Sue Battersby, Shell Energy’s Senior Account Manager, shares insights into some of the drivers behind Australia’s commercial and industrial businesses energy goals and why there’s always something new to learn in the power industry.
I’m a Senior Account Manager in the Commercial and Industrial Retail team, managing both retail customers and a team of three fantastic Account Managers. In my role, I manage the NSW Government contract, which means speaking with all levels of Government representatives – from Treasury and the Ministry of Health, through to the School Admin Managers (I swear I have spoken with all 1,600 NSW schools) – to support the energy requirements within their large, complex portfolio. As we recently won the tender for both the NSW Government’s large and small sites (plus the Edify battery), my focus is now on the successful onboarding of this contract.
It’s a genuine pleasure to work for a company that values customer service and the ‘partnership approach’. In my 12 or so years in the industry, I’ve worked on both the retailer and consultancy sides, and Shell was always standout in terms of their people and their behaviours. I also love how many ex-colleagues from ‘energy lives gone by’ are here!
Definitely winning the NSW Government contract. It’s a huge deal to have been a part of, and incredibly exciting to now deliver. So many people from across Shell Energy put a massive amount of work into the tender, so it was really rewarding to see that work pay off.
We’re currently in the “chicken and egg” stage. You need investment and purchase power to make renewable options more cost effective, but you need that cost efficiency to accelerate the purchase power! Business aspirations to become more sustainable, and the conscious recognition that we collectively need to change our energy consumption behaviours, are driving change. The technology is quickly catching up, but we’ve not yet reached that balancing point.
Make it green! The desire – and in fact the need – to be recognised as leading the charge in transitioning to renewable energy is front and centre for almost all large customers. There is a real push from consumers and shareholders for business to be more sustainable. We’re increasingly helping customers investigate alternative contracting options that will help achieve both their commercial and sustainability objectives.
The developments in technology and behind-the-meter solutions are rapidly evolving. Coupled with the investment from large energy users to reduce their emissions footprint, you can almost feel the change coming. We’re on the edge of a completely new market. I’m so interested to see what the product offering looks like in two, five, and 10 years’ time. It’s the market that never stays still, and no matter how long you work in the energy sector, there’s always something new to learn!
Come on over – no matter what area of the market you’re interested in, there’s plenty of opportunities to learn and grow.
