Name: Stine Grenaa Jensen
Title: Vice President of System Development
Company: Energinet
Degree: Cand.merc.mat and PhD in Economics
- Introduce yourself, and share a fun fact that makes you unique!
My name is Stine Grenaa Jensen, I am 49 years old, and I hold a Cand.merc.mat (CBS) and a Ph.D in Economics (University of Copenhagen).
No matter how busy my work life is, I prioritize handcrafting – flower decorations, knitting, woodwork etc. because it gives a me a lot of energy. I like how you can see a direct result of my work, and the feeling of working with my hands instead of my head.
- What does a day in your life look like as Vice President of System Development in Energinet?
There is rarely to days that look alike during a week. Several days a week I start early with transport between our offices in Ballerup and Fredericia. I like spending time at the office – being a part of the discussion rather than have a day full of meetings in physical or online meeting rooms. But meetings are still a large part of my day – meetings with stakeholders, colleagues, and authorities to ensure progress and alignment of our activities. And then I often have a lot of reading to do. A lot of our decisions rest on written materials such as business cases, analyses of the gas and electricity grid, or regulatory investigations.
- What motivates and excites you the most about your career path and the leadership position you hold?
Engaging with enthusiastic and proficient people from different backgrounds, finding new solutions and putting them into play utilizing different skills, and knowledge from the people working together, motivates me. I have been studying and working on three different universities – Copenhagen Business School, University of Copenhagen, and Technical University of Denmark – and it has shown me that knowledge from one discipline can only create value for the society if we team up with other types of people with different skills and educations.
- Share with us the biggest lessons you learned on your journey to where you are today.
I have never had a fixed plan or specific career ambition. I have always chosen my path guided by my interest and ability to make a difference, and hence seized the opportunities along the way. During my career, I have always been focused on working with enthusiastic and dedicated people – where we have been a team with the same mission. Over the years I have deliberately turned down career opportunities if my values and professional and personal interests did not fit – I have turned down positions higher positions to spend more time as a specialist. In my experience new opportunities will occur – and when the interesting offer comes along you must take the chance.
- Tell us about a (female) role model who inspired you to become the leader you are today, and how (s)he impacted you personally or professionally.
I have struggled to find female role models in the beginning of my career, since the majority of ambitious women – in my opinion – where trying to copy the culture and leadership approach from a more male dominated culture. It took me several years to admit that I really liked handcraftsmanship, and Margrethe Vestager was actually a help in that process. I have also heard her share experiences on changing traditions in male dominated leadership cultures, which have been very inspiring.
- If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, or to other young female students today, what would it be?
I have tree words for my younger self: Motivation, skills, and network. Motivation is the key. What is your drive? It is not enough to strive for positions – you must strive for something that motivates you, so spend some time figuring that out. Skills is something to use with consideration. There is a difference between what you excel at and where you make the largest contribution – so bring your skills in play with consideration of who and what you are working with. Networks are a vital part of career, development, and your daily work. Networks are strong if they are diverse, so try to find networks where people are different from yourself. Diverse networks create more opportunities.
- How do you see STEM education shaping the future?
STEM educations are vital for the development of the solutions of the future, and it is fundamental for our ability of driving the climate and sustainability agendas. We face a lot of exciting and freighting challenges with many inherent paradoxes, and it is crucial for us to solve these challenges. So new perspectives, courage to test new solutions, and the ability to collaborate is in my option key elements where STEM educations should contribute.
- What steps has your company taken to promote a more diverse and inclusive workplace, and which one has been the most effective?
Energinet’s diversity policy is closely linked to the development of culture and management in Energinet. We need all skilled and talented employees regardless of gender, age, nationality, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, personality, and other character traits and differences. Energinet’s work with diversity is a prerequisite for being able to put the many different perspectives into play, which are crucial for developing new solutions towards a 100% green energy system.