Clad in Purple, Big Oil's Iron Lady in Iraq

China National Petroleum Corp.'s point man in the Middle East is a woman who refuses to let gender stand in the way of her persistent push for oil field access.

Wang Shali, vice president and Middle East business chief for CNPC's subsidiary China National Oil & Gas Exploration Corp.,  is well-known for a strong personality that's helped her beat men and westerners in the Iraq oil patch.

Wang Lisha (second to the left) attends a donation ceremony in an orphanage in Rumaila

When appropriate, Madam Wang is gentle, tender and maternal. Yet she's not afraid to stand out in a crowd of oil executives, as she did by wearing a purple business jacket at an Iraqi oil ; field auction in 2009 in a room filled with black suits.