Oxana Andrienko is the Sales Manager for UK & Ireland. Her role is to generate new business and to ensure all customers are happy with their experience and our services.
When did you join Greensolver and what does your role involve?
I joined in July 2021 and my role, as Sales Manager for UK & Ireland, is great. Firstly, I’m responsible for getting Greensolver recognised by our target audience as one of the best service providers in our areas which are asset management, technical advisory, PPA and HSE, all related to wind, solar and storage assets.
The second most important part of my role is to get our target audience to become clients. This is another really exciting part as it involves lots of negotiation, meetings and creating proposals.
Ultimately, I need to make sure that clients are satisfied and we deliver the best possible services which includes communication with clients and other Greensolver departments.
Have you worked in the renewable industry before? If so, what were your previous roles?
Initially, I came from the oil and gas sector with 8 years of experience, straight after University. Both my BA and MA Degrees weren’t in energy, they were actually PR and Journalism.
After those 8 years, I transitioned into renewables. I was Sales Manager for the UK and Scandinavia for a Swiss software provider, for wind and solar performance optimisation. It was during my time here that I realised that I enjoyed working in the renewable industry and appreciated the greater good that the sector provides.
Then I joined Greensolver and have been enjoying it ever since!
What was it that attracted you to the industry?
I think it’s working towards a better future for mankind. Renewables definitely play a huge role in achieving net zero and becoming the main energy provider, which will support the cleaner future plans.
Renewables has a lot of potential as it’s very new, vibrant and has lots of kind people working for the industry. Even competitors, everyone cooperates and works ultimately towards the same goal of providing greener energy. I found this not to be the case in oil and gas, where everyone seemed to be in it for themselves.
Do you think the industry could do more to promote diversity?
Yes, there’s room for improvement.
Luckily, at Greensolver, we have a female CEO and also our MD of the UK and NL is a woman. In addition, in the UK sales and marketing team we are all made up of women. In that regard, I believe Greensolver is doing quite well to promote diversity.
Again, comparing my experience to the oil and gas industry, I believe it’s doing much better, as before I worked with only men.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to join the industry?
I would say it’s a great move – you have to pursue it and give it a go!
You have to have a certain mindset of not just wanting a salary or progressing your career, but also wanting to be a part of making the world a better, greener place.
The people are very friendly and I’ve found that you don’t necessarily have to have a background in it either. Because it’s so vibrant and still relatively new, it’s an industry welcoming talent from all areas.
What’s your favourite part about your role?
I like how active my role is. My day is filled with lots of different tasks.
I enjoy having meetings with clients and prospective clients, to get to know them better and find out what is important to them, their needs and pain points. I like being able to find solutions for their problems.
What’s the most challenging part of your role?
The admin type tasks, such as reporting. It’s a very important part for the business but it’s challenging for me as it’s time consuming and less creative. However, I know it’s important to track data as it shows us how well we’re performing and what improvements can be made.
What do you enjoy most about working for Greensolver?
It’s the team – such a friendly, helpful and supportive group of people. This is not just in my immediate team but also in other departments of the business.
In terms of the countries, we are very close – the inter-country communication is great. We are often in calls and meetings together, so everyone is aligned on activities.
On another note, we also have a great London-based office, right in the heart of the City. It’s very convenient to interact with clients face-to-face as some of them are also located there.
Where do you see the future of renewable energy going?
I would like to think it’s going to be the major energy resource; I hope that it will be one day. If you look at the likes of BP, Shell and Equinor, they already have diversified their portfolios into renewable divisions and some companies are stating they will completely stop using other forms of energy, leaving clean energy remaining.
In that sense, the future of renewable energy is looking bright and is very, very important.
If you would like to join Oxana Andrienko and the rest of the Greensolver team, check out our latest job listings.
