2018 AWARDS ALUMNI

2018 AWARDS ALUMNI

Alexandria Shrake, Strategy and Planning Analyst, Chevron Canada Resources

  • Alexandria Shrake is a geophysicist by trade, now Strategy and Planning Analyst at Chevron Canada Resources. “I was good at math, but I didn’t want to be an engineer,” she joked. “And once I started attending geophysics courses at the University of Calgary, I realized it was the people that I enjoyed the most.”

    That connection with others has led her throughout her career, crediting her early involvement with the Canadian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (CSEG) as being the cornerstone of her success. The coaching and mentorship she received from CSEG volunteers like Stephen Kotkas gave her the skills and confidence to create ENERGYminute with her peer, Aaron Foyer.

    ENERGYminute is an energy literacy digital platform developed to facilitate meaningful dialogue about energy among Canadians. ENERGYminute is a passion project that grew from a shared frustration around the polarizing conversation about the Canadian energy industry to a now registered charity with a bright future.

    It was through Alexandria’s research that she found Action Canada and the Public Policy Forum’s Your Energy Future Fellowship and knew that she had to be a part of it. “I believe in representing Canada’s oil and gas industry, more than anything,” she said. Through consultation and interviews, she published and presented a paper on Rural and Indigenous Economic Development to NRCAN and Environment Canada. It was through the Your Energy Future Fellowship that Alexandria learned to build common ground within her multidisciplinary team.

    That opportunity also helped to position her for her current role. “I was able to showcase that I could think outside the box, which prompted one of the managers at Chevron Canada to encourage me to apply for a strategy and planning role,” Alexandria explained. It is because of opportunities such as this that she feels fortunate to work for an organization with values that align with her own, and with Young Women in Energy.

    As a YWE Award Winner, Alexandria is ready to use this new platform to share lessons that she has learned from the relationships she has cultivated so far in her career. Although it may be new, she is ready to embrace the title of role model. “I’ve never thought of myself as a leader, but through the community cultivated by YWE, I feel like I do have something to offer. Meeting peers who could use support and see me as a role model, I can’t go back and say, ‘that’s not who I am’, because that would invalidate them. I want to be a role model for others if they see me that way, and I don’t want to shy away from that anymore.”

    In the immediate future, she already has plans to flip the traditional gender balance by bringing her business partner, Aaron Foyer, to future YWE events. “It’s a new feeling to introduce my male peer to my network when normally it’s the other way around. I am truly grateful for all that YWE has done to build community.”

    Congratulations Alexandria!

    Written by: Berkley Downey

Alice Yu, Business Strategist, Climate, City of Calgary

  • In her own words, Alice Yu describes her drive and personality in two words: efficiency and impact. Alice moved to Canada more than two decades ago from Hong Kong where she endured the effects of pollution and air emissions. Since then, she has steered her education, career, and professional commitments towards contributing to energy efficiency, sustainability, and cleaner technologies promotion.

    After receiving a Bachelor of Applied Science in Environmental Engineering with a Minor in Commerce and a Masters in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Alice started her career as an Emissions Engineer. She later worked for 9 years at Cenovus on energy efficiency initiatives, environmental technology investment assessments, and emissions management.
    Alice received external funding to support emission reduction technology developments and managed Cenovus’ carbon offsets portfolio. She has been at the forefront of some key Alberta consortiums - chairing the Technology for Emissions Reduction and Eco-Efficiency Committee for the Petroleum Technology Alliance of Canada (PTAC), leading In-situ Energy Efficiency and Waste Energy Recovery working groups at the Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) as a GHG Environmental Priority Area Steering Committee member, and presenting at CAPP to support cost‐effective emissions regulatory development. Her passion for making the O&G industry a sustainable business gained her the recognition of her company and peers through the multiple public engagements and collaborative and innovative projects that she spearheaded.

