What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Failure is the best teacher there is and it provides an opportunity to learn and better yourself. You cannot grow without failure.
Name a place you have never been to and would like to visit. Why?
I would love to do the Overland Track in Tasmania. It has been on my bucket list for some time now. I was born in Tasmania, so it holds a special place in my heart. The wilderness is also spectacular in Tasmania. My ideal holiday would be spent camping and hiking through the wilderness. There is nothing more refreshing than getting out in nature, challenging yourself and getting away from civilisation.
Who or what inspires you?
Without sounding cliché, my grandmother is my inspiration. She grew up in a small, 1 room, stone cottage in Ireland with very little. She was a mid-wife in the war and didn’t have an easy life. She was a very hard worker and an extremely resilient person. Despite her hardships, she was very caring and gentle (everyone loved her), she always had a very positive outlook on life and (although unintended) she always ended up the life of the party. I aspire to be like her every day.
What is one of the biggest challenges facing energy customers today?
Managing the integration of increasing renewable generation into the existing grid. This challenge is diverse and filters into issues around reliability, affordability and political debate. An increase in the investment of renewable generation is a positive thing, but it does pose challenges of solving for intermittent generation and increasing bidirectional electricity flows.
When there are reduced sources of wind or solar, the question becomes how we ensure a reliable source of energy to guarantee supply will match demand in real-time. This has sparked growth in how energy storage and battery can help. Due to increasing amounts of residential Solar PV installation, energy flows are increasingly being sent back into the grid rather than drawing from it, creating the challenge of how to manage the distribution network effectively and securely.
What does a typical day look like for you at Edge?
I usually arrive between 8am and 8:30am and take a moment to plan out my day. Part of my role is to support Stacey as Managing Director. I will check Stacey’s calendar and compile a to-do list for both of us. Each morning, I join the Markets & Advisory team to discuss what is happening in the energy markets. In addition to having recurring monthly and weekly tasks, such as accruals and invoice reconciliations, I also track progress of projects for clients, organise meetings with clients, follow up on any client enquiries, and provide administrative support to the Edge team. The energy sector is complex and there is a lot to learn, but I am so thankful to be part of such an interesting industry and work alongside such a talented and knowledgeable team.
