In 1980, Miguel Saab created Independence Drilling to engage in the drilling of water wells. In 1982, he took advantage of the acquired knowledge to enter the hydrocarbon sector and dedicated himself to the drilling and maintenance of oil wells. After his death, his daughter Rose Marie Saab, the second of six siblings, assumed the lead role, becoming one of the most important in the sector.
Growing up with leadership skills, Rose Marie Saab became one of the most recognized businesswomen in Colombia. As a woman leader, she expanded the organization into one of the most renowned companies in the drilling sector in Colombia.
Her company Independence Drilling provides drilling, maintenance, and reconditioning of oil and gas wells. Likewise, it specializes in the extraction and maintenance of underground water wells, water treatments, consulting in the integral management of water resources, and the drilling of stratigraphic wells for mining and hydrocarbons.
To ensure its commitment to the environment, Independence Drilling became the first carbon-neutral company in the Colombian oil and gas sector. The Bogota-based company, with annual revenues of more than $100 million, stands well on four values: Sustainability, Innovation, Excellence, and Ethics.
In regards to sustainability, Rose Marie Saab said in an interview with Home Magazine, “Our goal is to have our operations working in more efficient ways so that spills are minimized and emissions are better controlled during the drilling process. Environmental regulations for our sector are rigorous; we are required to be compliant. But being environmentally responsible is also a corporate goal that has always been present within Independence.”
Regarding Innovation, Saab believes that we must always be proactive and that leaders need to continually evolve. She has led the transformation of Independence Drilling by first striving to be more innovative and courageous.
Moreover, Saab declares that for achieving excellence and success, the management team should work on being better itself, and in this way, the employees strive for evolvement and success.
On ethics, Saab said “We have been able to separate business from family throughout our history. We built strong corporate governance, backed by family protocol, with a robust and independent board of directors. Beyond the family, our company is made up of courageous people who have put their heart and soul into the company. Their innovative contributions have allowed us to become what we are today.”
The mother, Laila Faour de Saab, has always been the support system of the family. “She is a tireless woman,” Marie Rose said. “As well as an inexhaustible source of faith, unlimited generosity, wisdom, humility, and unwavering greatness. She has a deep love of God, family, and Lebanon, which all became embedded values in my life.”
Cherishing and appreciating her origins, Saab embeds Lebanese lifestyle through food, customs, and love of family and faith.