    But this was not enough for Alice. She believed that making an impact at her community and local level needed to encompass more actors, not just the energy sector. In early 2018, Alice embarked on a new adventure with the City of Calgary to lead the many initiatives of the Calgary Climate Resilience Strategy and Action Plans. Seeing climate change as a global challenge, Alice now integrates policies, technologies, and manages programs that reach out to the end-users, diverse types of energy providers, and local businesses. This position has already allowed Alice to extend her sphere of influence by taking on new responsibilities as a Board Director for the Association of Energy Engineers Alberta Chapter and volunteering at local events like the Mayor’s Environment Expo, or Energy Disruptors. She has also been approached by the University of Calgary to be a guest lecturer in the Sustainable Energy Development Graduate class.

    Alice has been publicly recognized as one of the Top Sustainability Leaders under 35 by GLOBE Leading Change Canada and received the 2016 Eco-Efficiency Leadership Award from PTAC; however, Alice should be recognized for the behind the scenes and quieter, long-term effects of her as a role model. She has been a coach for Calgary Youth Justice Society and mentor’s students and new immigrants on their career goals. She works hard to overcome her natural shyness to represent and give a voice to skilled female leaders in the blossoming climate resilience and sustainability scene. Alice is proud to be the first City of Calgary recipient of the YWE Award and this new recognition will help promote the major energy challenges she is solving to support our communities and industries.

    Congratulations Alice!

    Written by: Charlotte Plombin

Jessica Wiseman, Senior Manager, Consulting and Deals, PwC Canada

  • Jessica Wiseman understands first-hand the impact of living according to your values and passions. After graduating from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science in Materials Engineering, she immediately jumped into a Field Engineer role at Cenovus in the hopes of expanding her business acumen and making a name for herself as a female in a male-dominated industry. After working her way through different positions searching for the perfect fit, she landed a Project Engineer role where she led teams of stakeholders to deliver $300MM in new capital programs. During this time, she found herself continually looking for improving the usual way of working – from reducing timelines to accelerating issues resolution.

    However, almost as soon as she found her stride, Jessica’s position was eliminated during the industry downturn in 2015. Through reflection, networking, and the development of her personal ‘board of directors’, she realized her proudest moments were when she helped find ways to do things better and stood up for what was right. Taking this time to complete a thorough self-assessment allowed her to identify that management consulting – where her role would be to imagine the best options for her clients – would allow her to live according to the principles that truly fulfilled her.

    Jessica joined PwC in 2015 and has since leveraged her industry acumen and focus on continuous improvement to deliver impactful solutions for her clients. No longer seeing work as just “work”, Jessica has been promoted twice since joining the company. Her Director, along with several team members, credit her collaborative and team-oriented approach for developing a cohort of staff across the organization who would do anything to support her. She’s known for continually challenging the status quo and helps expose the unconscious biases that can hold women back in their careers.

    As a Senior Manager, Jessica maintains her Professional Engineer designation and combines her technical background with a growing knowledge of digital technologies to bring the best solutions to her clients. She also ensures that she takes the time to grow the knowledge of her team and feels an accountability to engage, inspire, and help progress those around her, providing the same support to others that she’s received along her journey. Despite all of this, Jessica also ensures she takes time for herself, evidenced by her voracious reading (31 books so far this year, to be exact) and her love of travel (New York, Mexico, Toronto, Bowen Island to name a few this year).

    Jessica believes that the YWE award will allow her to continue to advance the interests of women in the industry and to continue to give back to her community. We can’t wait to see what she’ll do next!

    Congratulations Jessica!

    Written by: Courtney Dragani

Kara Levis, Senior Legal Counsel, Energy Law, TransCanada Corporation

  • Kara Levis is a leader in two professions known for female underrepresentation - law and politics. However, she is determined to change this reality.

    Kara began her journey at the University of Victoria where she completed an honours Bachelor of Arts in English with a second major in French Literature. During this time, she attended an alternative legal careers conference where she learned about the diverse aspects of being a lawyer. Her undergraduate degree proved to be the strong foundation she needed to obtain her Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Civil Law from McGill University.

