(Yicai Global) July 3 -- The Chinese arm of British oil and gas company Shell, one of China’s leading liquefied natural gas suppliers, has chosen its first female chairperson ever in a big step toward gender equality in the male-dominated industry.

Chen Lin was named the first chairwoman of Shell China on July 1, the London-headquartered company announced on its website today.

Before this, Chen was vice president of chemicals and refined products, responsible for global joint ventures and business development in China. For three years until 2020, she was vice president of downstream investment development. She joined Shell as a management trainee in 1997 and has worked in different countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.

Shell China is currently working with domestic giants PetroChina and China National Offshore Oil to explore oil and gas resources in China and overseas, including the Changbei natural gas project developed together with state-owned PetroChina.

The multinational corporation operates more than 2,000 gas stations in China, some of which are self-owned and others run by JVs, and the network includes 18,000 charging terminals for electric vehicles.

Editor: Emmi Laine