Female Empowerment Takes Centre Stage at Energy Conference

By Stuart Wilson

Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC) hosted their annual Women in Energy Conference on May 10th at the Grand Cayman Marriott Resort.

The Women in Energy Conference celebrates females and the role they play in the energy sector, which is a traditionally male dominated field.

A cross-section of women from the CUC, the Water Authority Cayman and other leading utility providers came together to discuss female empowerment, mentorship, challenges and successes, as well as best practices. The event featured a panel of females, who discussed the topics relevant to the industry and encourage one another.

The all-day event also featured speakers and male counterparts, who joined the female participants in a gesture of solidarity and support for their efforts and to applaud them for the invaluable expertise and professionalism they bring to the industry.

Discussing the topic of coping with challenges and staying focused, the women spoke about how they approach each situation within their daily activities as an opportunity for growth and progress of their respective organisations.

They explained that having a strong foundation and the support of their peers is a major part of maintaining a positive attitude and mental resilience, whilst taking time to share anecdotal examples of how they manage to navigate within their daily tasks.

Gender inequality in the workplace is an important societal issues and traditional roles have mean that for many years women’s ability to contribute was overshadowed by biases that were unfounded.

This year’s conference has shown that women have been breaking the mould, whilst taking back control of the narrative by making massive strides in all areas of professional life, including the utilities industry.

Speakers and panelists for the Women in Energy Conference included: Media Personality, Elizabeth Charles; Vice President Finance, Corporate Services & Chief Financial Officer Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd. Letitia Lawrence; Reid Media and Communications Practitioner Internationally Acclaimed Speaker, Dr. Terri-Karelle; Director of Learning & Organisational Development Fortis TCI, Claudia Been-Munnings; Marzeta Bodden Deputy Director Tourism Product Development Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Marzeta Bodden; UCCI Student Casual Employee at Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd., Asaiah Thomas; Marketing Specialist Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd., Japhia Augustine; Talent Acquisition Specialist DART, Kayla Welds, President & Chief Executive Officer Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd., Richard Hew; Secretary General Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU); Sonia Gill; Managing Director & Principal Consultant OAWilliams Consulting, Ormond Williams; Resident Director Business Strategy & International Manager Merrill Lynch Bank & Trust Company (Cayman ) Limited, Theresa Pitcairn; Educator, Speaker and Best-selling Author (Amazon), Nicole McLaren-Campbell; Director Sustainable Finance Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd, Judith Bennett.