My path into the commodity trading industry wasn’t the most usual one. After receiving my masters in Chemistry from the University of Manchester I started my career in the nuclear energy industry working for an engineering and consultancy firm. I spent a year in this position and found that I wanted a career within the energy industry but wanted a more market facing and commercially focussed role.
The RWE Supply & Trading commercial graduate programme stood out from other schemes due its flexibility and broad development opportunities it offers, not just in different areas of the business but at the various sites world-wide. You are put in the driving seat of your development on the programme, choosing which areas you want to focus on and what skills you want to improve.
My first rotation was is Commercial Asset Optimisation, where the team are responsible for optimising RWE’s fleet in the energy markets. Coming from an science/engineering background, this was the perfect place to start at RWEST as I had exposure to the physical assets and the opportunity to develop my knowledge of the energy markets. One of my main task was to complete analysis on the ancillary services markets and manage the submission of commercial service tenders. This was an exciting challenge but one from which I made positive contributions to the team’s performance. I have now moved onto my second rotation on the European Gas Trading desk in London where I am currently responsible for the UK fundamentals analysis and will continue to develop my understanding of the global commodity markets.
The recruitment process is really well designed and it was clear at each stage that RWEST are looking for candidates with a clear passion for the industry and an keen attitude to their development. Everyone that I met during the process was happy to answer any questions I had and give insight into life at RWEST, this flat hierarchy was something that continued when I joined the company with all senior employees happy to talk and give advice to new graduates. My one piece of advice I would give to new candidates is to be yourself, not what you think your interviewers want to see. They are interested in finding people that will fit in well with the company, are driven and have an genuine interest in the industry.
