In recognition of International Women’s Day, we are celebrating the women who are integral to our Company’s operations.
Juneann Darrell: Administrator, Bulk Generation
Juneann joined BELCO as Energy Supply Secretary in September 1996. She was then promoted to Administrator in 2009 and is presently working within the Bulk Generation department.
Juneann has benefitted from various training opportunities including administration seminars and Microsoft training. In her role, Juneann has enjoyed meeting great people including local vendors and overseas contractors and engineers. She has also taken an active role in streamlining Company operations and as an Occupational Health, Safety and Environment (OHSE) Champion spearheaded the copy paper usage and wastage initiative. She implemented a policy whereby copiers in all areas of the Company are set to default two-sided printing, while also monitoring copy paper use and negotiating a good price for copy paper from a local vendor.
Supporting the team on projects motivates Juneann to perform at her best and she feels working with the BG Team is enjoyable as the team members are respectful and easy to work with. She hasn’t felt held-back or faced any obstacles as a female and says that her field of administration is actually predominantly female. Juneann prides herself on being organised, flexible, reliable and responsive to the needs of her team. She has also seen many changes over her years at the Company as office work has transitioned from predominantly manual systems and processes to electronic and she has continually upgraded her skills to learn several new computer systems.
Juneann attended Harrington Sound Primary and Whitney Institute and left Bermuda to attend Taylor Business Institute in New York where she studied for a Secretarial Diploma. She also has a child care diploma and enjoys community work having participated in the Mirrors Programme as a Middle School Mentor as well as volunteering for the Red Cross and for the Pacers Track Club as Committee Secretary. She was also in a local Majorette group which won an award for their performance at a May 24th parade.
Juneann says she was motivated to enter the secretarial field after watching a TV show when she was young. She explained: “When I was young I always watched a TV show called Mannix – the main character was a private detective and he had a black secretary named Peggy Fair, played by Gail Fisher, a role for which she won two Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy – the first black woman to win either award. I always admired how intelligent, beautiful and pleasant she was and she inspired me to become a secretary.”
In her spare time, spending time and supporting her family is most important to Juneann. Her other passions are listening to music, watching music concerts and dancing. One of her fondest memories was a trip to Australia in 2006 to watch her daughter compete in the Commonwealth Games. She enjoyed her visit and says Australia is a big, beautiful country with lots of trees and wildlife. Within the next 10 years Juneann hopes to be retired from BELCO and spend time with family and travelling.
As far as advice and encouragement for other women looking to get into her profession, Juneann says: “Graduate from high school and do an Administrative Assistant or Business Administration Course.”