Mireille Toulekima is an African Australian. She was born in the Republic of Gabon in West Africa. She moved to Australia as a professional more than 15 years ago. She grew up in Gabon before moving to Nantes in the western part of France at the age of 14 to join a French family that soon became a second family to her. She lived with this family for six years. Those have been some of the most rewarding years in her life but those years were full of challenges. The time she spent living with this family exposed her to diversity and to the challenges of race.
She spent 6 years with them before moving with two of her sisters in Bordeaux in the South of France then back to Gabon following the death of her dad. It is in Gabon that she started her career in the oil and gas industry. She was hired by a multinational company to work as a graduate petroleum engineer. The challenges were many for her as a woman of colour working in a very Caucasian male dominated environment.
She came into this industry with a victim mentality which was nurtured by the painful experience of losing her dad who was her role model and hero but mostly by the fear of being different, the fear of going outside the box that was created by society for her as a black African woman, the fear of pursuing the opportunities that were on the other side of her comfort zone. In a way, she already had valid excuses for why she could not succeed in her life. It was only when she shifted her mentally to a more positive mindset, to a spirit of champion and a can-do attitude that she was able to break through.
With the right mindset and the understanding that she is the CEO of her life and that she is only limited by the limits she puts on herself, she has been able to build up a very rewarding and fulfilling career. She is an Award-winning global entrepreneur, Global Energy and consultant, Global Influencer, Women empowerment advocate and champion, international speaker, published author, online talk show host and Humanitarian.
She gained her experience working for more than 25 years in Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia in a range of technical and leadership roles. She has published three books. She also started the Greatness Engineering Movement and developed the Authentic Leadership System called D.A.R.E (Decide Act Review Expand). She is the executive producer and host of the global talk show The Greatness Engineering hour show and the editor in chief of The Greatness Engineering Magazine.
She is a true global citizen who has lived and worked across 4 continents. She carries out empowerment work internationally with particular focus on Energy and Resources, Women, STEM, Entrepreneurship and Global leadership. She is the recipient of numerous international awards. In 2020, she was awarded The African Woman 2nd Runner up Award for “Entrepreneur with an international footprint” by CWENA. She was a Finalist for WomenTech Network Global Award 2020. She was named in an Australian Magazine 2020 TOP 50 GLOBAL KEY INFLUENCERS. In July 2020, she was inducted in The Global Library of Female Authors to serve as Female Civility Ambassador and received The Power of Collaboration Lifetime Achievement Award.
She has been featured on TV, Radio, Podcasts and Talk shows around the world. She is the Founder and Managing Director of the Perth Australia based energy company MT Energy Resources Ltd and MIREILLE TOULEKIMA Global Leadership organisation. She also founded the STEM Queens program in Uganda and Australia in 2018 and 2020 respectively with the objective to reach out and sponsor African and Indigenous Australian girls and women to embrace STEM and increase women participation in STEM sectors. She has defied all odds and has set an example for all women. She is a role model and her achievements are outstanding.