Her Story
About Abigail
Abigail Barnwell is an accomplished engineering leader with more than 25 years of experience spanning oil and gas, instrumentation and controls, functional safety, electrical engineering, and renewable energy. She has progressed from electrical and instrumentation engineering roles into senior engineering and management positions, including Department Manager for Instrumentation & Controls and Engineering Coordinator. Throughout her career, Abigail has led multidisciplinary teams, managed complex engineering portfolios, and delivered safe, efficient, and technically sound solutions across both traditional and emerging energy sectors. Abigail has also contributed to the development of green hydrogen and low-carbon energy initiatives in the Caribbean. As a Senior Technical Consultant with Kenesjay Green Limited and Project Engineer/Technical Consultant for the NewGen Project, she supported project management and technical delivery assurance for a pioneering green hydrogen production facility. She has presented technical insights at industry events, including the Caribbean's first Hydrogen Symposium, and has been actively involved in advancing awareness and adoption of hydrogen technologies. Her expertise is supported by a master's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, along with qualifications in hydrogen energy and renewable energy. Beyond engineering, Abigail is passionate about leadership, mentorship, and helping others reach their potential. Her PACE framework—Passion, Authenticity, Community, and Energy—and her ACT principles—Apply Your Best, Continuously Grow, and Treasure People—reflect her approach to professional and personal development. Grounded in her Christian faith, she emphasizes excellence, continuous learning, meaningful relationships, and adding value to others. Abigail is also committed to mentoring teen and young adult women through the This Is Me mentoring program, encouraging them to embrace their strengths, learn from challenges, and confidently pursue their goals.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Abigail
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success first and foremost to God’s guidance and favor, and to a work ethic grounded in Scripture. This has taught me to give my best to every task with a spirit of excellence, maintain a growth mindset through failures and setbacks, and treat people with genuine care and understanding.
My PACE framework keeps me grounded: Passion beyond engineering, Authenticity in who I am, Community through meaningful support, and Energy through healthy boundaries, exercise, journaling, and prayer.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of the best career advice I received came from my earliest mentor, Lisa Haskell, who taught me to embrace growth, purpose, and new opportunities. She was a strong example of a woman in leadership, leading with both excellence and genuine care for people. Her guidance helped shape my career, giving me the confidence to take on new challenges, step outside of my comfort zone, and consistently bring my best self as a female engineer.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
As a female engineer, set your own PACE: pursue your passion beyond your role, be authentic about who you are, lean on your community for support, and protect your energy through healthy boundaries and self-care. Experiencing redundancy taught me that my identity extends beyond engineering, and I encourage young women to embrace that perspective, keep growing, and never allow a role to define who they are.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges I’ve seen throughout my career is balancing the demands of being an engineer with the other roles we carry. Engineering can take as much as you are willing to give, which is why having a strong community of support and setting healthy boundaries are so important. For me, the opportunity is learning to create that balance so I can continue to grow professionally while still showing up fully in the other areas of my life that matter.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My values can best be summed up by ACT: Apply your best, Continuously improve, and Treasure people. I value excellence, continuous learning, and treating people with genuine care and understanding. I try to learn from every experience, including failures and setbacks, while always looking for ways to add value to others rather than seeing people simply as a means to an end. These principles are deeply grounded in my Christian faith and Scripture and guide how I approach both my work and personal life.
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