Energy<\/strong> first interviewed Natasha in 2020, in the magazine\u2019s debut edition, when she had just been appointed Director of the Centre for Local Business Development. In 2024, she chose to step away from that senior role and carve a new path in Guyana\u2019s unfolding story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From First Oil to First Risks<\/strong> When Natasha looks back at 2019, she sees a phase defined by learning. The oil and gas sector was still new, and her focus was on building deep knowledge and expertise in an industry that was rapidly reshaping Guyana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the CLBD, she helped hundreds of businesses lift their standards, access training and position themselves for opportunities that had never existed before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2024, however, she stepped away from the security of a senior role at an institution playing a leading role in Guyana\u2019s development and decided to bet on herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, she co-owns several companies: Fiscal Frontier Inc., a consultancy focused on training and capacity building; Atlantic Talent, a joint venture with a Canadian partner providing workforce solutions in Guyana and Suriname; and MEP Engineering, an engineering and construction firm she runs with her husband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The shift from employee to employer, she said, was a deliberate and serious choice, not a casual leap.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cWhen you reach a certain stage professionally, you ask yourself, \u2018What\u2019s next?\u2019 For me, the next step was entrepreneurship. The risk was high, but so was the opportunity.\u201d Her journey reflects Guyana\u2019s own evolution: once cautious, now increasingly confident and forward-driving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Natasha, one of the biggest changes has been the role of local content. What began as a compliance requirement has become a strategy for national development. The Local Content Act of 2021, she notes, sent a clear signal that more of the value created in the sector must stay in Guyana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since then, the focus has broadened to true in-country value\u2014using revenues to diversify the economy, build skills beyond oil and gas, and strengthen other sectors needed for long-term, sustainable growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFrom 2021 to now, a lot has been focused on true in-country value, what is being brought to the country, but also, how do we diversify our base from oil and gas into the other sectors. This is why there has been a key focus on the other sectors, because the other sectors are really needed for sustainable growth,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n Technical skill gaps remain, especially in advanced offshore work, but she believes these will narrow with sustained training, exposure and experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why the Work Matters When asked which project made her think, \u201cThis is why I do this,\u201d Natasha does not start with numbers or awards, but with people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was seeing the impact, the sole traders who grew into small businesses, the small businesses that became competitive suppliers, the individuals who built new careers\u2026We focused on ensuring no business was left behind, regardless of size. That inclusive growth, that\u2019s what I\u2019m most proud of,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That focus on inclusive growth is also what drives her as an entrepreneur. Natasha is frank about the barriers women still face in the sector: limited access to finance, networks, and technical pathways. Many women-owned businesses, she notes, remain concentrated in administrative services rather than engineering or technical fields, which restricts their growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, she sees real change. More women are entering non-traditional spaces, signalling a cultural shift. Yet, less than 50% of women were participating in the labour force in 2021, and updated data is awaited. For Natasha, this underlines that while progress is real, significant work remains to bring more women into paid, productive work.<\/p>\n\n\n Her message is clear: when women in Guyana gain access to resources, they use them to contribute meaningfully to Dr. Natasha Gaskin-Peters interacts with stakeholders Q4 2025 EDITION 39 national development. Her advice to women who want to enter the sector is practical and direct\u2014 build knowledge, build a network, and keep showing up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She encourages them to research, use the vast information now available online, attend industry events, join business associations, and invest in ongoing training and upskilling. Knowledge opens doors, she says, but a strong network helps you walk through them and find your place in the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Risk, Reinvention and Responsibility<\/strong> Natasha is not afraid of reinvention, a quality many professionals struggle with. She believes in taking calculated risks, echoing the belief that without risk there is no real reward. Comfort, she says, can be limiting, and she prefers the challenge and excitement that come with trying new ideas and finding creative solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For those who feel ready to \u201ctake the leap,\u201d her counsel is to plan carefully rather than jump blindly. She urges people to understand their risks, measure them, and put plans in place to reduce them as much as possible. In a rapidly growing economy like Guyana\u2019s, she believes, opportunities are too significant to ignore, but they must be approached with clear goals and preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her leadership is also rooted in mentorship and responsibility. Natasha spends time guiding young professionals and supporting women in male-dominated spaces, stressing the importance of preparation, confidence, and bringing strong ideas to the table. She recalls often being the only woman of colour in the room and encourages others to let their voices be heard and to show up ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, she defines success by impact rather than titles: creating jobs, developing talent, and building companies that open doors for others. For her, success now means employing and empowering more Guyanese, mentoring the next generation, and contributing to national development. She describes herself as deeply patriotic and wants her work to add real value to Guyana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked how she wants to be remembered, she says, \u201cI want people to say I made an impact in their lives. That\u2019s it. That\u2019s my legacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In 2019, economist Dr. Natasha GaskinPeters led the Centre for Local Business Development (CLBD), helping Guyanese businesses navigate the early days of a brand new oil and gas sector. Guyana had just produced its first oil, capacity gaps were wide, and many firms were unsure how to take part. Six years later, both the country […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":22,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,20],"tags":[24],"class_list":{"0":"post-1562","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured","8":"category-women","9":"tag-main-feature"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/energyguyana.gy\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/energyguyana.gy\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/energyguyana.gy\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/energyguyana.gy\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/energyguyana.gy\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1562"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/energyguyana.gy\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1777,"href":"https:\/\/energyguyana.gy\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1562\/revisions\/1777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/energyguyana.gy\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/energyguyana.gy\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/energyguyana.gy\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/energyguyana.gy\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/energyguyana.gy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Natasha-Option-1-1024x683.jpg\")
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