Sarah Constantine

Corporate Communications Manager, Pennecon Limited

Born and raised in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Sarah Constantine is the Corporate Communications Manager for Pennecon Limited and affiliated companies, where she oversees marketing, communications, corporate social responsibility, and stakeholder relations.  Before joining Pennecon, Sarah was the General Manager of m5 Public Affairs where she focused on issues management, media training, and emergency response for a range of oil and gas industry participants, including operators, contractors, service companies, and government organizations.  In her spare time, Sarah volunteers on the Board of Directors for Easter Seals Newfoundland and Labrador where she provides strategic communications and stakeholder relations counsel.  She has also served on Newfoundland and Labrador’s Oil and Gas Week communications committee and the International Association of Business Communicators (NL)’s Board of Directors.  Sarah has a Bachelor of Science from Memorial University, a Bachelor of Public Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University, and is currently completing her Master of Employment Relations from Memorial University.

We asked Sarah:

The OGM: What does sustainability mean to you?

Sarah: Oftentimes we pigeonhole sustainability into the environmental sense of the word. But the concept has many applications in business and in life. It’s forming capacity-building partnerships in the community; it’s building the next group of leaders through succession planning; and it’s enjoying the fruits of our labour without compromising our children’s ability to do the same.

The OGM: Have you had a mentor?

Sarah: I’ve had many. Successful and visionary leaders. Philanthropic entrepreneurs. Women in non-traditional roles and authoritative positions.

The OGM: What does success mean to you?

Sarah: Success is about finding balance between my desire to achieve goals with enjoying the journey.

The OGM: If you were to describe your career in three words, what would they be?

Sarah: Mutually beneficial relationships.

The OGM: What advice would you give to someone looking for a career in the Energy Industry?

Sarah: The most valuable thing you can bring to the table is an opinion. Don’t be shy about voicing yours.

The OGM: Describe a milestone in your career?

Sarah: A few years ago, my colleagues and I won a Gold Quill Award from the International Association of Business Communicators in New York. It was a prestigious recognition of a campaign that was strategically planned, creatively executed, and jam packed with results.

The OGM: Describe a challenge you faced in your career?

Sarah: Having a leadership role at a young age comes with a unique set of challenges. I’ve learned to leverage what makes me different to my advantage. After all, the value we bring to the table is in our uniqueness, not in how well we fit the status quo.

The OGM: What impact does technology have on your career?

Sarah: A profound one. Marketing is no longer about the service you provide. It’s about how well you tell your story. Capitalizing on digital and social media is the key. Rich, engaging content is king.

The OGM: What do the next five years look like in your career?

Sarah: I like to keep an open mind and take on projects that are a little outside my comfort zone.

The OGM: Were you always interested in a career in Energy?

Sarah: Not necessarily. Excitement is what I crave—and I’ve certainly found that in the energy industry.

The OGM: What interests you to sustain a career in the Energy Industry?

Sarah: The energy industry is transformational. We’ve all seen the impact it has had in Newfoundland and Labrador over the past decade. My role in the energy industry allows me to help shape what our province and communities will look like in another 10 years.

The OGM: Do you have a role model you look up to?

Sarah: My parents are incredibly inspiring people, who both worked hard in meaningful careers for 30+ years. That work should be rewarding, enjoyable, and pride-inducing was a notion they instilled early and reinforced often. I’ve adopted their perspective as my own: that if you choose a career you enjoy, you’ll never work a day in your life.

The OGM: What does Energy mean to you?

Sarah: I like to think about energy abstractly. What energizes our employees? What fuels our business? How can we harness that energy and make it work to our advantage?

The OGM: What is your favorite APP on your phone?

Sarah: Pinterest. I’m particularly interested in pinning extravagant recipes that I’ll never make.

The OGM: What impact will the Millennial Generation have on the Energy industry?

Sarah: Millennials get a bad rap for feeling entitled and having poor work ethic. But that’s not what I’ve seen from the Millennial Generation. Their preference for co-operative, team-based work environments, their desire for feedback, their reliance on modern digital technologies, their preference for philanthropic employers—it’s causing us to re-examine our policies and procedures for the better.

The OGM: What’s your take on Social Media and our ever changing digital world?

Sarah: When it comes to communications, the basic principles, no matter what the medium, should always be the same: listen more than you talk… communicate openly and frequently… share the vision with absolute clarity… tell the truth… be authentic. Social media simply allows us to do a better job of that.

The OGM: What Social Medium do you use on a daily basis?

Sarah: Instagram. It’s everything I like about Facebook (the photos), minus everything I dislike (the clutter). #happymedium

The OGM: Do you use Social Media for work?

Sarah: Constantly. I get my news via Twitter. I engage with employees via Facebook. And I network with stakeholders via LinkedIn.

The OGM: What do you think of Social Recruiting?

Sarah: We don’t have a choice on whether we practice social recruiting. But we do have a choice in how well we do it.

The OGM: Why do you love what you do?

Sarah: Businesses live and die on relationships—with their employees, clients, industry regulators, bankers, decision makers, communities, media, and more. My job is all about protecting and enhancing those relationships. It’s an important function and one that I feel passionate about.