IN THE STOPE •

By Sharyn Macnamara

Energy is critical to mining . “ There has been a shift – both a desire and a mandate – to move towards greener forms of energy , and no sector is impacted more than mining ,” says Edith Kikonyogo , ABB ’ s Local Division Manager for Energy Industries in Southern Africa , as she shares her career journey with Sharyn Macnamara .

Holding both a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand , Kikonyogo is registered as a Professional Engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa . Kikonyogo is an expert in her field with over 17 years of experience in the industrial automation and power industry and over 13 years of managerial experience , having held various technical and managerial roles since 2004 , from project engineering , project management , energy management consulting , sales and sales management , profit and loss responsibility ; and most recently , board responsibilities . ¹

“ My line of business is energy industries . We cover a broad range of sectors and industries , of which mining is but one ,’’ says Kikonyogo . Currently she is responsible for growing the business in the power , water , and oil and gas sectors in the region for ABB , and is accountable for the division ’ s market strategy , operations , organisational capacity and , most importantly , the growth and wellbeing of all staff .

“ With the benefit of hindsight and perspective , I am able to look back and know exactly why I chose a career in engineering ,” says Kikonyogo .

“ One reason was my exposure to engineering from a young age through my uncle and brother – both engineers , electrical and chemical respectively . They were my role models , but I was also analytically inclined – stronger in maths and physics – and although I excelled in other subjects , like languages , biology , agriculture , and history ; I simply did not enjoy them .”

Kikonyogo goes on to explain a second influence in her choice of field , which is extremely interesting considering the current conversations in the industry with regards to # BreakTheBias : Imagine a gender equal world – the latest theme of International Women ’ s Day 2022 . She notes , “ I went to an all-girls high school in Uganda , where socialisation , nonverbal cues , and career guidance had no boundaries . There were no ‘ boy ’ subjects . All the role models in our school were women . All the dentists , doctors and professional people we saw were women . We were encouraged to consider careers such as actuarial science , engineering and accounting . Only when I was at university and later , was I asked the

ABB

Edith Kikonyogo , ABB ’ s Local Division Manager for Energy Industries in Southern Africa .

question : ‘ Why did you do engineering ?’ And in the beginning my response was , ‘ Why not ?’ I saw very quickly at university that women were the minority , and as I moved into my career I realised women were not expected here .”

She notes that she is not necessarily a proponent for girls-only schools , but the girls-only environment was a key driver in those all-important formative years , when she was forming views about life and shaping her thoughts , “ Now that I look back , I am grateful that there wasn ' t gender bias or that kind of differentiation in my environment at the time ,” she adds .

Kikonyogo went on to graduate and it was through her final year project that she drew the attention of an employer representative at ABB . She started her career as a young project engineer for the company in control and automation in the pulp and paper , energy and power generation and the mining and cement sectors . She