Moderator: Julia McElgunn, P.Geo.
Tuesday, May 17th 2022 12:00 - 1:00pm (MST) Register at: CSPG GeoWomen Page This is a FREE event - All genders welcome - No membership required.
ABSTRACT:
Ever thought about serving on a board? Maybe you are interested in serving on a not-for-profit board; to give back, develop new skills, build your network, or better understand what it takes to run a successful organization. Perhaps you are interested in positioning yourself and your career for for-profit boards, where you can utilize your technical and strategic skills, build connections, broaden your horizons, and continue to contribute later into your career and retirement. GeoWomen of Calgary wants to see more women advance to senior-level technical, executive and board positions. Come join us and learn about what Board Ready Women is doing to increase the number of women on boards in Alberta and how you could be one of them!
Board Ready Women was founded in 2018 with the goal of making a meaningful difference in gender equity by improving women’s representation on various Canadian boards across all industries. Canada continues to lag in equal gender representation on Boards for-profit, non-profit and crown organizations, and Alberta is even farther behind. Women comprise 21% of board seats on Alberta-based companies; the national average is only 22%. Board Ready Women puts an emphasis on placing more women on Boards not as an initiative but as a long-overdue standard. Our bold vision is for Alberta to become the national leader in female representations on Boards.
Data show that we are successful in helping women to get more Board-educated, connected to their peers and recruiters, and ultimately be elected to more Boards. We are achieving this by organizing events with influential and high-profile speakers where we discuss emerging topics and offering networking opportunities with the panelists, Board members, attendees and recruiters. In addition, in 2020, we introduced a recruitment program to shortlist candidates for various board opportunities. Last year, we assisted with recruitment for 47 Board positions and put forward 293 women for these positions. We also offer a mentorship program with our board experienced mentors. Lastly, we promote various Board postings, articles, tools and techniques to assist Board-aspired women with their journey and education.
Please follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to learn more about our efforts and initiatives.
Heather J. Culbert, ICD.D. Independant Board Member
With over 27 years of experience in the oil and gas sector, Ms. Culbert has held senior positions in the oil and gas sector and was formerly the Senior Vice President of Corporate Services at Enerplus, a mid-sized oil and gas company.
Heather serves as Vice Chair on the Board of Export Development Canada (EDC) and Chairs the HR Committee. She was recently appointed the to the Board of The Fraser Institute. She is a Board member of Whitecap Resources Inc., Chair of the United Way World Leadership Council, a member of the She Leads Economic Council of Alberta and is past Chair of the Alberta Research and Innovation Advisory Council (ARIAC). She recently completed two terms as Chair of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
Heather has been an active volunteer and philanthropist for many years and has co-founded both the Board Ready Women and Axis Connects not-for-profit organizations in Alberta. She is now the Co-Chair of the Calgary Cancer Centre campaign with the goal of raising $250 million. Heather has served as Board Chair of United Way of Calgary and Area, as a trustee of the Alberta Cancer Foundation, as a founder of C5 (Concerned Citizens for the Calgary Cancer Centre), Board Chair of the Alliance to End Violence, and Campaign Chair of the SAIT Promising Futures Campaign (phase II).
Ms. Culbert has been recognized for her leadership and community service and most recently is the recipient of the 2021 Women’s Energy Council Female Executive of the Year Award. In March of 2019, she proudly received the Governor General’s Sovereign Volunteerism Medal to recognize her exemplary philanthropic efforts in Canada. Heather has received numerous other awards and include; the BMO Celebrating Women 2016 Community and Charitable Giving award, a SAIT Honorary Bachelor of Science Degree in 2014, the Doc Seaman Generosity of Spirit Award as an individual philanthropist in 2013, the Alberta Centennial Medal for Community Service in 2005, and in 2003 she was recognized as SAIT’s Distinguished Alumna.
Heather recently completed her ICD.D certification through the Haskayne School of Business ICD program.
Jennifer Koury, ICD.D. Independant Director
Ms. Koury has more than 35 years professional experience including C-suite leadership roles and international experience, with the world’s largest mining Company, BHP Billiton, as well has worked with Enerplus Resources and Exxon Mobil as a senior executive.
Although her core skill is in the Human Resources discipline, she also has extensive business leadership, management and governance experience working with large global organizations as well as mid-size and early-stage companies which has developed her broad range of business acumen skills.
Currently, Ms. Koury sits on the Board of Directors for Crescent Point Energy, chairing their HRC and member of the Governance Committee, Board Advisor to the Bird Construction Board in Toronto, the Calgary Zoo chairing the HRC, and the Women In Mining Canadian Board, as Vice-Chair in Toronto. From September 2017 to December 2019 Jennifer was the Co-Chair of the first public/private partnership for the UN Women Global Innovation Coalition for Change (GICC), a branch of the United Nations. Based in New York, the GICC was a group of twenty-five global companies and institutions supporting and empowering women and girls in innovation.
Ms. Koury holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (honors) from the University of Alberta and has her Directors Designation, ICD.D, from The Rotman School of Business, University of Toronto.
Julia McElgunn, P.Geo. Director
Julia is a professional exploration and development geologist with broad experience across North America. She has a Master’s of Science in Structural Geology and a Bachelor’s of Science (honours) in Environmental Geology from the University of Calgary. As an advocate for the Canadian oil industry and sustainability she is working to build awareness, education, and dialogue around how we can integrate equity & inclusion, while focusing on the environment, health, and economic benefits of the Energy Industry. As a mom to four kids, she spends her free time at her children’s sport activities and currently sits on the board at Calgary Minor Soccer Association. Julia is currently pursuing her MBA at the University of Calgary.
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