“There is great value in mentoring younger professionals; I like to consider these opportunities as ‘mirror moments’ or chances to reciprocate and help open doors for others in the same way, I received that encouragement and support”. Having been ‘on the other side’, I understand the significance of mentoring and ensuring that teaching moments are not lost, especially for the young professionals, both male and female”.
Photo credits: LUVO Productions Limited.
Candice Aanensen, Operations Director at BECM, has gone through the same growing pains many of her employees endure as they progress in their careers. Born and raised in the industrial capital, San Fernando, by parents whose determination to give their children the educational opportunities that had eluded them, exposed Candice to the values of hard work and discipline that have shaped her life. Candice spent several school vacations assisting her mother at the printery where she worked and watched her mother's promotion from employee to supervisor; without understanding it at the time, she was empowered by that drive and determination. That, coupled with her father's job as a pipe fitter at Petrotrin, revealed a grit and strength that became the impetus for Candice to strive for excellence in her own life.
Her current role as Operations Director at Balanced Engineering and Construction Management (BECM), a 15-year-old, first-generation, locally-owned engineering firm she manages with her husband, Kirk, was taking shape long before she actually decided to risk the comfort and security of her corporate career to join him in the business.
Two weeks after graduating from UWI, St. Augustine with a major in Management Studies (double minor in Finance and Psychology), Candice secured a position with Citibank's Risk department. Three years in, the urge to do something further, struck, and she went back to studying, this time for her MBA, which she felt would help her "understand the broader perspective" of business. Her promotion at Citibank, once she'd completed the MBA, happened in a way that still stands out in her mind: a position had opened up, she was quietly weighing whether to apply, and then, without warning, she found herself in an elevator with the company's CFO and realized it was a now-or-never moment. She was soon in the new, more challenging role, which in hindsight was the real start of her journey. After several years in banking, including overseeing business planning and strategy across the Caribbean region, Candice moved into the energy sector in 2011 with Centrica Energy, spending six years there before joining Peterson Logistics as Financial Controller.
A pivotal moment came in 2017, when Candice decided to trade the security of a stable career to join Kirk in a business that now needed her full-time, not from the sidelines. It was one of the hardest decisions she's had to make, "despite my initial concerns about mixing personal and professional life." She describes "the complexities of balancing personal and professional boundaries, particularly dealing with perceptions about working with my spouse, and the importance of proving myself again through merit and results." The partnership's strength is visible in the results: the company has grown from three to over thirty employees at its peak, expanded beyond Trinidad, and holds a 98% return-client track record.
Part of her initial hesitation was her lack of technical and engineering experience; despite that, the balance she and Kirk have struck, his engineering expertise and entrepreneurial drive paired with her experience building the systems and processes behind sustainable operations, has kept BECM relevant through difficult periods. The success of their 15-year-old business rests on dedication and hard work, but Candice is proudest of what they've built in their people: a deliberately developed workforce. "Our focus has always been on local talent across various corporate functions beyond just engineering, including finance, IT, HR, and HSE," she says. In her view, the energy sector runs on more than engineers and geologists. The functions that support the technical work are just as critical to a company's resilience, and investing in them has been as deliberate a strategy as anything on the technical side.
Built from Kirk's vision to deliver engineering services to the energy sector using primarily local talent, the first-generation company has thrived despite the trials typical of such a business. "Unlike many of the local energy service companies, BECM has faced unique issues," Candice notes, "including limited access to inherited networks, and the institutional knowledge and guidance that comes with having experienced entrepreneurial know-how in-house." Despite that, they've moved into the Surinamese and Guyanese markets and continue building connections and opportunities, progress she credits to their team's reputation and record.
Candice wants to keep mentoring and empowering her team so that what they've built outlasts her own involvement. She's passionate about building systems that give her the confidence to step away and let younger talent lead, which is also why mentoring matters so much to her: a chance to reciprocate the encouragement she once received, and to make sure those teaching moments aren't lost for the professionals coming up behind her.
Reflecting on the people who shaped her, Candice never had a formal mentor in the traditional sense. But there were women she deeply admired, women who held a place in her thoughts at moments when she needed direction, who advocated for her when she wasn't in the room, even if they never knew it at the time. One was Soraya Khan, who became a close friend. The other, Karen Darbasie, is someone she's admired but never told her this directly: "What struck me, watching her style, was that you could hold divergent views in a boardroom and then it's over. You don't take it outside with you. That ability to pivot into something softer and more personable, without needing to maintain a strong business façade the whole time, stayed with me. You don't have to be the loudest voice in the room to be heard." What she's also learned: "We watch each other, we draw strength from each other's example, and we rarely say it out loud. Even when you think no one's looking, someone usually is."
She insisted on closing our interview with: "I would not be where I am without my support systems. It's important to build a system around you that will hold you up." Her support system is, tellingly, two strong women: her mother and her mother-in-law, whose involvement has made her career possible. She also credits her husband, despite his own demanding schedule, with holding their family together.
"As career mothers, we're sold a version of success that requires doing everything ourselves, and we carry guilt when we can't," she says. "I've stopped buying into that. Dropping a ball doesn't mean you're failing; it means you're carrying more than one person was built to carry alone. We tend to think we need to do everything and be perfect at everything, but that's not the case. You can have it all, but maybe not all at the same time. That's where balance comes in: put systems in place so you're not struggling alone." Setting realistic expectations with her children matters too: "Let them know you won't be there for every show or game, but you'll be there for the important ones, and when you are, be present." Her non-negotiable is her own health and fitness. "The family will adjust, and the kids will be okay with a missed pickup or a late dinner. Choose yourself too."