Susanne Klawer

What do you enjoy most in your work?

'I get the greatest satisfaction from the cross-border element of my work. It’s great to do my work in three different languages. Furthermore, Nuon Industry Parks is a small department in which an entrepreneurial spirit is taken for granted. I also get a lot of energy from maintaining networks, both external and internal, as well as from helping to build up a department.'

What do you consider most important for ensuring that your work will produce good results?

'The most important thing is to have satisfied customers and a long list of customers that want to set up business on one of our industry parks. On a personal level, you need enthusiasm, versatility and flexibility. In terms of the company and the management what is required are inspiring leadership and a clearly formulated strategy for all the business units leading to a clear all-embracing vision and mission that is omnipresent and known to all the employees.'

What advice would you give someone considering applying to Vattenfall/Nuon?

'Be aware of the changes to which the energy sector is susceptible (from fossil generation to renewables and from central generation to dispersed generation). In addition to the dynamic and agitation that an organisation in transition radiates to its employees, it is a capital-intensive industry – people look far ahead. This means that no hasty and risky investment decisions are taken and that the business is risk-averse.'

''For the rest, I would recommend ‘the usual’: read up about the company – on the website and via search engines, talk to current employees, come and look around for a day and ‘immerse yourself’ in the energy world.'

What do you think is the great benefit of working at Vattenfall/Nuon?

'The broad scope for development, the educational opportunities, the diversity of personalities on the shop floor, the international character of the company, the traineeships that Nuon (Vattenfall) offers and Nuon’s young people’s network (MegaWatt).'

'It’s an exciting company; you experience a lot. I have seen a lot of Nuon in the few years I have been working here. For example, during my traineeship I worked a night shift at the Hemweg power plant in Amsterdam, I acted as spokesperson for the fraud team, I accompanied a camera crew and the police when they busted an illegal cannabis nursery, and I visited one of the offshore wind farms with the Nuon young people’s network.'

Do you feel you can develop your career within Vattenfall/Nuon?

'It’s a big company in which everyone gets plenty of opportunities to map out their career in their own way. Because of the size of the company you have to be pro-active in this: your career doesn’t just fall into your lap and nobody holds your hand.'

'Personally I hope that the amalgamation with Vattenfall will offer me international prospects. For Nuon I have already worked at the Oberbruch Industry Park (Kreis Heinsberg, Germany); Hamburg, Berlin and Stockholm are professional destinations that would interest me in the future.'