Smart, Creative and Business Savvy: These Women are Leading the Way in Alberta

Amanda Wilkie – Frontier Engineering Corp., Business Development

When asked what three things she wishes to achieve during the course of her career, Amanda Wilkie answered, “improve energy and political literacy, public policy, and support young women in achieving professional goals.”

A born and raised Calgarian, Amanda’s aim growing up was to enter the oil and gas industry’s fast paced law market. However, she changed her mind after realizing the impact government, politics and public policy have on a personal level while completing her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at the University of Calgary. The importance of her generation asserting themselves was another reason why Amanda chose not to be excluded from the process when the consequences were so great. Pursuing leadership opportunities has continually allowed her to be a catalyst for positive change, both as a voice and an active supporter for young women in energy and politics. She believes that, as members of our energy industry, we all have a responsibility to our fellow citizens to ensure that facts and truth prevail to improve energy literacy.

It was for these reasons Amanda chose to volunteer and be politically active during her bachelor’s degree. She was, however, initially discouraged from staying due to the generations old political “boys club” mentality. Through the course of her job search during the recession, she was encouraged to volunteer again for networking purposes, which opened new opportunities for Amanda. She landed a political job and, aside from a brief contract at an oil and gas company, spent the next five years in various political capacities, including time in the premier’s office in Calgary. These defining years shaped her desire to connect the energy industry and politics at the individual level to improve public policy for the benefit of Albertans.

Understanding the need to continuously improve her education, Amanda has complimented her education with various diplomas from SAIT. These include Energy Asset Management, Petroleum Land Administration and most currently Graphic Design and Web Design, which she expects to complete in 2015. These educational endeavors have helped her in her current role as a Business Development Lead at Frontier Engineering.

Amanda constantly focuses on improving her skills, expanding her network and, most importantly, supporting opportunities for other young women in the energy industry. Through opportunities presented by several avenues, including the Young Woman in Energy organization, she has become involved with Young Professionals in Energy, Woman in Leadership, and the World Petroleum Congress Youth wing. Because of her dedication to her career and volunteer activities, Amanda was nominated for the first annual Young Women in Energy awards.

Amanda’s passion for young professionals outreach and her work in improving energy and political literacy is what makes her career unique. Amanda’s recent volunteer experiences include Jim Prentice’s Calgary Foothills by-election and 2014 PC Leadership campaigns. She is currently the VP of Policy for the Progressive Conservative’s Calgary Mountain View Constituency Association and was the campaign manager for Calgary Ward 4 and Ward 9 in last year’s civic election.

She sees a generational shift happening in Alberta and is an advocate for Millennials in politics. This year, Amanda plans to continue focusing on her Millennial projects and recently became a guest blogger on The Chelsea Krost Show, which reaches thousands of Millenials.

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