Adeeba, Pooja & Stine

It is no secret that the energy industry is traditionally dominated by men. But that does not exclude women from stepping over the doorstep - on the contrary, if you ask us. At MAKEEN Energy - Kosan Crisplant's mother company - we make great efforts to encourage both male and female applicants to join our family, because we believe that differences make a difference - and a positive one. In 2018, we welcomed several female newcomers, and we have talked to three of them to hear about their choice and thoughts regarding this relatively masculine business environment.

Adeeba Rahman Setu works as Sales Engineer in Bangladesh. Pooja Agrawal holds the position as Senior Sales Executive in India. And Stine Christensen serves as Compliance Officer in Denmark. Different people, jobs and locations. But they have two important things in common. They are women, and they walked into the energy industry, more specifically MAKEEN Energy, for the first time in 2018. But what has their experience been like this far?

Go with your heart - or where coincidence takes you

Most children have a dream about what they want to do when they grow up. Hairdresser, doctor or astronaut typically appear on those lists. But as many often realise over the years, reality has a tendency to take you somewhere else.

Our Danish Compliance Officer, Stine, studied law before joining our company, and it was actually a bit of a coincidence that she ended up here. After graduating, she saw a job advertisement from the quality department - and this is where we find her today. She was not looking into the energy industry in particular, but simply searching for an interesting position where she could bring her knowledge about law into play.

On the contrary, our Bangladeshi colleague Adeeba was very determined when she chose to go into the energy industry. She followed her instincts and interests, and as she puts it herself:

"Basically, I like mathematics and engineering. That's why I chose to focus on engineering when I was about to enter university back in 2010. And naturally, that's also why I today work with what I love."

Go against the flow

As it is predominantly men who fill out positions in the energy industry, the (few) women among us might feel outnumbered from time to time. But what does that mean to our three relatively new female employees? Adeeba, Pooja and Stine were all aware that they walked into a company where the majority of their colleagues would be men. But that did not affect their choice. Pooja explains:

"When I applied, I knew that the energy industry is traditionally dominated by men. But today we're in the 21st century, and I believe that there is no job a woman cannot do."

However, she does realise that being a woman can bring along difficulties in some situations. She has experienced how some cultures are unused to having women in certain jobs, and that a change might not be natural from day one. But she believes that - as with any change - it just takes a bit of time to get to know and appreciate the new situation.

Go for opportunities and development

At the time of writing, our three women in focus - Adeeba, Pooja and Stine - have all been with us for about a year. Therefore, they now have a pretty good idea of the house they have entered. They all highlight the inherent trust and many opportunities as some of the biggest benefits. As Stine puts it:

"I really appreciate how freedom with responsibility characterises every corner of the organisation. It means a lot to me that I have a chance to influence my job in that way. And I am convinced that it encourages people to develop themselves personally and professionally."

This is also the message our female newcomers want to emphasise when talking to other women who might - or should - be considering going into the energy industry. Even though it might take you a bit out of your comfort zone, you should just do it. It is an exciting industry with great potential, and you will be challenged every day. As Pooja sums up:

"Believe in yourself, know your worth - and own it!"