Summary:
Environment has become a strategic issue for oil and gas companies in recent years, not just PR. Looking for sustainability experts. Fast growth of the alternative energy sector (investment in 2007 up 60% over 2006) means shortages, not just components and equipment, but also human capital. Strain on the availability of senior managers with sector experience (CTOs, CEOs and senior project managers). Need technical skills, commercial awareness and understanding of business, and communications skills. For senior managers with positions reporting to the board, the rewards can be high. (Published: 06/05/08)
Notes:
- Anita Hoffmann (Heidrick & Struggles, headhunters)
- oil and gas companies looking for chief sustainability officers
- people who will drive the corporate strategic agenda
- oil and gas companies coming under increasing pressure to improve their environmental performance
- in Europe, sector covered by EU's emissions trading scheme
- means limits are placed on the amount of CO2 such companies can produce
- companies can trade their quota with one another if they need to produce more
- constraints of this system have opened up new roles in emissions trading and jobs for engineers skilled in monitoring emissions, as well as opportunities for companies to cut their costs by employing energy efficiency experts to help reduce their emissions
- environmental roles at the top of companies
- changed markedly in recent years
- Hoffmann: "It was very different a few years ago, when these positions were all about public affairs."
- environment was seen as an aspect of CSR, falling within the PR department's function
- today: "It's clearly a strategic issue"
- has been taken into the company's core operations
- alternative energy sector growing fast
- leading to a shortage of staff
- investment in clean energy worldwide in 2007: $148.4bn
- up 60% on previous year
- leading to wealth of job openings
- in survey of 75 business leaders in the sector, the companies found 37% of respondents viewed the chanllenge of recruiting qualified staff as "very serious"
- further 59% describing it as "moderately serious"
- hardest posts to fill: chief technical officer, chief executive and senior project managers
- Michael Liebreich (New Energy Finance):
- "Very rapid growth in investment in clean energy is putting a strain on the availability of senior managers with sector experience. There is a strong momentum behind the growth of clean energy worldwide, with new investment up nearly fivefold between 2004 and 2007, but this is creating shortages not just of components such as silicon and transport infrastructure such as crane ships for offshore wind turbines, but also of human capital."
- Hoffmann:
- "scale of shortage threatens to hamper the growth of this important industry"
- but: skills shortage only half the story
- also many recruits trying to break into the alternative energy sector, and into green jobs in the oil and gas sectors
- Claire Skinner (Ruston WHEB, exec search agency specializing in clean technology):
- "huge amount of interest in environmental jobs"
- "for senior managers with positions reporting to the board, the rewards can be high"
- salaries > $300,000 basic
- London: £120,000 - £150,000
- candidates for such posts need three sets of skills
- technical skills: engineer or other hands-on experience of operating assets
- commercial awarenes and ability to understand the whole business
- communications skills, in being able to explain green issues and why they matter to the rest of the business and the outside world
