The energy workforce must have somewhere to learn, and a reason to stay.

A technician can accept a job in a city office and discover the actual employment proposition several hundred kilometres away. The accommodation, travel arrangements, supervisor and opportunity to learn then matter more than the recruitment presentation. My work begins in that distance between an offer and the working week. I have spent twenty-nine years in people roles connected with electricity infrastructure, first organising training and later building the employment arrangements that support dispersed operating teams.

I lead the people function at the fictional Lanshuan Power in Nanjing. Our wind and solar business employed 3,600 people at December 2025, operating across six Chinese provinces. My 64 colleagues cover workforce planning, technical career frameworks, employee services and management development. I report to the chief executive and work beside operations leaders; I do not decide whether someone is technically authorised for a particular task. Keeping that distinction clear makes our collaboration more useful.

The questions that occupy me are practical. Who has time to teach a new colleague? Does a promotion force an excellent specialist to become an unwilling manager? Can a family plan around the rota we actually deliver? What happens to an employee whose site changes hands? I look for answers in the design of work and employment, then test whether the experience at a remote site resembles the decision made at headquarters.

Current focus

My 2026 priority is the first supervisory appointment. Thirty-four recently appointed site supervisors entered a supported practice programme in March. By September, twenty-eight had completed the observed conversations and six remained in progress because of assignment changes. I am examining whether they can discuss workload, development and difficult performance matters before asking for a larger programme.

Conversations I welcome

I am interested in people mandates where field employment receives the same seriousness as asset growth. I welcome discussions with energy operators, technical service businesses and long-term owners about apprenticeship capacity, specialist careers and remote workforce stability. A first external board role would need a clear learning plan, employer consent and a realistic commitment around my executive responsibilities.