SHEInnovates PROFILE
Get to know SheInnovators through CN! Magazine over the next few issues!
SHANNON BOWEN-SMED FINDING OPPORTUNITY THROUGH CHALLENGE TO STAFF ALBERTA’S WORKFORCE SHANNON BOWEN-SMED, CEO, BOWEN GROUP Shannon Bowen-Smed isn’t shy to say she was asked to leave university. She truly believes she wouldn’t be where she is today without that happening. “I believe life is not a series of coincidences. If it wasn’t for the invitation to leave university I wouldn’t be here today. I have loved it for 36 years,” says Bowen-Smed, CEO of BOWEN Group. Joining the organization without any intention of having a career, Bowen-Smed learned through doing or shadowing every job that exists at BOWEN. Eventually leading the organization - established by her mother, Laverne Kruger, in 1974 - meant overcoming the perception of being ‘Laverne’s daughter’ as well as not having any experience in running a company. Now 25 years retired, Laverne remains a sounding board for her daughter, just as she was when Bowen-Smed was learning the ropes. Learning how to run a successful organization
56 // Community Now!
“It’s been a combination of making sure I have the right people around me, and trial and error about making good and bad decisions,” Bowen-Smed explains of her success. “It’s capitalizing on the good decisions and not repeating the bad ones.” Bowen-Smed relies on a group of advisors and who have been integral to the direction of the organization, “an extension of our strategic direction.” Respect is most important She also has kept respect front of mind when learning how the business works and looking for opportunities to improve. “Two things were important to me when building the business. One was respecting who was training me in the role and acknowledging their expertise for what they had done and when they had done it,” Bowen-Smed says. “Two, was to not to get too bogged down and being able to see the opportunities to improve, and making sure people were involved in the change.” It’s a fine balance she calls far from perfect, but Bowen-Smed says she does her very best each and every time.
