Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

RANKIN INLET (July 21/99) - Helen Klengenberg is the perfect example of a successful Inuit business person who has managed to combine her culture and tradition with a modern education and professional career.

Born on the land at Kugluktuk, Klengenberg is the third youngest in a family of four boys and four girls. She will be finishing her master of business education at St. Mary's University in Nova Scotia early into the millennium and sports an impressive academic and professional resume.

Klengenberg graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Waterloo, where she concentrated on political science, and also holds a certificate of managerial administration from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

She was employed with the GNWT for 10 years and spent the past four years with Nunavut Tungavik Inc., as its director of human resources. Klengenberg transferred to Rankin Inlet from Cambridge Bay two years ago and is now running her own consulting business.

"It really wasn't all that long ago I was born out on the land," says Klengenberg, with a warm smile of remembrance.

"You could say I've lived the best of both worlds and have experienced the best of what both have to offer.

"I'm proud of my culture and I love hunting and the land. But, I'm also happy during the day wearing my suit and applying my knowledge in the business world. I decided, after working 15 years in management for somebody else, I wanted to work for myself and joined my husband in my business, Akhaliak Consulting Ltd., to put everything I'm learning into work for our future."

Klengenberg owns 75 per cent of her consulting firm and decided to focus on her business at this time because of the tremendous opportunities she sees in Nunavut and the Kivalliq.

"I believe we're the only Inuit-owned consulting firm in Nunavut," says Klengenberg. "There's bountiful opportunities in Nunavut right now because there's a domino effect when something new starts. A number of smaller businesses are starting to benefit from the new government.

"But, you really have to keep on a lot of people here to get them moving. There's a lot of opportunity, but you have to look for it. It's not going to come knocking at your door."

Klengenberg says there are advantages to being Inuit, as a number of government policies give preference in certain areas to Inuit-owned companies so they can get themselves up and running, but Inuit have to be willing to work hard in order to take advantage of these opportunities.

She says she's in her business for the long haul and is happy with her Rankin location.

"I enjoy living in Rankin very much. Strategically, we thought Iqaluit would probably be a better location, but, we like it so much in Rankin, we decided to set up here.

"We're a very portable business and Rankin is placed very well strategically in the Kivalliq. It's centrally located and is a hub for transportation, which should help us to expand and do business in both the east and west."