Ugwem Eneyo, co-founder and former CEO of Shyft Power Solutions, an energy technology company that pioneered integrated software solutions for microgrids and smart cities in Africa, delivered the annual Pamela Lavin Bernstein Women of Influence Lecture on Monday, Nov. 2.
The lecture, presented annually since 2015 by Alfred University’s Judson Leadership Center, is endowed and supported by Alfred University alumna Pamela Lavin Bernstein ’71. Eneyo told those in attendance to expect that obstacles will present themselves as they pursue their goals and they must show perseverance and resilience to find solutions that stand in the way of success.
“Success and setbacks often arrive in the same envelope,” Eneyo said. “You have to be committed to the problems that you are working to solve, but flexible about the paths you take to fix them.”
She added, “You don’t need a perfect plan – you just need a next step and the courage to take it.”
Eneyo, a Nigerian-American engineer, inventor, climate entrepreneur and advisor, co-founded Shyft in 2016 while a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University. Seeing the promise of Africa’s emerging tech ecosystem—and after winning the MIT Clean Energy Prize and University of California, Berkeley Clean Energy Prize—she took a chance at entrepreneurship, building the original technology and securing patents that were the basis for the company’s advanced metering infrastructure (AMI).
Shyft was founded as a venture-backed energy technology, building patented distributed energy resource management systems for Africa's fastest growing power companies. Eneyo led the 2024 acquisition of Shyft Power Solutions by Steama Company, where she served on the Board of Directors and led Product and Innovation.
A sketch, drawn by first-year art major Julia McNulty, during Monday’s Pamela Lavin Bernstein Women of Influence Lecture. The drawing shows lecture presenter Ugwem Eneyo at the speaker’s podium.
Eneyo’s family and upbringing in the coastal regions of the Niger—a region with a complex history when it comes to environmental affairs, human rights and industry—inspired her early interests in climate and sustainability. Eneyo graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in civil and environmental engineering. Prior to attending Stanford, she worked as an Environmental and Regulatory Risk Advisor for infrastructure projects throughout South Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
She has been recognized by Forbes “30 Under 30” (Energy) and Climate & Capital Media’s “Ten to Watch,” and continues to advise organizations advancing climate innovation, energy access, and resilient infrastructure across emerging markets.
