Celebrating International Women’s Day 2022. From human geographer to engineering start up : pathways to the energy sector

Whilst the energy sector relies on engineers and scientists to drive technological innovation, Naked Energy is a strong believer that diversity of thought is key to building a sustainable future. After all, our CEO, Christophe Williams, pivoted from a career in advertising, directing TV commercials, to innovating a solar heat technology that is disrupting the energy sector.

Today, to celebrate International Women’s Day 2022, we are highlighting the complex and often unexpected pathways that can lead almost anyone to a role in the energy sector, in an interview with Lowri Collins, Naked Energy’s Commercial and Marketing Associate. Read below about how her background studying human geography led her to the world of engineering.

1)      Can you tell us a bit more about your role at Naked Energy?

The key word to describe my role is diverse: I manage our inbound sales process, reporting to the commercial team and qualifying leads; I work on finding, securing and managing our strategic partners, to distribute and promote our products across the world; finally, I lead on our social media channels and help out with different marketing requests, from PR to digital.

2)      What is your background? Which experiences led you to this role?

I studied a BA in Human Geography at Durham University and a Master’s in Environmental Governance at the University of Oxford; both degrees helped me to develop a critical approach to problem solving and understanding complex matters such as climate change. My concern for climate change and social issues motivated me to work for a company with a purpose – having spent some time working in financial services, I can’t imagine working for a company where the purpose isn’t to do good, from a social and environmental perspective, ever again in my career!

Therefore, working for a company with a clear purpose – to decarbonise heat (over 50% of global energy demand!) felt like a no-brainer. Equally, my default geographer’s mindset to challenge the status quo meant that I loved the fact that Christophe wasn’t an engineer himself, proving that we can pioneer change in new sectors, if we put our minds to it.

Equally, I have always been quite entrepreneurial in my outlook, keen to pioneer something new if it doesn’t already exist; throwing myself into extracurricular projects at school and university; and building businesses in my spare time, e.g. a sustainable dried flower Etsy shop during a covid lockdown, and a website building a community around more sustainable practices in the fashion industry. This outlook has come in very handy working for a scale-up; where my tasks vary weekly; processes aren’t fixed and need innovating; and I feel a responsibility for the growth of the business.

Finally, in my previous role, I managed a number of projects in the renewable energy sector, and started to gain an understanding of this complex and fascinating world where the environment, business, politics, the public sector and the private sector interact, on many different levels, from the local, to the regional, to the intergovernmental. I wanted to learn more, and I feel very fortunate that I have been given the opportunity to further my understanding of this sector.

3)      Do you think that the energy sector is the domain for only engineers?

Not at all – as in any sector, different aspects of the energy transition require different sorts of knowledge. The energy sector needs people who can communicate (in many ways!) the vast scale of the challenge and the many solutions; can consider and implement ESG principles to ensure that a more sustainable energy system really is sustainable; can ensure that projects are commercially viable; the list goes on. Engineers are great at what they do, but like everyone, they can’t do everything!

4)      What have been your biggest highs working in the energy sector?

I love learning new things on a daily basis and as a non-scientist, it’s been quite nice to go back to the basics, understanding how different technologies work and what’s considered when thinking about the energy demands of a project. I have also loved those moments when I’ve chatted with people outside of work about the energy sector, particularly in relation to current affairs, and realised that I have a handle on what’s going on in a sector that really affects people’s lives.

5)      What’s one thing you wish was different about the energy sector?

If I could have one wish relating to this sector (besides more effort to swap out fossil fuels for renewable energy resources!), it would be an increase in the diversity of minds collaborating towards the future of our energy systems. I can probably count the number of meetings on both of my hands in which I haven’t been the only women, which says a lot! This can feel demoralising, but it’s a robust reason to stay in the sector, to pioneer change. Of course, women are not the only minority in the energy sector, and so there’s a lot to be done on many counts. As it is such a critical sector to how we exist, it would be great if more people from different backgrounds got a seat at the table and I strongly encourage anyone who finds the energy transition/conundrum interesting, to apply for a role in the sector.

I’d be happy to speak to anyone considering a career in the energy sector, who would like to learn more!