    Kara has spent the past 10 years building an impressive resume that showcases her dedication to law, politics, people, and the environment. As Senior Legal Counsel, Energy Law for TransCanada, she has been instrumental in helping to execute TransCanada’s strategic plan in developing North America’s energy future. Her in-depth knowledge of the organization, and the law, has allowed her to be a key part of the team that successfully negotiated the divestiture of certain energy assets amounting to $3.2B.

    Her expertise is not only at the negotiation table, but also in governance. As a keen observer of politics, Kara recognized a gap in the political landscape at the municipal level. She co-founded Ask Her, an organization working to address the underrepresentation of women on Calgary’s City Council. She is passionate about creating a platform where women can draw upon each other for support, guidance, and collaboration, while also learning the tools essential in running a successful political campaign.

    Regarded as confident, dependable and resourceful, Kara was approached to be a campaign manager for a local federal election campaign while on maternity leave with her third child. As one who never fears a challenge, she accepted the position and went on to support the candidate, motivate volunteers, manage daily operations, and be the head ‘cheerleader’ as the campaign developed. Later, Kara also managed a municipal council campaign effort in the 2017 Calgary Municipal Election.

    Mentorship is an integral part of Kara’s identity. She attributes much of her success to wisdom passed on from leaders and peers in her life. She is passing on this knowledge to future leaders by welcoming opportunities to act as a mentor to women navigating careers in law and politics, and always encouraging other women to lend their perspectives to the public debate.

    She leads by example as an MLA candidate representing the Alberta Party in the upcoming 2019 provincial election in the constituency of Calgary Klein. She knows there are no shortcuts and so, you can find her campaigning and canvassing with her three (soon to be four!) children in tow.

    As a 2018 YWE Award recipient, she hopes to pass on this go-getter attitude to others and empower those to move confidently towards obstacles knowing that there is a network they can rely on.

    Congratulations Kara!

    Written by: Kristalle Mangaliman

Laura Weeden, Vice President, Operations, CanWhite Sands Corp.

  • When Laura Weeden is faced with an opportunity or challenge, despite a busy schedule, how far away the job offer is, or how scary it is to leave a stable company for a start-up with an unknown future, she says why not. Her ‘why not’ mentality has landed her a career that most women her age could not dream of. Laura is the Vice President, Operations of CanWhite Sands where she leads the design and innovation of a brand new, never been done before, mining methodology.

    Laura attributes her success to not only her work ethic and the universe having a plan for her, but to her advisory panel stacked with supportive parents, friends, and mentors, who seal confidence into the decisions she makes. “I owe them a lot. I would not be where I am at now without those people,” she explains.

    Growing up immersed in a culture that viewed the oil and gas industry in a negative light, Laura has dedicated a lot of her personal time as the Chair of the Society of Petroleum Engineers - Young Professionals organization, promoting energy literacy to children, adults and young professionals. “We do experiments to discuss basic concepts to increase awareness and allow the audience to make up their own minds on how they feel about it. It’s all about providing information,” she said.

    Laura is excited to connect with the other award recipients to grow her network of strong, confident women that build each other up in business, and in life. Receiving this award has created an opportunity to start conversations with her peers and coworkers to not only highlight the work being done through the YWE network, but also to discuss the issues women can face in industry and how young professionals, male and female, can combat them.

    Feisal Somji, CEO of CanWhite Sands, has the utmost confidence in Laura’s ability to embrace the spotlight of this award. “I cannot imagine anyone else that could handle the frantic pace of a start-up, the challenges of finding a new and innovative solution while combining several disciplines, working against the grain and managing a growing number of employees and senior executives with as much professionalism, pride and integrity as Laura”.

    Outside of trying to execute a technology that may change the future of oil and gas, volunteering her time promoting energy literacy to Alberta’s youth, and molding the minds of future female leaders, Laura is an avid adventurer and is excited to begin leading her own mountaineering trips.

    Congratulations Laura!

