Asset Management Is For Women Too (featuring Aline Brodie)
One thing I have been noticing more and more is the number of women entering the field of Asset Investment Planning & Management (AIPM). In fact, many of Copperleaf’s clients are women who are taking a leading role in their organizations in planning and managing their asset investments more strategically, to minimize risk and create the highest value for their organizations.
Certainly the prevalence of women is not evident by attending an asset management conference…yet. But it occurred to me that this is a great role for women in a field where you might not expect to find many women! And I believe this is the beginning of an exciting trend and would like to highlight some of these women—and the interesting work they’re doing—to establish some role models and shine a light on this as a possible career path for young women.
In this article, we are featuring:
How did you get involved in the field of asset management?
I was assigned a special project to develop a systematic grouping of transmission assets to help optimize outage planning. This initiative helped broaden my exposure to the transmission system through collaboration with various departments involved with the planning and delivery of capital and maintenance projects/programs, and helped me gain an in-depth understanding of work execution. I’ve since transitioned into a role that focuses on investment planning for these projects and programs by developing the corporate multi-year investment plan.
What attracted you to this field?
I really enjoyed the opportunities to work with individuals from across the company to develop strategies and investment plans that deliver value to our customers while maintaining a safe and reliable electricity system in Ontario. The interaction and problem solving aspects of asset management made it inspiring and rewarding to work towards meeting those goals.
What excites you most about this field?
Every day I’m faced with new challenges and opportunities to build a plan that best suits asset needs and customer preferences while delivering value to our customers. It’s exciting to find areas of improvement and use innovative solutions to make smarter decisions and balance competing priorities.
What are the most rewarding aspects of the work you do?
I really enjoy working with individuals and teams. My role enables me to provide the corporate strategic context to help various teams visualize the overall goals of the company and understand how their projects fit into the big picture when they are developing their investment candidates. This cross-functional collaboration provides valuable input that helps shape the investment plan I develop.
Where are you (and your team) making the biggest impact?
Currently we are involved in multiple regulatory submissions where my team and I provide value in driving consistency through the development of the many investment plans that underpin these filings.
What do you think are the biggest challenges?
Breaking down silos. It is important for individuals to understand the goals of the company as a whole and how they are part of one company working together to build and implement a plan that meets these common goals. This requires an understanding of competing priorities, risks to the company, and the overall objectives.
Would you recommend asset management to other women as a career?
Definitely! There are so many opportunities within asset management no matter what your educational background. Whether you have a financial, technical, or business background, the opportunities are endless!
To learn more about other women making an impact in this emerging field, feel free to check out the rest in this series here.