b'STRATEGIESBREAKINGH o w t w o s u c c e s s f u l I n d i g e n o u s c a r e e r w o m e n r i s e a b o v e THROUGHd a i l y c h a l l e n g e s r a n de t a p i n t o t h e i r h e i t a gBARRIERS t o s u c c e e d i n t h e i r c h o s e n c a r e e r sBy Kim WheelerS ucceeding in todays fast-paced, competitive world can be daunting. Finding success as an Indigenous woman can be doubly hard. Yet time and again, Indigenous women have risen to the occasionshowing strength of character, backbone, and an innate ability to cope with any challenges thrown at them. They have, after all, a rich heritage to stand onand one that has already battled injustices spanning centuries. Aboriginal Business Report spoke with two Indigenous women to gain their insight not only on success, but on overcoming hurdles that stand in the way. Myrtle Sharkey is the director of project controls and Indigenous relations lead at Fluor, an engineering and construction firm with over 50,000 employees worldwide. She also sits on the CCAB Board as well as two of its committees, and on several committees for the United Way of Calgary. On top of that, she travels often to Toronto, Ottawa and Fort McMurray, with occa-sional trips to Edmonton, Vancouver and Montreal, all while juggling her personal responsibilities. How does she do it? Not without a bit of angst combined with steady willpower, a good dose of determination, and an open attitude toward change. There are definitely moments of fear, but more importantly there are opportunities for me to learn and grow, meet new people, work with people who have knowledge in these spaces and create opportunities within our organization, says Sharkey. Myrtle Sharkey Director of Project Controls, FluorOne of Sharkeys key responsibilities is shifting the mindset at Fluor when it comes to building relations with IndigenousIndigenous relations. But it hasnt always been easy. Ive had communities, workers and companies. Its a weighty respon- several challenges put in front of me in the past three years in sibility at a company whose reach extends across the globe.taking on both the global data quality management role and To be asked to find the best ways of doing something wevethe Indigenous relations lead role. Theyre both new roles for not done before and shift a culture in an organization like oursthe organization, as well as for me, she says. is not an easy task, she says. Now adding to those challenges is the COVID-19 pandemic, Developing the right attitude has helped Sharkey, especially aswhich has impacted Sharkeys working day as it has for so many an Indigenous woman working in a male-dominated, non-Indig- people across the country. Last spring, she moved her work enous industry. A consummate professional, she has earned thehome full-time, working alongside her partnerwho suddenly respect of her colleagues and peers and embraced the oppor- found himself out of workand his two sons, who switched tunity to effect positive change that will move the needle onto at-home learning. 30A CCAB PUBLICATION2020'