Q&A
advocating to get women into these non-traditional roles by
working with industry, especially smaller companies, to build
programs and help them change the male-only stigma.
One of the important things I saw during my time at
Enbridge, where they really embrace the idea of diversity,
was the concept of having not only woman/woman men-torships,
but also the idea of having a male champion. For
women looking to move to the next level, they are encour-aged
to find a colleague who will provide great feedback on
their progress from a male perspective.
What advice do you have for ARHCA
members looking to be prosperous in difficult
economic conditions?
There is a paradigm shift now, and ARHCA members need
to pivot and react when economic conditions change. I think
this is one of the selling features of engaging more women in
business, whether it be in the shop, in the office, in the lead-ership
side. There are great advantages to bringing the female
perspective into industry. Women think very differently from
men, they brainstorm differently, and that will bring change.
Author Barbara Annis calls this “Gender Intelligence.” Make
the most of the best characteristics of each gender, and that
will make a difference on the bottom line.
What interested you in participating on the
ARHCA Board of Directors?
I was nominated as a director to the ARHCA board by the
executive of the Consulting Engineers of Alberta (CEA) as
a result of my director role on the CEA board. At first I was
not sure what I could bring to the position, but after having
attended several meetings, I am beginning to see how I can
provide value. On the board, we hear from both the contrac-tors’
and the consulting engineering side of an issue, and I
have experience in each sector.
What do you see as the value of the ARHCA
board? What are its plans for 2020?
The ARHCA board is doing important work trying to bring
the industry forward, advocating in front of the government
for its members. It represents everyone – from the small
mom and pop contractor right up to the juggernaut national
companies as it is acting in the best interests of the industry.
We have a variety of different contractors represented on
the board trying to help each other in extremely difficult
times. For example, in a recent emergency board meeting,
several of the large contractors shared their legal teams’
research with the board, not regarding this information as
proprietary but rather as a way to help everyone.
I’m really looking forward to the next year on the board.
There is no question it’s going to be challenging for ARHCA
and its members, but they’ve set themselves up to show
smaller members the importance of a membership in ARHCA
even though right now it’s a struggle to justify paying the fees.
We all depend on each other, and these connections are
so important. Together we show a unified front, coming
together in hard times to help each other. n
ALBERTA HEAVY Quarter 2 2020 13
/
