ILMA Compoundings March 2017 - 40

PORTRAIT
Annie Jarquin
Director, Energy at Kline & Co.
Nothing feels like a risk if
you're following a passion,
and I think I learned that
through my parents.

Annie and her husband, Javier, posing for a photo in front of Lake Hawea while
visiting Annie's sister back home in New Zealand over Christmas - with a special
guest appearance by Hogan, Annie's sister's family dog.

Don't Judge a Book by Its Sunday Plans
"I got a job after university with a company called Beca -
they're probably the most reputable engineering design firm in
New Zealand. I had little idea what engineers actually did, but I
took a job with the water team - I was focused on wastewater.
One 'interesting' fact is that on Sunday mornings, wastewater
flows are the lowest. I used to have to do inspections on wastewater canals, so we would go on Sunday mornings and put on
the suit and the breathing apparatus and all those things and
go walking through the sewers to inspect them for concrete
degradation from the hydrogen sulfide production. I remember my boss at the time, we were literally in the sewer, and he
says to me, 'What's a girl like you doing in a sewer with me on a
Sunday?' And I've always remembered that, because I think it's
something that people are a little surprised by - that I'm quite
happy to get my hands dirty and get involved. I've always been
like that. I think sometimes people judge me on first appearances
and don't expect that I'm going to go into a sewer canal and
those sorts of things, but that's who I am."

"Nothing really feels like a risk, in a job or in life, if you're
following a passion. I think a lot of people have said
to me over the years, 'Oh, you're so brave to move to
London, or you're so brave to do this or that ...' but I've
just always thought, 'Oh gosh, you've got to follow your
passions.' And I think that's what I've learned through
my parents, really; seeing them work so hard in their
business while always making it fun and enjoyable, like
it was a part of our life and not a drain on it. It was all
about getting up and being passionate about life and
doing what you want to do."

Healthy Competition
"I was one of four children. My mum had four kids in four years
and I was the youngest, so I think that's been quite influential
in my life. I remember as a kid always trying to keep up with
the chaos and always trying to keep up with my siblings. I
wasn't even babied by them really. We were all so close in
age that it was like we were a big team, but I just happened
to be the youngest. It was always 'go for it' and competition
from an early age, you know? If there was dinner on the table,
you'd better get in fast or miss out! So, I think that transferred
through to the way I look at life a bit."

From One Business Family to the Next
"My parents had a family business, and my siblings and I all worked there from a very young age; I think I started working for my
parents officially when I was 12 years old. Every summer. Every holiday. Every weekend, I was working for them. In Beth Ann Jones'
inaugural speech in October in Arizona she said, 'People always say I'm from a family business; I say I'm from a business family,' and
that really resonated with me so much, because that's exactly who our family is. I don't work for my parents anymore, obviously, but it
still doesn't change the fact that that's the kind of family we still are. Relationships and business all come together as one for us."

MARCH 2017

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ILMA Compoundings March 2017

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