Derek Harp is happy to have Wanda Lenkewich, the Founder and CEO of Chinook Systems joining him on the podcast today!

Wanda Lenkewich harnesses her subject matter expertise in engineering and construction, lifecycle commissioning, and facility management to advance the security and resiliency of critical infrastructure. She is the CEO of Chinook Systems Inc., leading an interdisciplinary team dedicated to commissioning, building systems and controls upgrades and replacements, and cybersecurity for facility-related control systems. Lenkewich has a passion for digital transformation and continues to innovate and advance technology that will protect and extend the life of buildings. That includes the full integration of cybersecurity into Chinook’s commissioning technology; Chinook's CyberCxTM program. Lenkewich is an industry advocate and founding fellow of the Control System Cyber Security Association International - (CS)²AI.

Wanda is an excellent example of a great set of career path choices! She is a well-rounded individual who brings a fresh perspective and experience to what she does today! She is an entrepreneur, a speaker, and a mechanical-minded engineer with a well-developed creative side! She is a painter, musician, horse enthusiast, and cook. 

In this episode of the (CS)²AI Podcast, Wanda tells her story, talks about her career journey, and shares some great nuggets of information about opportunities within the cyber security space.

You will not want to miss this episode if you are thinking about embarking on a career in cyber security or considering starting a company of your own! Stay tuned for more!

Show highlights:

• Technology first came into Wanda’s life at a trade show she attended while working at her first job. It fascinated her, and she fell in love with it immediately! (4:21)
• Wanda talks about the first job she did after graduating as a Mechanical Engineer at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. (6:15)
• Wanda talks about her satisfying experience when she first got into digital controls. (9:17)
• Wanda started building commissioning in 1991. It was all about the validation of control systems, and it was where she fell in love with databases. (12:16)
• Wanda discusses the catalyst that prompted her to leave the government and start her first company. (13:55)
• Wanda experienced a lot of frustration with the industry because it was slow to adopt new practices. She believes that things are changing, however. (17:45)
• Wanda talks about what happened in the period between the first and the second companies she founded. (18:36)
• The impact that Y2K had on her career path. (23:09)
• Wanda talks about being invited to the Pentagon to help launch their renovation project. She has had a constant and consistent relationship with the Pentagon via Chinook ever since. (29:14)
• Wanda talks about the challenges she faced while moving her business operation from Canada to the US. (32:09)
• When cyber security first intersected with Chinook. (35:33)
• The challenges with new construction and with existing buildings. (39:01)
• Wanda shares some advice based on her years of experience for people entering the field of cyber security. (45:14)
• It takes a lot of skill sets to build a strong cyber team in the OT world. (53:29)

Links:

(CS)²AI

Wanda Lenkewich on LinkedIn

Chinook Systems