Getting to grips with today’s global marine lubricants business

Joanne Eu, ExxonMobil’s new Global Aviation and Marine Lubricants Director, took up her post during a period of wide-ranging disruption. “I came into the job at a time when there were significant challenges to our business; whether it was the situation with COVID-19 or its knock-on effects on the market. While all this has at times been daunting, I have a strong team – people with the resilience to take these challenges in their stride.

"We are ultimately in the business of change – supporting our customers and the industry to help navigate through continuous evolution around growth, technologies and sustainability," she added, which has helped her define her outlook on her job.

A return to familiar surroundings

Joanne joined the company in 1993 and has worked in multiple commercial and planning assignments across South East Asia, China and the US. Her current posting is a homecoming of sorts; Joanne previously worked in the marine business 10 years ago as the global marketing manager.

“A decade ago it was all about declining freight rates and slow steaming. Fast forward to today and I feel extremely encouraged about the vastly improved demand and overall buoyancy of the industry. This is creating more positivity and opportunities for collaboration with our customers,” she explained.

Evolving the value proposition

Joanne is clear on what she wants to see happen. “Very simply, my vision for ExxonMobil Marine is to continue to be a leader in this business. This will require us to continuously evolve our value proposition to meet changing customer needs – especially in the area of sustainability and ‘connectivity’ in an increasingly digitised world.

"Hence we need to be working now on our next generation of products and services to meet these evolving needs and live up to our brand promise."

Despite the challenges, Joanne is enjoying the global dynamics of the marine business. "The type of professional customers we have, and their heritage and culture, is unique. I feel really excited as it’s a role where I can add value and I’m looking forward to seeing how we can help our customers meet their ambitions."