peters spent her childhood paddling canoes and harvesting fruit from her family’s garden. Today, her world revolves around the logistics of Guyana’s oil and gas sector as the first female foreman for SLB. Her story was shared on a February 6 episode of ExxonMobil’s Onshore Diaries.
The Bishops’ High School alumna initially felt pulled between her grandmother’s business acumen and her grandfather’s career as a marine engineer. While she once dreamed of piloting the skies, the realities of tuition costs redirected her focus.
“I wanted to be a pilot, but I’m still into engineering,” Francine said. “Piloting is expensive, so I kind of backed down from it…I kind of took part of my grandfather’s influence with the engineering versus my interest in airplanes.”
After earning a degree in aeronautical engineering, Francine entered the oil and gas industry in 2018. She transitioned from administrative rig roles in Trinidad to a mechanical technician position in Guyana to find professional fulfillment. She later stepped away to become a mother, returning with the familiar anxieties of re-entering a fast-paced job with a newborn.
“It was kind of hard for me because, like, oh, you’re leaving the baby now, and he’s so small,” she recalled. On her return from maternity leave, she was offered a promotion that would lead to a significant first. “I remembered when I was doing the interview… they were like, ‘oh, you’re gonna be a foreman’. I was like, ‘are any women in this role?’ They said no, you’re gonna be the first.’”
In her current capacity with SLB, Peters acts as the link between land and sea. She oversees the mobilization of equipment heading offshore and manages its return for maintenance. Her work also extends to the field, as she also holds the role of the first female Guyanese onshore mobile crane supervisor for non-routine heavy-lifting operations.
Leading a diverse team of operators from Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad, she prioritizes mentorship for her junior staff. “I try to be a leader more than a manager, because they look up to me in a way,” she explained. “I want to push them because it’s new, and it’s a young team.”
Francine credits the legacy of the women in her family for her grit. She hopes her presence in the shipyard paves the way for what is possible for the next generation of Guyanese youth.
“Maybe you could be the first just like me,” Francine encouraged. “In my role, I had no one that led the way for me, I’ll be the first so I would lead the way for other little girls.”
