Her Story
About Abigail
I've been in my field for about 6 years, working across two different industries - legal and construction management. In the legal field, where I've worked for approximately 5 years, I serve as a lawyer handling administrative matters and compliance work. In construction, where I've been for 6 to 7 years, I work as a project manager and director. My main area of expertise today is compliance and risk management. On a typical day, I supervise a team of people as we consult for companies and work in-house, including pro bono work for people who need help in society. I create the things needed in my field - reviewing and drafting contracts and agreements, ensuring companies are compliant with established standards, creating SOPs for companies, developing risk registers, and consulting on governance and risk compliance. I also handle human resource matters to ensure our own company is aligned and compliant with standards. What inspired me to get into this field is that we live in a world that is very chaotic sometimes, and I believe that if you're compliant, you get to avoid a lot of issues in life. The laws have been created - why can't I just go ahead and go in line with what's been created? I come from a country where most people aren't compliant, so that really stood out for me and became my push into this field.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Abigail
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say my parents, and lastly, just being fearless. When you have supportive parents and you approach your work without fear, you can accomplish so much more. My parents gave me the foundation and encouragement I needed, and being fearless has allowed me to take on challenges in two different fields - legal and construction management - and to pursue compliance and risk management work that makes a real difference for companies and communities.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges I would say is that there are a lot of people in the field, but not a lot of people are knowledgeable. In a lot of companies, you're not ready to employ a compliance officer, but rather they would feel like it's an easy field and they could train someone into it. But rather, it is better to seek someone that has the expert knowledge and the experience into doing it. I think that's one of the woes in the field. Additionally, while AI could give you basic advice and basic direction, and it helps with data storage, it wouldn't give you the expert knowledge. For every rule, there is always an exception, and as an individual looking at a standard or rule, I consider it from both ways - is there an exception to the rule, is there a loophole? AI can't handle those nitty-gritties. And data privacy is very concerning - it's one thing that is really affecting and causing a clash in companies right now. We're getting a lot of data breaches when companies incorporate AI into their day-to-day activities. So yes, it's an improvement, but it's a great risk in my field.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Excellence, dignity, integrity, and loyalty are most important to me. When you have those things, I do believe that all the values will flow through. When you're excellent at what you do, you strive to be better. Integrity means standing by your word. These values guide everything I do, both professionally and personally, and they're the foundation for the compliance and risk management work I do - helping companies and individuals stay aligned with standards and do the right thing.
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