INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY 2025

Why Energy?
I love science and the environment, and my home state (WA) has a lot of opportunities for these careers in energy.

What is your biggest success?
Building a working life that complements and supports life outside work – intellectually, socially, financially and for family.

What has been your greatest challenge?
It wasn’t until I was 35 that I learned the difference between “strengths” and “skills” – the former come naturally and feel like fun, the latter must be learned and can feel like a chore. I sometimes stuck at roles that became too much like chores, and it took a while to figure out why. Now (thanks to lots of personality quizzes!) I have learned more about myself and what kinds of roles suit me better.

What is the one piece of advice you would give your younger self?
Have more confidence, try new things, dream bigger. Build stronger connections with people you like or admire, and pretty soon there will be opportunities to work together.

Why Energy?
I had initially wanted to pursue a path in the Pharmaceutical industry however due to a number of factors impacting hiring in this sector when I graduated I somewhat “fell” into the Energy Sector. My dad had worked offshore for years and I had been adamant that it wasn’t of interest to me……how wrong could I have been?!

What is your biggest success?
One of my most significant achievements has been my participation in the Xodus Internal Coaching team and in facilitation of the Manager as a Coach (MaaC) course. These experiences have been immensely rewarding and have greatly enhanced my leadership capabilities.

What has been your greatest challenge?
My biggest challenge has always been with myself, my self-confidence and feelings of impostor syndrome. Despite my accomplishments and years of experience, this has been an almost constant through my career, the additional impact of perimenopause really heightened this in so many ways for me and I got to a point at which I needed to make confronting this a priority. I have spent the last few years working on my personal development in many ways that have helped massively however I do see this experience as being sadly all too common still among women in what remains a largely male dominated industry; albeit I see the balance shifting. I have realised the true value of self-compassion and in recognising my own worth.

What is the one piece of advice you would give your younger self?
To actively seek mentorship. Whether formal or informal, surrounding yourself with people who inspire and support you is crucial and never hesitate to ask for help.

Why Energy?
Offshore wind has been a rewarding sector to work within knowing that we are contributing to the needed diversification of energy sources, promoting a responsible energy transition, and addressing the global climate crisis.

What is your biggest success?
I consider my biggest success to be the network of friends and colleagues that I’ve built and maintained throughout my career. I love finding community in the work that I do and making meaningful connections between people.

What has been your greatest challenge?
The greatest challenge that I’ve faced throughout my career is owning and leveraging being a generalist. We’re often pushed to focus on singular pathways or specialties when there are many skills that apply across sectors, geographies, and roles. Honing those skills can lead to opportunities in a range of spaces and while they are not always well defined, they are worth exploring.

What is the one piece of advice you would give your younger self?
Keep sharing gratitude and appreciation for people and their work often. Everyone needs kind words, support, and hype in their lives.