Published on April 5th 2021
In in our 'Meet the Team' series, we'll get to know a member of the ReFLEX Orkney team and their 'why' in helping to build a smart local energy system in Orkney.
Job role: Customer Engagement Officer
Home base: Near Birsay
Originally from: London
What role do you play amongst your team: The caretaker
Describe your role at ReFLEX Orkney.
Our team is there every step of the way to support the customer through their journey. I have also recently been asked to lead the business offering for the customer service team and have been working with several prospective Orkney businesses—through site visits and phone calls—to gauge what ReFLEX services could work for them.
What are you enjoying about engaging with businesses?
Every business is different, so it’s all bespoke; a builder’s need is going to be completely different to a jeweller. Those businesses I’ve engaged with so far have been really open with their needs which is really useful for us in the project as we can continually develop our offering to suit Orkney businesses. So far we have had a really good variety of enquiries, and quite complex ones as well, so it’s gotten us really thinking about how we can help them to decarbonise.
What’s one of your favourite things about being a part of the ReFLEX team?
The support that the whole ReFLEX team has given us has been amazing. Our customer team is backed up by a bigger team with wide expertise in all aspects of the ReFLEX project. I’ve never once felt I’ve been on my own, or that I’ve not been able to ask anything, everyone has been really approachable.
What’s one thing you’ve learned since joining ReFLEX?
Meeting Jonathan Porterfield and feeding off his vast knowledge of EVs (his passion for electric vehicles is infectious) has really opened my eyes. If you asked me a year ago if I would have had an electric vehicle, I would have said, “no absolutely not, I can’t get down to Inverness on one charge.” Now I know that you most definitely can travel to Inverness on one charge, and I’m actually hoping to be an EV owner soon.
Another thing I have learned a lot about is the amount of fuel poverty [households that spend more than 10% of their income on fuel] we have in Orkney. In this day and age, nobody should be living in fuel poverty like that.
What are some of the ReFLEX services besides business you are most excited about?
I am excited to see the heating offering [currently under development], purely for helping reduce the fuel poverty. I’m am also excited to see the cars on the road – to go for a run from Birsay to Kirkwall and see how many EVs I go past and wonder if they are ReFLEX EVs.
Outside of work, how do you spend your spare time?
With my animals. We have three dogs and five cats. I rescue kittens, working with the local Cats Protection in Orkney. I recently decided to adopt a kitten when we already had a puppy coming home. Dolly and Eric have grown up together. If you see one, the other is never far behind. Our cat Fergie often appears on screen in team meetings, which always sparks a little bit of a laugh.
We also have two horses, one pig, and various ducks and chickens. I couldn’t be without them all.
What’s your favourite thing about living in Orkney?
The tranquillity, the scenery—I'm a weather watcher, you’re able to lose yourself a little when you watch Orkney’s wild weather—and the people.
My husband and I moved up ten years ago and are based near Birsay. In the hustle and bustle of London, I probably couldn’t have even named a handful of our neighbours. In Orkney there is a great sense of community. I honestly think I could knock on any of my neighbours’ doors and say I need help, and they’d say “Absolutely, come on in.”
What are you most looking forward to seeing develop as the company grows?
I’m quite excited to see where I go in the project. Coming in at such early doors has been a real advantage to learn about it and grow with it. My confidence from August to now has gone through the roof, and as the project gets bigger, I’m quite interested to grow with the company.
When not working, where in Orkney can we find you?
Out on the west. The Brough of Birsay, Marwick and Skaill Beach are just absolutely gorgeous. Though, my real piece of heaven in Orkney is Cata Sand in Sanday. If someone blindfolded you and just dropped you in the middle of this beach – apart from the cold – you would think you were in the Caribbean.
Why does being a part of developing a smart, localised energy system matter to you?
It matters to me because we have to look after our world now. Orkney is such a beautiful place, and it deserves to be as green and clean as we can possibly make it. If ReFLEX is the gateway to that, then I’m totally all behind it.
