Spotlight shines on naval officer in Women Who Lead documentary

Navy News / June 21, 2021

By Peter Mallett

Vancouver-based filmmaker Adrian Juric has included a Royal Canadian Navy officer in his upcoming documentary Our Time Has Come: Women Who Lead.

Lieutenant-Commander (LCdr) Amber Comisso, 42, joins a half dozen other successful women in the film that focuses on gender equity and the unique ways that women lead at the highest levels of the organizational world.

“I was truly honoured and excited that he chose me to tell part of a larger story of the struggle of gender equity to Canadians,” said LCdr Comisso. “I really do think it’s important for young women to see someone successful in the Navy, and research shows for so many women seeing is believing.”

She currently works with the Pacific fleet in Esquimalt, B.C., and recently participated in a Task Group Exercise involving Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Winnipeg and Regina.

“Young women, especially those in their teens, need to see women who have done big things in the world in order to go after success themselves,” says Mr. Juric. “My goal with this film is to introduce them to female leaders who fit this description, women who might inspire them enough to pursue leadership roles of their own one day.”

His cousin, Kara Osborne, a retired Army intelligence officer, recommended LCdr Comisso. It was her impressive accomplishments over 23 years in the Navy and her roles as mother of two and as a service spouse that prompted him to reach out to her.

She recently completed a posting as HMCS Winnipeg’s Executive Officer (XO), part of which was a five-month deployment to the Asia-Pacific region on Operations Projection and Neon. She previously held the title of National Military Co-Chair of the Defence Women’s Advisory Organization that advises Canada’s military on systemic barriers concerning women and gender equity.

During the filming, Mr. Juric asked her several questions on gender, including: What are the distinctive qualities and characteristics that make women effective leaders? Who embodied those qualities for you when you were young? When did you first become aware of yourself as a leader and what unique qualities do female leaders bring to organizations in which they serve?

In her response, LCdr Comisso made reference to the command team as it managed the tragic loss of crewmember Master Sailor Duane Earle, who accidently went overboard as HMCS Winnipeg was returning home last December. Having three different leadership styles on the ship, herself, the commanding officer and the coxswain, helped the ship’s company get through the crisis, she says. And she didn’t hold back on showing her emotions.

“For those people who wanted to cry, they saw the XO crying and they knew it was okay. I wish at the beginning of my career someone had said to me ‘be true to yourself’ and lead authentically and break the mould. It’s powerful to send out these messages to young women, very powerful.”

When completed, Mr. Juric hopes his documentary will spread widely to inspire the next generation of young women to step forward onto the leadership path. He believes that women are still underrepresented at the senior levels of most organizations, and feels strongly that positive role models are essential to the advancement of women and also to society as a whole.

LCdr Comisso echoes this, saying there is a huge appetite for celebrating women’s achievement in the Canadian Armed Forces as it tries to realign military culture for future generations.

“I truly believe a diverse military that reflects Canadian society is an incredibly valuable tool and that diversity and inclusion are our best assets,” she says. “It promotes better decision making, innovation, recruiting and employee satisfaction. All of these things benefit the military as an organization and get us to a point where we truly understand why diversity will make us better.”

The fully edited version of the film is expected to be released later this year. A sneak preview of LCdr Comisso’s interview is currently available at: https://vimeo.com/541045971

Sample clips from other interviewees can be viewed: www.adrianjuric.com.