Three Different Careers, One Energy Industry

The energy industry is undergoing a major transformation. We are talking more and more about sustainability, electricity availability and adequacy, and the solutions of the future. In the past, people discussed the weather around the coffee table; today, they are increasingly talking about electricity prices. Electricity is a part of our everyday lives, yet we rarely even notice it, except, of course, when it suddenly isn’t there.

Traditionally, the energy sector has been viewed as male-dominated and highly technical, but reality is far more diverse. More and more women are working in the industry in a variety of roles, from specialist positions to sales, communications, and customer service. At Nordic Green Energy, we actually employ more women than men, which is pretty amazing!

For many people, the path into the energy sector has not been straightforward. Instead, it has been built through different experiences, coincidences, and realizations. Let’s take a look at three different career paths into the energy industry.

Finding My Path Through Curiosity – Laura Marttila

Let’s start with my own story. I’ll admit right away that my childhood dream job was not working for an electricity sales company. After high school, I began studying business administration and quickly realized during my first courses that I was definitely not going to become a marketer. I didn’t see myself as creative enough. As fate would have it, after a few twists and turns I found myself a few years later studying communications at the University of Vaasa while also working at a marketing agency.

Communications and marketing completely won me over. While looking for a new direction in my career, I came across a job advertisement from Nordic Green Energy and became interested in the company’s focus on renewable energy. Environmental values are important to me, and the variety of the role appealed to me.

When I started, I knew almost nothing about the energy industry. In many ways, that turned out to be an advantage because I could easily relate to consumers’ confusion about the complexities of the energy market and communicate about them from a consumer perspective. Starting my career in the middle of the energy crisis certainly added an extra layer to learning the industry. I joined the company as a Marketing Specialist and today I work as Marketing and Communications Manager. I collaborate closely with both our internal team and our partners, and I can honestly say the job is even more diverse than I expected when I started.

My colleagues and partners make everyday work meaningful, and I find that I am at my best when I can help others succeed. The people around me are what inspire me the most in my work. One particularly memorable moment in my career came on a November evening in 2024 when we learned that Nordic Green Energy had been ranked number one among electricity retailers in the EPSI Rating customer satisfaction survey. A few messages filled with exclamation marks were exchanged with my manager that evening. It was a tremendous vote of confidence from our customers, and one that we proudly carry with us.

Growth Happens Outside Your Comfort Zone – Anni Muhonen

I started in the energy industry in 2019 in a Back Office role at Nordic Green Energy. The industry was completely new to me. I had never even signed my own electricity contract! The learning curve was therefore quite steep in the beginning.

I worked with contract processing and later in billing and accounts receivable, which gave me a comprehensive understanding of everything that happens behind the scenes of customer service. However, working more closely with customers attracted me, and in 2021 I moved into consumer sales. Today, I am responsible for consumer sales and partnerships, combining sales development with building long-term collaborations.

Alongside my work, I earned a degree in economics, which strengthened my expertise and increased my interest in business development. I was also continuously given more responsibility and opportunities to grow. Our organization has gone through significant changes over the years, and I feel that I have grown together with the company. My work has often taken me outside my comfort zone, but that is precisely what has helped me develop the most. I have learned a great deal about sales, human behavior, and negotiations. At the same time, my self-confidence and ability to handle pressure have grown.

Although the energy sector and especially sales roles, is often seen as male-dominated, my own experience has been largely positive. I have found that in the long run, competence, professionalism, and attitude matter most. That said, as a young woman, I have occasionally felt that I needed to prove my expertise more strongly in order to be taken completely seriously. Those situations have been frustrating, but they have also strengthened my confidence and determination to demonstrate that competence is not dependent on age or gender.

I also believe it is important that the energy industry continues to welcome a wider range of talents and perspectives. My expertise felt especially meaningful when I was given greater responsibility for consumer sales and partnerships. It felt like an important sign of trust because I had entered the industry with no prior experience or degree related to energy. It was rewarding to see how the knowledge, education, initiative, and desire to grow that I had accumulated over the years led to a position where I could genuinely influence business development.

A Meaningful Industry in the Midst of Change – Martina Lundberg

I have a degree in International Business and entered the energy sector by chance in 2018. At Nordic Green Energy, I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of roles, from customer service to project management. Today, I am responsible for Nordic Risk & Compliance and serve as a member of the management team.

A key part of my role involves monitoring legislative changes in Finland and Sweden and initiating and managing related projects. I have noticed that many people think the energy industry is somewhat monotonous. I was guilty of that assumption myself when I first entered the field. The reality has proven to be quite the opposite.

Change is constant, and the work requires the ability to learn new things and adapt quickly. That is exactly what makes my job interesting. In the midst of continuous change, everyday work is often busy. I draw energy from my colleagues, successful outcomes, and above all, from constantly learning something new.

The energy industry feels particularly meaningful right now because it is so heavily influenced by global events. Geopolitical developments, price fluctuations, tightening regulations, and growing customer expectations make the industry constantly evolving. At the same time, technological development creates new opportunities. My work is also directly connected to customers and responsible business practices, as legislative changes have a tangible impact on how we provide our services and consequently on how customers experience them in their everyday lives.

One Industry, Many Stories

There is no single correct path into the energy industry.

Our backgrounds are different, yet each of us has found our own place. We hope we have challenged the perception of the energy sector as a narrow and purely technical field. The industry needs a wide range of skills and expertise.The themes that repeat throughout our stories are curiosity, the courage to develop, and the willingness to seize new opportunities.

At the same time, they remind us that we do not need to know everything in advance. Career paths are often built one step at a time, through learning, experimenting, and sometimes daring to step outside our comfort zones. Perhaps your own path is not yet clear and that is perfectly okay. The most important thing is simply to dare to take the first step.