    Written by: Sidney Lapp

Mavis Ure, Director, Tailings Operations, Base Plant, Suncor Energy

  • When Mavis Ure first moved to Fort McMurray after graduating from the University of Alberta with a Chemical Engineering degree, she hadn’t imagined that she would still be living there 15 years later. Throughout the years, Mavis has taken hold of the opportunities presented to her, excitedly stepping into leadership roles with increasing responsibility. Mavis is now the Director of Tailings Operations at Suncor Energy’s Base Plant and has made impactful contributions to the Wood Buffalo community, all the while raising three young children.

    Through each of Mavis’ career shifts, she has exemplified qualities of a strong leader; from overseeing budgets of over $100MM for maintenance and operations to managing a long-range capital budget of over $2B, and now to her current role leading 250 employees. Mavis has been recognized as a trailblazer in the company, taking on roles that historically haven’t been filled by women. She hopes her rise in the company has shown other women that barriers are being broken down and that opportunities for women are broad.

    Mavis’ leadership extends on a larger scale to her community as well. As previous co-chair of Suncor’s United Way campaign at her work site, her vision and leadership resulted in record participation in the program and raised over $2MM in donations. “Through that work she helped make Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo a better place to live,” comments Mike Agnew, a Suncor senior leader who sponsored the United Way campaign.

    As a fierce advocate for others, Mavis has most recently taken on the role as Chair for the Suncor Women’s Leadership Development Network. She recognizes the diversity challenges that come with site-based work in particular, and she is developing plans to address these challenges for women in this environment. “Having conversations around diversity and inclusion, and demonstrating leadership behaviours that look at fairness rather than sameness in how leaders interact with employees is very important,” she explained. Mavis believes that this is one of the ways to influence a shift in more flexible working conditions for both women and men.

    Mavis admits that it is difficult at times being in a leadership role, while participating in the community and being a mother, but self-care and family are two things that she ensures are incorporated into her life. A book she strongly connected with is Unfinished Business by Anne-Marie Slaughter, which looks at how our working world needs to change to accommodate elder care, childcare, and self-care. Mavis has adapted these principles into her own life and she knows when she needs to take a step back to focus on her children. Seeing the curiosity that her children bring to the world rejuvenates her creativity, and this is why she has been a strong voice for parental leave.

    Mavis is excited to work with YWE to advance women and support work cultures that are people focused!

    Congratulations Mavis!

    Written by: Jennifer Le

Molly Beckel, Facilities Integrity and Reliability Engineer, Canada Gas Operations, TransCanada Corporation

  • Molly Beckel has been a structured and organized learner as long as she can remember. Her love of learning led her to engineering, which proved to be a good fit with her affinity for math, science, solving problems, and fixing things in a logical way. Five years after graduating, she is a trusted member of her team, a mentor to junior staff, and active in the energy industry.

    Molly works in Facilities Integrity and Reliability, Canadian Gas Operations at TransCanada where she makes sure that the balance of plant (non-rotating) equipment operates with high availability and is compliant with all applicable codes and standards. “As Chapter Chair for Calgary, I’m also an active volunteer with the Young Pipeliners Association of Canada (YPAC), which has motivated me to think about issues beyond just my corner of the industry,” she explains. YPAC’s vision is to create a sustainable future for Canada’s pipeline industry through career development, networking, advocacy and knowledge transfer.

    While Molly has been part of successful mentor-protégé relationships, she has found that her informal mentorships were where she’d gained the most value. “One young woman and I worked on the same committee at TransCanada, and I got so much out of our lunches and conversations,” she shared. “I would encourage women to seek involvement outside of their job - it’s especially important for women in our industry for connection and mentorship.”

    The energy industry, especially pipelines, is in a tough spot right now. Molly believes that young people in the industry who don’t identify with either extreme position – who are living in the reasonable middle – are voices that need to be heard. “This is one thing YPAC is trying to do,” she explained. “Members of the YPAC executive team recently went to Ottawa to advocate for issues our members were passionate about. It’s important for people in government to know that we’re out there, and that we probably have different views than what they’ve heard in the past.”

