Young Energy Pioneers Interview with Robin Corrèze

Who are the Young Energy Pioneers? How long have you been around?

REH: "We started about a year ago in Hamburg with a handful of people. We initially met in bars and pubs in an unofficial capacity. We were all young people under 35 who had only recently begun working in Hamburg’s renewable energy sector, including asset managers, project developers, engineers, lawyers and management consultants. After a year of informal after-work get-togethers, we decided to go public and collaborate with EEHH to develop a professional network for young people in the energy industry in Hamburg. We celebrated our official launch in mid-September at the Danish General Consulate in Hamburg, supported by EEHH and sponsored by TotalEnergies. Afterwards, we also agreed on a new name: Young Energy Pioneers Hamburg."

Did you have any examples?

REH: "EEHH events were a good example for us, of course. We simply wanted to provide a programme for young professionals."

How will your meetings work?

REH: "During the first phase of YEP-HH, we want to build a community so that people get to know each other, feel comfortable, come again and get involved. So it’s very important for us that participants meet new people. During the speed networking, even shy people have the opportunity to talk with at least five other guests. The aim is to gather new ideas in order to organise new events on a regular basis. For example, one of our members spontaneously offered us the use of their office and then got their company’s official approval for our next event. We want to use this approach to regularly showcase new companies."

What’s behind your commitment to the energy transition?

REH: "People and the future. While studying in Paris, I worked part-time as a Door to Door Ambassador. I was sent to very rural areas in France and Belgium to represent onshore wind power, solar and nuclear waste storage projects and discuss these with local residents. In France, lots of energy projects fail due to local resistance. My job was to listen and understand this criticism. I couldn’t have found a more fascinating student job. Since then, I’ve been heavily influenced by the social aspects of the energy transition. During the Covid-19 lockdown, I also attended online courses delivered by the French scientist Jean-Marc Jancovici. I highly recommend his book, World Without End. His vision of the energy transition and the future still has a major impact on me."

How can the EEHH Cluster Agency help you?

REH: "The EEHH Cluster Agency can promote our network. YEP-HH doesn’t yet have its own budget. So we welcome any assistance from companies. If you’d like to make a room available to us, please get in touch. If you’d like to sponsor one of our events, we look forward to an initial discussion to agree the programme. Sponsors’ senior managers are also invited to our events. This is an exciting opportunity to informally scout for new talent."

When was your last meeting?

REH: "Our second meeting took place on 25 November in Becker Büttner Held’s new offices at Gänsemarkt in Hamburg's city centre. Fortunately, this event was also fully booked in less than a day. We don’t yet have our own page on the EEHH website, but interested parties can subscribe to our newsletter and will receive information about our upcoming events. We’ll announce our next events for 2025 around 4-6 weeks in advance."

Contact at the EEHH/REH Cluster Agency:
Kirsten Schümer
Community Management
kirsten.schuemer@eehh.de