Falguni Shah, Vice President of Technology and Innovation at Elexicon Energy Inc.
Falguni Shah is Vice President of Technology and Innovation at Elexicon Energy Inc., a power distribution utility in the Ontario, Canada. With a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in power systems, Falguni has worked in the electric utility industry for more than 25 years. She has extensive experience in smart grid, distribution system automation and modeling, SCADA communication, interconnection of distributed resources with remote monitoring and control, data management to quantify power system reliability, and in the planning and operation of reliable distribution system. Falguni provides strategic leadership to foster creativity and innovation in operations and information technology at Elexicon Energy.
Preparing for a Bright Future
If there’s one word to describe Falguni, based on my interview, it is grateful. Her gratitude for everything in her life gives her a positive energy so refreshing to be around in these difficult times. But that’s probably why Falguni is the leader of innovation of her company. Her role is to provide her insights, intellect, and foresight for reliable energy distribution to Elexicon Energy customers.
It seems all the experiences in Falguni’s life have prepared her for her position at Elexicon. Falguni has always shown initiative and responsibility towards the family. Power outages were frequent in India and she recognized, even as a child, the problem needed to be solved. When she decided to be an electrical engineer, her family supported her, even though it was a male dominated career path. Through her hardwork and determination to succeed, Falguni has proved herself from time after time that she is the perfect fit for this career. With the support and generosity of family, colleagues, and friends, Falguni has never felt held back.
When she moved from India to Canada in 2001, Falguni obtained a master’s degree in power systems at the University of Western Ontario. She focused on protection and power system stability challenges in the utility industry. With her master’s degree and many years of experience, she prepared for and earned a Professional Engineering license from Ontario. Her ability to balance multiple responsibilities is commendable. At the time of her masters, she not only exceled in her degree, but also managed her family responsibilities such as taking care of her five-year-old daughter. After graduation, she worked at London Hydro for a few months then landed a position at Oshawa PUC Networks Inc. as a distribution and planning engineer, which gave her broader experience in design, planning, and substation automation in the Canadian utility sector.
Foresight and Knowledge
When Elexicon wanted to create a distribution automation group, they were looking for someone who had utility distribution system and automation experience to foresee where technology was headed to create innovations and enable the development of next generation of electricity utility grid – The Smart Grid. Falguni accepted the challenge and hired engineers and technicians for her team. Few years later, Falguni leads technology and innovation group, developing processes, applications, and media to improve customer interactions with Elexicon, as well as cooperating with a variety of departments in the company such as operations, customer service, information technology, and business development in order to make advancements on the grid and ensure successful applications of technologies on projects.
When asked about the potential conflicts between maintaining a project development budget and utilizing new technology, Falguni relayed the importance of being able to provide cogent research and analysis to promote any new technology for innovation project, which may be higher in cost and have no significant operative history. With her skills and research, the trust of the company, and the help of her team, Falguni was able to implement a number of leading edge technology projects that has put Elexicon Energy at the forefront of utility industry.
Learning Lessons
Falguni becomes thoughtful when answering my question about challenges women may face in a male dominated industry. She notes the importance of support from family and the encouragement from her family to take on leadership positions in this industry. She firmly believes that shared responsibilities in the household and an environment of ambition is the key to success for any woman in any field. Her positive attitude, constant gratitude to life and fearless nature to strive for success in any and all circumstances makes her a woman of inspiration.
Her advice to women who want to enter into the industry is to “Be open to a lifetime of learning. Be curious to implement new approaches, as technology is always changing. Remove any blinkers and be open to the world. Educate yourself by reading and networking. Be thankful for what you have and for the people around you. Most of all, be a good person.”
Working During the Pandemic
Falguni enjoys seeing people and being social, so the quarantining required by the pandemic was difficult for her at first. Office structure had changed in that what used to be immediate access to her colleagues now requires arranged meetings. This took some time for everyone to adapt to. In true form though, she views this as a positive learning experience for everyone. In fact, she was impressed to see how readily people adapted to the new norm. The pandemic has required people to accept change and has forced people to be creative in handling stop gaps and challenges. “When we go back to work, we will now have a more adaptive outlook,” she says.
Always Looking Ahead
As technologies develop and improve in availability and reliability, more so in the past five years, Falguni’s role is to foster creativity and innovation for the future and their long term projects and existing customer base. She sees more people will have the ability to play a part in the energy market. “The electric energy industry is going through a revolution, involving “prosumers”, persons who are producers and consumers. The end-users will not just be passive consumers but they will actively participate in the electricity market by selling the energy they produce from their own homes or buildings. Peak hour demands for energy will decrease if onsite energy storage technologies are used. Distribution utilities will likely evolve from a ‘poles and wires’ business to include such decentralized renewable energy resources.”
Along with her contributions to innovation in operations and electrical distribution, Falguni wants to continue contributing and volunteering for environmental organizations like Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forest (LEAF). Whether her work keeps her in Ontario or takes her anywhere else, she is open to anything, after all, the world will only improve with innovation and change.
