"At Repsol Lubricants, we are the ones making the change towards a more diverse sector"

Elena Guerrero joined Repsol Lubricants in September 2019 as a commercial manager of industrial customers. At that time, she could not have imagined her early years would marked by events that would test her ability to adapt: the pandemic, international conflicts, supply crisis... "They were complicated years, but certainly a very interesting learning journey," she recalls. Despite the circumstances, she highlights having had "very good leaders and wonderful colleagues, both in lubricants in Spain and in cross-company areas", something she considers essential to grow professionally and personally.

Working in a historically male sector was never an obstacle for her within the company. "When I started, both my manager and my colleagues were men and much older, but could not have feel more supported," she explains. She acknowledges that in dealing with certain clients there have been some more uncomfortable moments, although they are becoming less frequent. For Elena, the fact that at Repsol Lubricants there are "many women, including several in leadership positions", it is a clear sign that "we are the ones making the change" towards greater diversity.

Her work combines managing industrial client accounts throughout the country while supporting market development in other countries. She considers communication, empathy, transparency, perseverance, and, above all, the ability to solve problems is crucial in doing so successfully. "Keeping cool, calm and collected in tense times is key, even if it's complicated," she admits.

Among her most satisfying projects is the joint work with the Technical Assistance and Development (ATD) department to introduce an inhibited paraffinic oil in power transformers. "After a lot of effort, we managed to open up an interesting market. It's nice to see that we can compete with the big players,” she celebrates.

In a competitive lubricants market, Elena believes that the customer relationship and service excellence are factors that set them apart, especially in Spain, where Repsol is a well-known brand. In addition, she identifies sustainability as the great trend of the future: "We are really driving the whole issue of bio bases, products with a low carbon footprint, and new energies."

The future of lubricants

Repsol is already working on the development of bio-based lubricants, although, Elena points out, it is necessary to continue allocating resources and reinforcing aspects such as approvals, production capacity, logistics, and strategic collaborations. That’s why sectors such as dielectric, hydraulic, and turbine oils have great potential to adopt these solutions, especially if prices become more competitive. "Most customers are happy despite the price increase, because it allows them to declare their plants or transformers as more sustainable," she explains.

Looking to the future, Elena is optimistic: "We are increasingly committed to a sustainable environment and a lubricant that collaborates with our goal of being a net-zero company by 2050." An ambitious goal that, for her, combines innovation, commitment, and teamwork.