Then & now: Meet Kristina and Harsimran from our head office in Calgary
Staff with cross-functional experience provide huge value to an organization, especially a complex organization like Cenovus Energy that operates across the full oil and natural gas value chain, and in multiple countries. To help our employees get a variety of experience, we offer development opportunities and encourage internal job movement so they can grow their skills, share knowledge between teams and achieve career growth and progression.
Recently, we caught up with two of our Calgary-based employees who have benefited from our unique approach to employee development. Learn more about how they got their start ‘then’ and where they are ‘now’.
Kristina Pavlovic, Senior Process Design Engineer
Kristina Pavlovic started with Cenovus in 2013 as a student with our Foster Creek Production Engineering team, where she collaborated with site engineers to assess and evaluate production wells.
“My time as a student provided me valuable insight into Cenovus’s culture. The team was incredibly inclusive and supportive, and always made sure I had opportunities for technical growth and development within the company,” says Kristina.
Since her time as a student, Kristina has held various engineering roles throughout the organization, including Production Engineer in Calgary and Operations Engineer at Christina Lake, both which helped her prepare for her current position as a Senior Process Design Engineer with our Capital Projects team in Calgary.
(Now) Ten years later, Kristina is a Sr. Process Design Engineer at our head office in Calgary.
In her current role, Kristina works on a variety of pipeline and facility projects at our Christina Lake and Lloydminster thermal operations.
Outside of her primary role, she also dedicates time as a New Grad Ambassador for our Engineer in Training (EIT) Program, providing mentorship to incoming EITs as they participate in our rotational-style New Grad Program, which helps set the foundation for their career with us.
In her first decade with Cenovus, Kristina’s peers have become her second family and have played a large role in her long tenure with the company.
“The unwavering support I’ve received from colleagues, personally and professionally, is the reason I look forward to working here every day. I am grateful to be surrounded by so many talented and dedicated people who motivate me to keep learning and to say yes to new challenges. They have taught me that getting comfortable with the uncomfortable is critical for growth as a person, and as a company,” says Kristina.
Harsimran Singh, Upstream Planning Analyst
Harsimran Singh joined Cenovus as a co-op student in 2016, while completing his Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Saskatchewan. During his co-op he was a member of the Corrosion Services team in Lloydminster, providing support to teams throughout our Lloydminster operations.
“One of the highlights of my time in Lloydminster was supporting a carbon capture pilot project at our thermal operations where we tested using solvents to increase heavy oil production, reduce energy usage and lower emissions from production,” explains Harsimran. “This project was an early example of the unique, challenging and rewarding work I get to be a part of at Cenovus.”
(Now) Harsimran is an Upstream Planning Analyst, supporting our Atlantic Canada and Asia Pacific regions.
Following his internship, Harsimran came back to the organization as an EIT and participated in our New Grad Program, completing three different roles over the course of three years, exposing him to diverse parts of our business, and the possibilities for careers in engineering.
His experiences early in his career prepared him for his role today as an Upstream Planning Analyst with our Strategy & Corporate Development team. In this role, he supports business planning, monthly forecasting and yearly budgeting for Cenovus’s upstream assets in our Atlantic Canada and Asia Pacific regions.
“I feel very fortunate to have already worked in so many parts of our business, including a CO2 capture facility, oil sands operations, and our offshore regions – all within the first 10 years of my career,” shares Harsimran.
Outside of his day-to-day role, Harsimran has also participated in the Avatar Program through our partner Avatar Innovations, and supported the development of the latest iteration of Cenovus’s culture, contributing to the values that guide our daily behaviour and decision making.
When asked what advice he’d give to those interested in expanding their experience at work, he shared, “always be willing to put your hand up for new and challenging opportunities and work hard to make the most of them. I’d also urge people to build strong, sincere relationships with leaders and colleagues they genuinely connect with. In anyone's career, you need mentors and friends to help support you as you build out your path, and I am fortunate enough to have had those at Cenovus."
LAST UPDATED: NOVEMBER 2023
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