UCalgary alums receive Young Women in Energy Award

Five University of Calgary alums were recently honoured with the Young Women in Energy (YWE) Award. The award is given to women in Alberta’s energy sector who are making an impact in the industry through leadership, innovation and performance. UCalgary alums made up half of this year’s recipients.

The winners, who were honoured at a ceremony in April, now join the YWE alumni program and will be paired with mentor industry executives through the YWE Mentorship Program.

Eva Kiefer, BComm’10

Eva Kiefer is co-founder and CFO of Akira Impact, a Calgary-based energy transition investment firm that brings innovative ideas to market through the provisioning of capital, entrepreneurial teams and business strategy. 

At Akira, Kiefer wears both investor and operator hats and has helped multiple Calgary businesses grow from ideation to $500-plus-million enterprises and has led capital financings bringing more than $1.5 billion of capital to Calgary businesses. Kiefer also serves on UCalgary’s Board of Governors and is part of the Investment and Audit Committees. Her passion for championing women in their careers is supported by her service on the Board of Directors for The Prosperity Project. 

Q: What makes you passionate about your work?

A: “My life experience has made me deeply passionate about environmental sustainability, gender equality and education. I am committed to growing Calgary’s relevance in the global energy transition through continued support of our economic and social infrastructure.”

Q: How did UCalgary help you get to where you are?

A: “I'm thankful for the platform provided by UCalgary, including the fundamental business knowledge, as well as the value of innovation, entrepreneurship and hard work. UCalgary also provides assistance with mentorship and internship programs, which were incredibly helpful with the transition to the world, post-university.”

Jana McDonald, BA’21

Jana McDonald is founder and CEO of Guardyan Conservation Corp, an emission-reduction project developer. McDonald majored in communication and media studies at UCalgary.

Q: What makes you passionate about your work?

A: “I have an amazing team at Guardyan … we're half communications experts, we're half engineers and technical experts, and I'm really passionate about this company because I feel like it fills a gap that other firms don't have.”

Q: What advice would you give women hoping to enter the energy sector?

A: “Take up space, be loud, state your ideas and get involved in other areas of your company besides your role. I think that we (communication students) often don't think that there is a space for us because we tend to be quite left-brained. Not being an engineer and not having the background that others come into this space with was my greatest superpower.”

Madison Savilow, BA’19, BComm’19

Madison Savilow is director of corporate and external affairs at Carbon Upcycling, a waste-to-value and carbon-utilization company producing cement alternatives. 

Q: What does it mean to you to receive the YWE Award?

A: “This award is really great for women who are in a segment of their career that is not often noticed. You get these rising stars right out of university and then you also get the lifetime-achievement awards. But there's this big gap in the middle where you're in your mid-career, you're doing phenomenal work, but there is not recognition that these amazing women deserve. I’m still early in my career, but it’s not lost on me how well-placed this award is; it was really exciting for that.”

Q: How did UCalgary help you get to where you are?

A: “I was mostly interested in anything that was outside of the classroom, which made the University of Calgary a perfect fit for me. They have so much to offer in terms of extracurriculars and other programs like the co-op, study-abroad and international internships. I tried to join — despite not being an engineer — engineering clubs, and a lot of those were within the sustainability space, like the Solar Car Team, and I think those are the ones that really got me interested in tech development.”

Sheliza Kassam, BSc (Eng)’20

Sheliza Kassam, PEng, is an operations engineer for Drayton Valley-based Pembina and was nominated under her previous role as a project engineer with Cenovus Energy. She sits on the board of UCalgary’s Engineering Endowment Fund (UCEE) and founded a charity, Children’s Birthday Miracles, at the age of 15. 

Q: How did UCalgary help you get to where you are?

A: “The most valuable skills I learned was how to problem-solve and communication. Engineering is one of the toughest disciplines … but I had incredible professors and teaching assistants that explained complex concepts in a simplified manner. Another reason why I value my time at Schulich is the labs and the experiments were hands-on to apply theories in a practical manner. Now, I sit on the UCEE board and determine which lab equipment to sponsor based on these experiences.

Q: What makes you passionate about your work?

A: "I am passionate about my work because I can see the tangible impact I am having on the community and the world. Through my charity, I organize monthly birthday celebrations for underprivileged families in homeless shelters and children battling cancer. I have the privilege of engaging with these families and collaborating with charitable organizations across Alberta to find solutions to their daily challenges. As an operations engineer on-site in Drayton Valley at Pembina, I have the opportunity to design safety critical projects and collaborate with an exceptional team to bring these projects to life."

Shoshi Soni, BA’11, MSc’13

Shoshi Soni is director of policy and planning with the Policy Co-ordination Office of Executive Council for the Government of Alberta. She has been with the province for 10 years and spent most of her time at the Department of Energy.

Q: What makes you passionate about your work?

A: “I think what made me choose the profession was being in a province where we have so much potential for energy resources and ingenuity, being able to advance and shape the energy sector through policy, while balancing environmental protection and economic prosperity, along with stakeholder and Indigenous concerns.”

Q: What does it mean to you to receive the YWE Award?

A: “It's a tremendous honour. It signifies the recognition of my contribution to advance Alberta's energy sector, specifically for the critical minerals and geothermal sectors; it serves as a validation for my leadership, resilience and determination. It also provides an opportunity for me to connect, inspire other women in the industry, foster a supportive community of empowered professionals and also to pay it forward.”