Consultant,
Germany
Energy, Environment,
and Network Industries Practice
MPhil in Economics,
Oxford University
The NERA environment in ten words or less:
An exciting new challenge every day.
On choosing a career at NERA:
During an internship with the Water/Regulatory Finance practice in London I enjoyed the challenge of combining serious academic work with a fast-paced business environment. It quickly became apparent that this was a firm where I would have the chance to be directly involved in projects from day one, with the opportunity to take on responsibility and progress quickly. While working for NERA in London after graduation, I got involved with building our German presence and recently transferred to Germany. The prospect of being able to build a new country presence, coupled with the knowledge that there are recognized experts in their fields readily accessible to help me learn and grow, has made a career with NERA an exciting one every step of the way.
On the most interesting project I’ve worked on:
We advised a development company who needed to estimate the viability of bringing rural electrification and clean water services to a remote area of an African country. It was our job to design and evaluate the "willingness to pay" survey, and to work with the local partners to collect the survey data. Our results are currently under consideration by the client, and ultimately, they will make a decision on whether or not to proceed.
My work at NERA has a direct impact not only for my clients, but in this case, on part of the global community. Being able to work on challenges such as this one is incredibly rewarding.
On learning at work:
This environment invariably challenges you to develop and to learn new skills. Early on, I was placed in charge of developing a report section using my own thinking and analysis, all in an area that had not been one of my specialty subjects at university. I built the report section—and my confidence—through picking up ideas from colleagues and managers, testing my own ideas, and learning from their feedback. Since then I have been put in charge of ever larger sections of projects, and by now I have even become involved in helping to develop a strategy for a new country presence.
On the advice I’d give to a prospective colleague:
Believe in your ideas. They may be the catalyst for cracking the problem and finding the solution.
