THE FOURTH “P”
When asked if it was purpose, profit or passion that fuels her entrepreneurial drive, she responds with a fourth ‘P’ – pride, as in her pride in her family’s deep and rich association with the sea. The Bluenose mainsail is her company’s signature piece, but other notable examples of its custom work are the sails for the tall ship Concordia. She credits her father for having the “greatest influence” on her career. “He is truly an amazing person and dedicated to the craft of sail making.”
LESSONS LEARNED
Like all business owners, Stevens has learned some hard-won lessons along the way, like “shortcuts don’t work”. Her advice to start-up entrepreneurs is “never look back. Make a decision and keep going. You waste a lot of energy second guessing yourself.” Stevens attributes her success to “stubbornness”, guided and motivated by three words: “Never give up”.
Hege Rognø Vice President, Offshore East Coast Canada, StatoilHydro | St. John’s, NL
GLOBETROTTER
It was Hege Rognø’s love of travel and the opportunity to visit new countries and experience other cultures that drew her to the oil industry 25 years ago. She’s been on the move ever since. After receiving her master degree in geology and geophysics from the Norwegian Institute of Technology in 1983, she began her career with Statoil at its main office in Stavanger; furthered her studies in London, England; did project work in New Orleans; worked for Santos in Australia; returned to Norway where she held various management positions with Statoil; and, this past June moved to St. John’s, Newfoundland to take on the role of vice president of Offshore East Coast Canada with StatoilHydro. Even here, though, she is still on the move: she crisscrosses Canada on a regular basis.
MOTIVATION
“Develop new ideas and drive change” is a leadership slogan at StatoilHydro and a motto that motivates Rognø. “That one (drive change) is closest to my heart.” She brings a number of leadership qualities to the international energy company, including: “sound and deep insight into the subsurface part of the business”; an understanding of business development; international experience and perspective, and, in her words, “a female way of viewing the world.” She also describes herself as “strong willed, hardworking and curious”, characteristics that serve her well as head of StatoilHydro’s eastern Canada oil and gas operations.
INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE
Rognø credits a number of people for leading her up the corporate ladder. Among them is the “insightful advisor” who convinced her that there was a future in the (Norwegian) oil business; “the guy who gave me the job opportunity in Australia”; and, the only female manager she ever had, Hege Norheim. “She has lots of guts and confidence and true willingness to share her position and power.” Her advice to other female executives is “be yourself. Don’t assume that you have to be like the others, mostly men, to be worthwhile.”
