Stephanie Kers was born and grew up in Bragg Creek, a small town in the foothills west of Calgary. She studied at the University of Calgary, completing a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a specialization in international business.  Shortly thereafter, she started in a junior cost analyst position, working remotely on-site in Northern Alberta.  She worked with a project management team responsible for monitoring the successful construction and completion of a large oil production facility.  Stephanie quickly realized that she loved the dynamic pace and exciting world of major projects construction. 

Working in the cost role meant she was able to interact with multiple disciplines and departments, compiling information and reporting to management.  No two days were alike and in the junior role, she had the opportunity to constantly learn.  Working on-site was exciting and she took advantage of any chance to get her boots on the ground and tour the construction site first-hand.  This role was the start of what would become a 15-year career in project controls.  She has since worked for several other major companies in the energy industry, focusing her area of specialization on major projects. 

Working on multi-year projects, and often concurrent projects, allowed her to gain experience in cost control activities in all project stages.  From project kick-off and front-end planning, to engineering and design, overseeing procurement and fabrication contracts, execution in construction and on-site activities, and concluding with commissioning and turnover.  She truly loved the experience of supporting different areas within the project team and interacting with many stakeholders over the life of a project.

Stephanie considers herself a life-long learner and a highly curious person and she is always looking to increase her skills and knowledge.  In 2016, while working full-time, she returned to the University of Calgary in the Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.  Her goal was to get as much out of the experience as possible, and she leveraged everything she had learned in her career up to that point to maximize her studies.  It was an amazing experience!  She gained an incredible network of fellow professionals and classmates, attended inspiring lectures and seminars, and got to push the limits of her capabilities beyond what she thought was possible.

Stephanie is committed to giving back to the project controls community by increasing her involvement with AACE International and with her local Calgary Section.  In 2019, she attended the AACE Annual Conference and Expo in New Orleans with several of her team members.  She was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the presentations, seminars, and discussions.  It was there where she fully realized the experience, she had gained over her career now enables her to give back and share that knowledge with others.  Stephanie left feeling inspired, motivated, and excited to bring back what she had learned and incorporate it into her current role.  

In 2020, she collaborated with fellow AACE members Nicole Johnson, CEP and Dave Kyle, CCP CEP, to co-author a technical paper that was presented at the 2020 virtual conference and expo.  Their paper, TCM-3430, “Cost Engineering Roles and the Project Lifecycle: Providing a Framework,” focuses on the inter-related elements and roles within the cost engineering function and provides insight into the flow of information over the lifecycle of a typical project.  It is a great foundational document to reference whether you are new to the world of project controls or wanting to bring integrated systems thinking into your project management approach.  Contributing to this paper was an incredible experience and she is proud to be able to share what she has learned during her career with the project controls community.

In her current role as Project Controls Lead for Major Projects at Canadian Natural Resources Limited.  She oversees a high performing project controls team responsible for cost, scheduling, risk, and reporting activities.  They support a project management team with multiple departments, all of whom together contribute to and are responsible for successful project delivery.  She is proud they have created a truly collaborative team culture by working together closely to add value, overcome challenges, and strive for continuous improvement.