When local entrepreneur Abbigale Loncke started MBW Energy Support Services Inc last year, it was partly with the goal of furthering the representation of women in the sector.
MBW assists overseas-based companies to relocate here, offers support services and conducts training.
The acronym stands for Mikhail Bakari Watson, Loncke’s son. The company which was founded a year ago serves as a unique brand since twenty-five per cent of its management positions are held by women and Loncke herself is the company’s president.
Prior to heading MBW, Loncke had already established herself for her leadership within the health care services industry as well as the host and organiser of an annual women-in-business summit, which has attracted participation from across the globe including Yvette Noel-Schure, an accomplished publicist in the US who has worked with music celebrities, Mariah Carey, and Beyoncé.
Loncke says she is excited to be leading the relatively new energy support services company at a time when Guyana is establishing itself as a major player in the industry. MBW boasts clients in Trinidad, USA, Dubai, and Africa. For the founder, facilitating all aspects of the burgeoning industry in Guyana is thrilling.
“You can get so much satisfaction working with overseas clients, but there is something special when you can contribute to companies making a difference in the Guyana space. After all, this is home,” she told Stabroek Weekend.
The company was formed after Loncke became interested in the oil and gas sector here for the value it brings and wanted representation for women. Thus MBW began offering consulting services for companies that were looking to enter the local realms of the oil and gas sector. Companies arriving in Guyana were taken through the process of setting up their businesses locally, being compliant, and learning to navigate the local arena. Outside of these, MBW also took care of recruitment, and as previously mentioned, training services.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MBW has expanded its service offerings. The idea is to leverage the experience of the local women here also. Hence programs are currently being developed to enable persons here to be trained locally before moving on to more advanced training provided by the professionals within the oil & gas sector, most of whom are from Trinidad. Loncke noted that initially the company started training about twenty persons but as a result of the pandemic, this training has been put on hold. She added while they are currently looking to develop an online classroom for training, there is some training that requires a practical teaching session.
Loncke herself has completed a series of health and safety courses and just recently, an associate degree in Supply Chain Management.
“We understand the importance of support services to the energy sector and as such we are uniquely positioned with the experience and the expertise to provide a range of services to address people solutions, corporate solutions and facilities management solutions,” she said.
Another arm of the company which deals with facilities management solutions, provides HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), electrical, plumbing and janitorial services, among others.
Meanwhile, the Corporate Solutions Division offers plant maintenance, project management, shutdown planning, lifting & rigging, as well as welding & fabrication. By catering for so many areas within the sector, MBW seeks to lessen the headache that can be potentially incurred by companies attempting to locate these services separately. In addition, while it seeks to provide a wide array of services, it promises efficiency in each area.
Loncke noted that to provide the best of services, they have recruited only the best and along the way, have forged partnerships with many local and international companies to deliver the high quality of service their clients desire.
Following the founding of this company, Loncke recognised how much the sector was dominated by males and wanted women to be a part of the industry, thus she was one of four founders of the Women in Oil and Gas Guyana Association. Currently, the association has a membership of fifty. Owing to the COVID-19 crisis, there is an ongoing registration that is free until March of next year.
The organisation is also looking to create high school internship opportunities where students will be placed at different oil and gas companies to do work studies.
“This is a new industry with a lot of opportunities and I want women especially Guyanese women to be aware of this space. I want to see women as the faces of several of these oil and gas companies here. We want to inspire the next generation and we want to help women to be economically free,” declared Loncke.
“We believe that Guyana is entering a new and exciting era, and we are more than glad to be part of this journey where the possibilities are endless, and which in the end will uplift both the Guyanese spirit and empower its people,” she enthused.
Persons wishing to contact Abbigale Loncke can do so via email: abbigale@mbwenergysupportservices.com or via her company’s website: www.mbwenergysupportservices.com. She can also be contacted by telephone at 648-4302
