Lucy is the Legal & HR Assistant and is based in our Paris office. She has been with Greensolver for over 6 years and is handling all HR and legal matters for the company.
- When did you join Greensolver and what does your role involve?
I joined Greensolver in May 2014 and my role at the time was Executive Assistant to the Managing Director. I was quite an exciting time to join Greensolver. The first 3 weeks I was in Greensolver, the company was still a part of Veolia Environment and Eolfi. So 3 weeks into my new role we had a big office move. It had been a year since Greensolver had become independent and I witnessed some big changes. About two years ago I started working in Human Resources.
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Have you ever worked in the renewable energy industry before, how long, and what previous roles have you had leading up to now?
No, I have never worked in renewables before I joined Greensolver.
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Why did you want to join the renewable energy industry or Greensolver?
At first, I didn’t know much about it. I wasn’t particularly looking for a career in renewables. Once I actually started learning more about what it involved, I though it was really fascinating. I didn’t know much about the service sector, the technical, financial, audit, construction management parts – all that came later. What surprised me was finding out that there were so many people I already knew working in the industry as well. I don’t think I really paid attention to what they were doing. My knowledge of what companies could do was very limited. It’s important to actually meet people and realise you may be able do that. Besides engineering, I believe people with different backgrounds can still be a part of this industry. You can learn a lot on the job and you don’t need a very specific degree qualification.
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Do you think the renewables industry can do more to promote gender diversity?
Yes. However, compared to other engineering specialisations, I think there probably are more women in renewables than in other traditionally male-dominated sectors. This is mainly because renewable energy is a more recent subject that is being taught in universities and higher education. With more women joining engineering degrees in the past years, it’s more likely that they may have chosen a renewables specialisation. I think the renewable energy industry is quite diverse already. There’s lots of opportunities across the sector, and not only for people who have an engineering or science background.
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What advice would you give to anyone wanting to join the renewable energy industry?
I’d say “Do it!”. It’s such a broad industry, with many areas such as wind, solar, biomass, storage etc. There’s also plenty of smaller companies that are doing a lot of interesting and versatile things. When working in a company like Greensolver, I think having a different background is quite good. Having different skills will definitely serve you well. I would definitely encourage everyone to join. It’s a growing sector so there are many possibilities to try various companies and visit many countries.
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What’s your favourite part about your role?
I like that it’s very diverse and I get to have contact with everyone in the company. Many people are located in different geographic zones and most of us work from home. However, we still have the opportunity to interact, be it sending an email or having a chat over Microsoft Teams. Having that contact is something that I like a lot. Besides that, the industry is doing a lot of good, environmentally speaking. When I joined 6 years ago, that was not something that I had in mind. I’ve become more aware of the climate change and the good effects of clean energy and that’s really important for me now.
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What is your favourite part about working for Greensolver?
I think we’ve got a really good team that fits well into Greensolver’s culture. The growth of the company has led to the addition of new people to the team as well. There’s always a good atmosphere. Everyone is friendly and pleasant to work with. I like that Greensolver is very good at retaining interns at the end of their contracts. That means we were able to train them well. The roles involve a good mix of observation and hands-on experience, and there is a good gender balance across the company. I believe Greensolver is a really good starting point for anyone’s career.
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Where do you see the future of renewables going?
It can be a bit complicated in certain countries with less investment. But it can only get bigger from now on. Several governments added green investment to their agendas. Everyone is becoming aware that it’s necessary to add renewables in the energy mix for the future. I am hoping that we won’t take the eye off the ball. I think there are novel technologies coming along and new things happening in renewables. We have been really lucky to be a part of Greensolver. Covid-19 hasn’t impacted our work and luckily we didn’t have to furlough anyone. I think the renewable sector has been quite robust during this time. Power plants are still operating and we’ve been able to do most of the services remotely.
Interested in a career in renewables? Learn more about Greensolver career opportunities here.