    Something that Molly thinks is cool about energy right now is that the industry is adopting technology more quickly and more readily. She feels the aversion to change is decreasing. “I see the industry becoming more efficient, operating lean and adopting technology to increase productivity,” she said. “Offering products at the lowest emissions rate possible is the new reality. I see a future with a mix of resources to provide the most sustainable future.”

    Molly thinks that attracting female employees is one thing, while retention is quite another. “What I like about YWE is that they’re encouraging women to stay in the industry,” she said. “Organizations like YWE are vital to help us see how this industry aligns with what we believe in and answer questions like: Why is the industry interesting? Why is it challenging? Why should women stay? The community aspect is extremely important.”

    Congratulations Molly!

    Written by: Rachel Nadler

Patrycja Drainville, Senior Advisor, Strategic Issues & Risk, Chief Sustainability Office, Suncor Energy

  • Born and raised in Calgary, Patrycja Drainville has been passionate about connection from a young age, learning early in her career about the power of networking and mentorship. She has paid that forward in the workforce through informal mentorship with peers, as well as working with University of Calgary’s Fuse Collective - a group bringing together students and businesses on environmental, economic and energy issues. At Suncor Energy, she is known for working across boundaries and connecting different teams on sustainability issues.

    Patrycja is an Economics graduate who started out in trading and midstream marketing. While in that role, she was excited learn of a robust Corporate Social Responsibility department at an energy company, focusing on stakeholder engagement, environmental, regulatory and policy issues. “The shift in sustainability has emerged on the investor front,” she says, noting that the recent focus on these complex issues have made a mark in investment decision-making. In her current role as Senior Advisor, Strategic Issues & Risk at Suncor, she leads an enterprise-wide issues management process facilitating a holistic view of environmental and social policy and stakeholder activity, and contributes to the integration of sustainability efforts across the company.

    In addition to her work at large companies like Suncor and Cenovus, Patrycja has advised emerging companies fresh to the scene of sustainability. “A lot of the newer companies have spent their time and focus on building growth and operations, they may not have had the resources dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility. I have helped these organizations build an understanding and strategy around this – it’s an opportunity to bolster the investor relations function as well,” she explains.

    With an ever-increasing emphasis on social responsibility, strong community relations, climate change, the environment and more, Patrycja believes there is more available than ever in the energy industry for those looking to make a positive impact.

    Patrycja is proud to receive one of this year’s YWE awards because it comes from a dynamic organization committed to the empowerment and the advancement of women. With diversity and inclusion conversations coming to the forefront, she believes it’s an exciting time for women in energy. Female connection can help provide support and motivation, but she’s also a strong believer in the potential to move the needle further through cross-gender mentorship. “Our male colleagues, mentors and leaders are critical to this conversation”. She is excited to meet and get to know more YWE volunteers, award winners and build new and exciting connections!

    Congratulations Patrycja!

    Written by: Rachel Nadler

Dr. Shauna-Lee Chai, Research Scientist and Program Lead, Indigenous Relations, InnoTech Alberta

  • Shauna-Lee Chai’s advocacy to preserve the environment can be linked to the long summer days she spent playing outside her childhood home in Jamaica. These fond memories led her down an impressive educational background that includes a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and a Master of Science from the University of the West Indies.

    Her time in university only deepened her conviction. “I learned about how natural ecosystems are in decline, and I wanted to dedicate my life’s work to conserving species, especially forest species,” she explained. Soon after, she earned an opportunity to fly across the world and attend the prestigious University of Cambridge for her PhD in Plant Sciences.

    For the past eight years Shauna-Lee has been using her talent and skills as an ecology researcher with InnoTech Alberta. She has been instrumental in the conversation of applied research, economic, social, and environmental benefits for Alberta. In the beginning, her days were spent in the field and in front of a computer publishing papers, but she soon recognized there was a social aspect to her work. Her first major accomplishment was the development of the Aboriginal Environmental Service Network (AESN), a platform where the community, government, and industry collaborates to find locally skilled people to conduct environmental services.

