Growth & Jobs | Grid Appeal: The Nicole Lawrence story

Apparently, nobody told Nicole Lawrence that high-voltage safety operations and power-systems management were part of a man’s world. Neither did they tell her that a career in electrical engineering was not something that women generally pursued. But even if someone had, the 37-year-old would, more than likely, have dismissed it.

“My mother didn’t want me to do it (power-systems management). There’s a fair amount of danger involved, and I guess she still sees me as her baby,” Lawrence said. “I spent a lot of time with my dad, who is a civil engineer, working on sites and projects for companies like JPS.” Having been bitten by the energy bug, Lawrence left Campion College and headed to the University of Technology to read for a degree in electrical engineering.

With a lust for challenges and any problem with a high degree of difficulty, the writing was on the wall. As the few other young women in her cohort moved into instrumentation systems like telecoms, Lawrence took on the big, bad, and potentially dangerous, speciality in power-systems management.

Unique skill set

Outside of the Jamaica Public Service Company, Lawrence is probably the only person – man or woman – in Jamaica with her skill set. As the site electrical engineer at Red Stripe, she is the most senior authorised employee who can carry out maintenance on high-voltage systems. It is a role with a great deal riding on it, namely J$1 billion in assets on the company’s electrical-distribution network, including the company’s combined heat and power (CHP) plant, beer production lines, and other assets.

Production targets and company goals hang on her ability to keep the grid active and minimise supply interruptions. “Electricity is not sexy. It’s in the background. No one knows how important it is until it’s not there,” Lawrence quipped, adding that she is always on call since the plant maintains 24-hour operations. “I’ve had my fair share of calls at 2 a.m.”

Lawrence explains that the job requires extreme vigilance and a vigorous maintenance system to avoid incidents. The engineer pointed to several multibillion-dollar highly complex projects with aggressive timelines, including the installation of Red Stripe’s CHP Plant in 2014 – her biggest challenge yet. “That one was tough. We did it in eight months. I didn’t sleep at nights, but it was fun,” she declared proudly.

While noting that her main job is to keep the system reliable and as safe as possible, Lawrence made it clear that protecting the personnel who operate the system is paramount.

Team leader

Now the team leader for a group of four male engineers, some of whom are older and more experienced than she, Lawrence says she has been fortunate to find herself among men who not only treat her well, but never harass or belittle her in any way. “They challenge you, yes. But I have friends who work elsewhere, and they are harassed. That’s not something I’ve had to deal with.”

The UTech alumnus attributes much of her professional growth to a handful of engineers with whom she has worked at the beer company for the past 13 years. In that time, she has also eked out space to give back to the community. Lawrence has a heart for volunteerism, and although work doesn’t often allow, she has found creative ways to make an impact. “Recently, we sold some old transformers on the site. It wasn’t a whole lot of money, but I made sure that the proceeds went to the Desnoes and Geddes Foundation,” she shared, revealing that the donation amounted to $250,000. An annual Christmas treat organised by her aunt is also a staple. When she is not managing high-voltage systems, Lawrence spends time with family, cycling, scuba diving, and travelling.