Sphere
#38
2015
18
<<
Strong Brew: Women rising
Tremendous suppport
The discipline and focus needed in law
enforcement also serves those working
in the rough-and-tumble world of mining,
oil and gas. In Canada’s far north, Elaine
Honsberger is the top scientist at Husky
Energy, arriving there after a successful
career working in the field, labs and
boardrooms in the US and Canada.
Ms Honsberger became the Chief
Geophysicist at Husky Energy after earning
the respect of her peers in the industry.
According to her former colleagues, it’s her
relentless work ethic, sharp intellect, team
spirit and sense of humour that has helped
her rise through industry giants including
Encana, Enerplus and Shell Canada. While
she started her career in mining, she made
the switch to oil and gas in the 1980s
and never looked back. She joined Husky
Energy two years ago.
“I really like the fact that when you are in
the energy and mining industry, it’s really
about us changing the world. We change
the world and we find energy to keep
people alive,” she says.
It was the collaborative environment in Husky
Energy that attracted her and she found that
the company provides ‘tremendous support’
for women.
“The company recognises that they have
very few female leaders and they have
stepped up their support for building the
skills in women who have the potential to
be leaders,” says Ms Honsberger. “I have
really benefited and feel very privileged
to be a leader at Husky Energy. They have
provided me with all kinds of opportunities
for training and learning. I have a mentor
and a coach. Plus I can work with a network
of similar leaders in the organisation where
we can learn from each other.”
There is even a Women’s Leadership
Network programme at Husky Energy
to connect female staff with leaders. Ms
Honsberger herself is a mentor to young
men and women both within and outside the
company. She has also been a member of
the Board for the Association of Professional
Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta,
and the Canadian Society of Exploration
Geophysicists. It was this board experience
that helped build her early leadership skills
and gave her the confidence to fulfil her
career aspirations in the energy sector.
Sometimes you have to ask
Ms Honsberger is zealous in describing her
job and industry activities but she stresses
that, as a woman, being passionate about
your job is not enough to advance.
“Sometimes, as women we become overly
focused on doing really good work and forget
to build our network,” she explains. “Another
mistake women make is that we sit at our
desk, and hope that someone will notice
we are doing great work. But typically, it is
the men who will move forward and ask
for promotion and ask for more challenging
or better positions, while women hope
that someone will come and ask them. So
sometimes we get left behind.”
Ms Honsberger adds, “For women, if we
feel we are coming in at a disadvantage,
the very important first step is to build
people’s faith in our competency. Whether
male or female, we have to prove that we
are good at what we do.” The advice she
gives to young women entering Roosevelt’s
‘hot water’ is to “work hard, be confident
and ask for what you want.”
Next Gen
Sometimes that confidence is earned
during a long career. It can also be
nurtured from a very young age. Alfreda
Ng’s bonding with Hongkong Electric
Company Limited (HK Electric) started
before she could walk.
“Work hard, be confident
and ask for what you want.”
Elaine Honsberger,
Chief Geophysicist of Husky Energy
Rocky times have been the best times for Elaine Honsberger.
