Abby Watson, Senior Executive New Markets Offshore Mainstream Renewable Power
Abby Watson, Senior Executive New Markets Offshore Mainstream Renewable Power
Abby Watson is a Senior Executive for Mainstream Renewable Power. She has an EMBA from Villanova School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Energy and Sustainable Policy from Penn State University. She hopes to make an impact to our future by being a key player in the policy making and business aspect of the renewable energy industry.
Abby grew up in rural Maine, USA where she spent a lot of time appreciating the green outdoors. In high school, she took an environmental science class where her teacher inspired her and convinced her that she could have an impact working in this field. In particular, she realized, ‘The injustice of the whole thing, the people who are going to suffer the most contributed the least to the damage’.
True Calling
After high school, Abby started her studies in Geology and Environmental science and loved it. Due to financial reasons, she had to take a pause and find a job. Though her options were limited due to her qualifications, she worked with a temp agency to find her first job. This was in 2006 when the economy was good and temp agencies were very popular.
She started a receptionist position with Broadlands Financial Group, a company that provides insurance policies for small contractors. The company was just starting to get into the renewable energy industry. They would sell these risk management services on utility scale renewables. This was the time seen as a ‘boom’ for the renewable energy industry. She was eventually hired full time, where she was positioned at different roles within the company. She eventually became the sales and marketing manager in 2007.
She emphasizes that this wasn’t a career path she had initially thought of. She had always seen herself as a scientist. As luck and experience would have it, she realized that she really liked and thrived in the business aspect of this industry. The renewable energy industry is huge and expensive. Governments alone cannot carry and fund projects. It was crucial to involve private sector funding and research for the renewable energy projects. In her words, ‘Working for a private business isn’t evil’.
Having experienced different roles at the company, one particular set of experiences had a huge influence on Abby’s current career path. Wanting to play a bigger role in the industry, the company joined the American Council on Renewable Energy(ACORE). This organization was tasked with working on policies to help government draft stimulus. She was tasked with engagement on behalf of the company. She remembers her first meeting at the Canon building in Washington, DC and being amongst other policy makers. This was her ‘aha’ moment. She too wanted to be someone who played an influence on policymaking. She was someone who understood policy and business at the same time!
Abby at Capitol Hill
Abby continued her career at Siemens Gamesa, one of the leading wind turbine OEMs(Original Equipment Manufacturer) During her 11 years there, she did land management activities for new project development and after sales work. For her last six years at Siemens, she led government affairs efforts in North America. In this role, she built out policies for offshore wind in North America while establishing the forthcoming offshore wind blade finishing facility in Virginia.
Abby at Port Esbjerg Wind Site
Key Player
In 2021, Abby started her role as Senior Executive at Mainstream Renewable Power. Mainstream Renewable Power is an Independent Power Producer(IPP) They develop and operate renewable energy generation (solar and wind) in communities around the world. At Mainstream, Abby is leading their new market strategy for offshore wind projects in North America. An offshore wind generating station is literally in the ocean!
Typical Offshore Wind Farm
It is the next wave and an emerging industry. She and her team are tasked with identifying markets where Mainstream can have an advantage. They help position the company to maximize the opportunities. Questions she asks when seeking an opportunity are, ‘Do we think its realistic?’ and ‘What do we need to do to become a key player? ‘
One of her goals at the company is to see a project from start to finish, from idea to as built. They work closely with communities and seeing the finished product and its impact on the community would be the ideal.
Life Lessons
Abby completed her EMBA at Villanova School of Business in 2021. The program had excellent professors and practical courses. Two in particular have changed her thinking. The first ‘Systems thinking’ course looks into breaking down complex problems in order to understand them. She alludes to the current day renewable energy system which has developed over time by different factors such as people, money and policy. Systems in general are resistant to change, and one needs to find leverage points to tip the system in your favour. One has to make sense of the grey areas and understand context before taking action.
She also took a health and wellness course that teaches one how to build a healthy and balanced life. As a manager, you need to see your team as individuals while maintaining time for yourself. She found this especially helpful during COVID-19 pandemic.
Closing Remark
Try to find opportunities to work with trade associations. They can teach and help you get your foot in the door. She encourages, ‘Lean into the value of networks with your fellow women’. Women are always willing to mentor and lend an ear to help people with mutual ideas. Treat it like a relationship not just a transaction.