In Pursuit of Glory
New Memoir Traces Trailblazer’s Rise from the Oil Sands to Google
By Armaan Basheer
From the oil sands of Fort McMurray to executive boardrooms at Amazon and Google, Glory Jewitt’s recently released memoir, In Pursuit of Glory, follows her story. Despite a career spanning two countries and carrying her through countless others along the way, Jewitt insists she is still a “Thunder Bay girl.”
Born in Toronto but raised in Thunder Bay, Jewitt trained as a hairdresser before pivoting to Alberta’s oil patch, where she spent a decade working in one of the most male-dominated environments in the world—an experience that would profoundly shape her leadership philosophy.
Those formative years laid the foundation for an extraordinary rise. By 35, Jewitt became a global vice president at one of the world’s largest engineering and construction management firms. She later joined Amazon as Global Logistics EHS Director, overseeing safety across aviation, rail, sea, and trucking operations worldwide. Today, she is the global head of environment, health, and safety at Google.
In her book, Jewitt writes candidly about failed marriages, single motherhood, and the early pressure she felt to suppress her femininity to fit in at the workplace. “I spent years trying to fit in with the good old boys,” she says. “It wasn’t until I embraced my femininity that my career really took off.” Authenticity is the heart of Jewitt’s philosophy, and a defining theme in her book. She returns to it repeatedly, emphasizing hard work, planning, and authenticity as key factors in her formula for success. “It might look different for you, or somebody else, and that’s okay, but there is no better feeling than showing up as your authentic selves,” she explains.
Aware that the tides are shifting, Jewitt, in her book, offers guidance meant to inform, empower, and equip readers as they navigate their own paths: She shares strategies for salary negotiation, finding mentors and sponsors, and learning to “take a seat at the table” with confidence. Adding to that, In Pursuit of Glory opens with a small but incredibly resourceful gift: a QR code linking readers to a curated list of Jewitt’s “Glory Go-Tos,” designed to leave them with knowledge they can apply immediately.
For readers in Thunder Bay, especially students and young professionals, Jewitt has an important message: “Dream big. Follow your dreams,” she urges. “If I can come from Thunder Bay and lead globally, you can do it too.”
