This week, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) voices Johanna Snickars, Chief Communications Officer & Brand Officer at Alight Energy. She says bypassing the traditional career ladder has been a fun, challenging and steep development curve. “I started to feel like I wanted to have a more purposeful job, where I could see how my contributions had a positive impact on the world,” she also says.
I have worked in communications for fifteen years, at PR agencies and as head of communications at companies such as Microsoft and Ericsson. Climbing the traditional career ladder has been a fun, challenging and steep development curve. I started to feel like I wanted to have a more purposeful job where I could see how my contributions were making a positive impact on the world. I am not alone; it is an ongoing trend of “climate quitter,” as Bloomberg calls it, or “green defector,” as reported in the Financial Times. When a headhunter called Alight, it struck the right chord. Being part of scaling a solar energy developer and IPP in Europe, focused on supporting large companies in moving away from fossil fuels, and the challenge of building a strong new brand was a winning combination. The motivation comes naturally when I work towards a better future for my children and add new, clean MWs every day!
There are not yet many jobs within the communications, branding and marketing sector in this field. But as the industry grows and matures, more and more organizations are realizing the importance of communications in scaling a successful business and building out those functions. Having previously worked in predominantly male-dominated industries such as finance and technology, I am determined to break the glass ceiling, regardless of the sector.
When I joined Alight four years ago and first entered the renewable energy sector, my prerequisites were a leadership position and ownership in the company. In my experience, men are generally better at negotiating employment packages such as salary, bonuses and warrants, and I have had to hone this skill and strongly encourage female professionals to adopt it. I’m inspired by female founders and top leaders, but with ownership we can enable diversity and prosperity across the industry.
I was surprised at how much the industry is male-dominated, at least when it comes to top management and ownership. I meet a lot of female role models, but not nearly enough. While the war on female talent is fierce, we who already have our foot in the door are well positioned to implement some soft measures as many players in this sector are modern workplaces and are well aware of the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce. pressure to set high goals for gender equality, at all levels, and to defend diversity as a whole. After all, a sector that is so deeply rooted in and aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals should aim high to also achieve the other goals.
The possibilities are endless – and yours for the taking! This is a booming sector, in which heavy investments are currently being made. The growth rate of the sector is faster than that of the professionals trained or upskilled in it, offering enormous opportunities. It means that many companies are investing in potential and talent rather than CV or domain expertise, and are often specifically looking for more women. So even if you have no industry experience or tick all the boxes in the vacancy, I say: apply! Experiences from other sectors and specialist roles such as communications, HR, legal and finance are also needed – and in reality we all learn by doing as we grow of the industry.
Johanna Snickars has 15 years of experience as a communications leader at companies such as Microsoft and Ericsson and joined Alight in 2020. She has won several awards for her communications leadership, hosted a podcast focused on female leadership and entrepreneurs for two years, and is a frequent speaker on all things communications and brands at conferences. She lives with her family in Stockholm, Sweden, in one of Europe’s most extensive sustainable urban development areas, where sustainability and circularity are an integral part of everyday life. She is a member of Alight’s management team and responsible for external and internal communications and brand management. Alight is on a mission to eliminate CO2 from the electricity grid by helping energy-intensive companies switch to solar energy. They develop, own and operate on-site and off-site solar projects across Europe and sell clean energy to companies at a low, fixed cost, backed by a power purchase agreement (PPA). The goal is to achieve an installed capacity of at least 5 GW by 2030.
Interested in joining Johanna Snickars and other female leaders and industry experts at Women in Solar Europe? Find out more: www.wiseu.network
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