Defying expectations: Maaike’s story

We spoke to Maaike whose determination to prove people wrong led her to a career in engineering, and heard about how she first came across Parkwind as a shareholder in the North Sea Wind cooperative project and has since found her purpose in our mission to scale renewables.

Can you introduce yourself briefly?

I’m an engineer by training, and an outdoor sports lover. When I’m not at work I’m channelling my energy into trail running, mountain biking, CrossFit, or anything else. I like to have variety in everything I do, and the opportunity to keep exploring and learning new things.

Why did you choose to study engineering?

I was always good at maths and physics at school, and had an uncle who was an engineer. He made me enthusiastic about engineering and how it solves real world problems. At a certain point, I told my parents I might want to pursue it as a career, and my father asked me if I was really sure. I think that sense that he thought I wasn’t capable of doing it made me want to prove that I could.

After my first year of studying energy engineering – which is a combination of mechanical and electrical engineering – I did a summer course in Denmark about fuel cell technology and renewable energy, and that planted the seed in my mind. Over the years, as I learnt more and more about renewable energy and how important it is, I decided I wanted my career to be about bringing reliable, sustainable power to society.

How did your career evolve?

My first job was as a power dispatcher at Engie. I was the first female power dispatcher, and my colleagues often introduced me to people in that way. At the time, it wasn’t the most conventional role for a woman, but I was always treated with respect, and that’s the most important thing.

After two years as a power dispatcher, I became a business developer for onshore wind turbine projects, and we used to receive a newsletter about renewable energy news in the region. I read an article about North Sea Wind, a cooperative created by Parkwind that promotes wind energy by creating the opportunity for individuals to become shareholders in the project. The cooperative is the largest of its kind and now has more than 5,100 shareholders, but back in 2019, they were looking for new participants and I thought it would be an interesting opportunity. I even went one step further, and when Parkwind sent a letter to shareholders asking for two new directors for the board, applied and was elected.

I left Engie to work in Pfizer because I wanted a change, but in doing so, realized that I just wanted to work in the renewable energy sector, and because I’d had the opportunity to get to know Parkwind through North Sea Wind, I knew it would be a great company to work for. Right from the start, it was clear I’d made the right decision – everyone here is fascinated by renewables and passionate about what they do, it’s a great atmosphere to be part of.

What’s your role now?

I’m a key customer manager – a role that was created right before I joined because they wanted someone in the company to look at our activities from a customers’ perspective with a service delivery focus. It’s a varied role that has evolved as the company’s needs have. Right now, I’m drawing on my past experience from Engie where I worked on permitting to work on the consenting track of our 1.5GW SNII project, which we won in Norway’s first offshore wind auction earlier this year.

Can you tell us more about SNII?

It’s an ambitious project, 1.5GW is a huge amount of installed capacity, it’s 1.5x bigger than the largest nuclear power reactor we have in Belgium. Add to that the fact that it’ll be around 200km from shore, which is a huge distance to be transporting people to do surveys and the work, and the elements of the site itself, and you can see it’ll be a challenging project. However, Norway is a new market – we’ll be the first ones to have an offshore wind farm in operation, so we have the opportunity here to be a real pioneer. Norway already has 98% of its power from renewables from hydropower, so renewables are really in their veins. The fact they want to add another type of renewable energy and help lead the energy transition is impressive, and working with local communities will be very exciting.

What did the launch of JERA Nex mean to you?

It’s great to be part of a bigger company with even more ambitious goals, and there’s a huge opportunity for us to learn from our other colleagues all over the world. They have experience of different markets and types of renewable energy, so that shared expertise will only make us stronger.

I think JERA Nex will be able to combine the pioneering spirit that’s at the heart of Parkwind, with JERA’s innovative mindset and wider knowledge of the electricity and energy sector. There’s a lot of potential that opens up with JERA Nex’s global reach and portfolio.

Can you describe JERA Nex in three words?

Cheerful, ambitious and caring.

What does our mission to transform the energy industry and scale renewables mean to you?

Scaling renewables is vital if we want to continue living life the way we know it. Climate change is happening, and not acting on it now will be more inconvenient in the long run, even though the energy transition is challenging and expensive. Without the energy transition, our way of life will have to change completely, people around the world will have to leave their homes and our environment will be different. We need to do whatever we can, whatever is in our power and capabilities, to fight climate change so we can keep living in this great world. I know I want to be part of making the world better, and that’s why our mission to scale renewables is so important to me. When I die, if I can look back and know I was a little piece of the puzzle that made the world better, I’ll be happy.

Finally, what advice would you give your younger self?

Take a step back, appreciate the good things in life. There are so many good things going on, people who care about you and about the world around us. We’re in a nice world, it’s a happy place, appreciate it and do everything to stay optimistic and drive positive change.

Read more about careers at JERA Nex here.