Tanisha

Tanisha's STORY

Policy Executive, Energy UK

Policy Executive
Energy UK

Tanisha was studying Politics and International Relations at university when she became interested in the energy industry. Now she's a Policy Executive in the energy sector – a career where she is using her degree as well as making a difference to 65 million people. Find out why she is a keen advocate in promoting the many career opportunities in the sector.

What do you do and where do you do it?

I am a Policy Executive in the Generation team at Energy UK. Energy UK is the trade association for the energy industry. We represent over 100 suppliers and generators with a business interest in the production and supply of electricity and gas for domestic and business consumers.

I also run Energy UK’s Young Energy Professionals (YEP) Forum which is a network dedicated to offering those interested in or new to the energy industry, the opportunity to network, collaborate ideas and develop professional relationships to improve career and personal growth.

I work in the centre of London, just behind Westminster.

Which parts of the job do you enjoy most / find most rewarding?

In the policy teams at Energy UK, from day one we are given the responsibility to cover a specific area of energy policy to influence. In my role, I lead on smart cities and cybersecurity policy. I loved being given the responsibility straight away to take on a new, innovative policy area and make it my own. I have a great relationship with our members, industry stakeholders and the Government – something I never thought I would have all in one job!

The focus of what we aim to achieve at Energy UK is the creation of a common, industry wide position or approach to influence the Government to ensure we are working towards the same goal. Where we have contentious challenges to overcome, creating one industry wide position is incredibly difficult with over 100 members, but equally very rewarding when it works. Providing clear thoughts and evidence from the energy industry to Government to improve policy is a job well done in our office!

“

It is incredibly exciting to be working in such a rapidly changing industry! Yes, we still need engineers but we also need communications teams, consultancies, forecasters, analysts, environmental surveyors and technology providers to ensure this critical industry keeps working safely and securely.

“

Tell us about your journey from starting out to your current role?

At university I studied Politics and International Relations with no idea what I actually wanted to do for a career! In my second year, I found work experience campaigning for Southampton Itchen Conservatives, putting flyers through doors and gaining support where possible to win the 2015 General Election – not an easy task!

It was a third year module in Environmental Policy which brought me to energy. In six months I was drawn directly to this exciting and rapidly changing industry. I attended as many lectures and industry conferences as possible which opened my eyes to the possibility of a career in an industry I had previously never even considered an option. It turned out that a mix of energy and policy was exactly what I wanted from my career.

“

I have a great relationship with our members, industry stakeholders and the Government – something I never thought I would have all in one job!

“

What do you think of career opportunities in the sector?

The opportunities for a career in energy are honestly endless. We aren’t seeing the stigma of typical engineering jobs on big power station sites anymore. With industry building more distributed generation, increased renewable sources and technology disrupting the status quo this is automatically mirrored in the variety of career opportunities on offer. It is incredibly exciting to be working in such a rapidly changing industry! Yes, we still need engineers but we also need communications teams, consultancies, forecasters, analysts, environmental surveyors and technology providers to ensure this critical industry keeps working safely and securely.