    As a result of AESN, and several other projects she manages, Shauna-Lee has fostered an open dialogue with Indigenous communities. She finds this connection with communities deeply gratifying, but it has not always been easy. When asked about overcoming barriers with engagement, she attributes her Jamaican Chinese immigrant background as a key factor. “They are warm, spiritual people who are connected with the environment and they remind me of home,” she explained.

    It is no surprise that Shauna-Lee’s dedication to her research has not gone unnoticed - she was happy to be informed by her Senior Leadership that she had been nominated for a 2018 YWE Award. She is acknowledged for finding solutions to long standing problems, problems that other researchers have shied away from. But this is what motivates Shauna-Lee the most, watching her hard work in academia be impactful in the real world.

    Diversification to the downstream oil and gas sector, along with the movement towards different energy sources has Shauna-Lee excited for the future of energy. “These movements in the energy industry keep my research exciting; it is actually only stagnation that would adversely impact my role. Movement and diversification allow me to work towards keeping Indigenous communities engaged and at the forefront, rather than being left behind, as has been done in the past,” said Shauna-Lee.

    Shauna-Lee has found being the recipient of the 2018 YWE Award motivating. She hopes the exposure not only gives her a platform to drive further growth in her career but shines a light on the good work happening at the nexus of energy and the environment. She plans to continue to champion for diversity in the industry by being a role model for other females.
    Congratulations Shauna-Lee!

    Written by: Kristalle Mangaliman

Sophie Kolterjahn, Senior Advisor, Talent Planning and Acquisition, Cenovus Energy

  • Sophie Kolterjahn wears many hats - a Senior Advisor in Human Resources (HR) at Cenovus, the Chair of Women@Cenovus, the Chair of the Women’s Network Community of Practice, and leads FUEL, Cenovus’ new grad and student program as well as being the proud mother of two young girls and partner to a stay-at-home father. But at the foundation of all these roles is the same burning passion - to change the way the energy industry approaches gender equity.

    Sometimes a person’s weakness is their inability to see their own strengths. After a satisfying six-year career as a teacher, an individual pointed out what is now blatantly obvious - Sophie Kolterjahn was in the wrong industry.

    “I look back now and realize she was a sponsor,” Sophie said. “She took note of my skills and strengths and advocated for me to get into the HR world. I took a one-year contract in HR at Cenovus and have never looked back.”

    Sophie sees sponsorship as an incredible opportunity to drive the change and progression of gender equity. “While mentorship is great and definitely has its place, sponsorship is crucial,” she said. “A sponsor is someone who will recognize your skills and abilities that you might not see yourself. They’ll be able to picture you in roles you might not have ever thought of, and most importantly they’ll be able to advocate for you to get to those new places.”

    There is a strong case for change in the energy industry and Sophie is leading the charge. “I chair the Women’s Network Community of Practice, which recently hosted a CEO-only panel event,” Sophie explained. “We brought together the leaders of our industry who ultimately need to be advocates and take action to help us achieve the change we’re driving.” As a mom, she wants to leave the industry in a better place than it is today, affording her daughters' equal access to opportunities.

    As the leader of Cenovus’ FUEL program, Sophie helps students and new grads envision what their careers could be in the energy industry. “So much of the top talent coming out of universities and colleges isn’t looking at the energy industry anymore,” she said. “We need to show them why our industry is the best.” The FUEL program allows Sophie to champion gender equity, diversity, and inclusion with all of Cenovus’ newest employees. It provides her with the opportunity to mentor and groom the company’s future leaders - instilling in them Cenovus’ core values while driving the change that most energy companies need to continue being successful.

    As a 2018 YWE Award winner, Sophie is excited about the opportunity to expand her network and influence other future leaders. She hopes to help other women in the same way her sponsors and mentors have helped her.

    Congratulations Sophie!

    Written by: Jamie Anne Vaughan