{"id":8906,"date":"2022-03-03T14:12:59","date_gmt":"2022-03-03T14:12:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=8906"},"modified":"2022-03-03T14:13:01","modified_gmt":"2022-03-03T14:13:01","slug":"powering-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/03\/03\/powering-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Powering The Future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cEven if climate change didn\u2019t exist, urgent action would still be needed to protect the world\u2019s ecosystems. With human numbers rising, we are threatening and destroying the environment on an unprecedented scale and we all have a responsibility to recognise this and act now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"These words from Reading graduate, Mark Jones, are a stark reminder that we are all accountable for our actions and it is down to us to make change happen if we want to secure our planet for future generations. <\/p>\n

Mark studied BSc Geography and Economics (Regional Science)<\/a> at Reading. \u201cI chose the University because of the course and the people driving it,\u201d he shared. \u201cAnd after visiting the campus and meeting the staff I knew it was where I would study.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cReading had a great social scene and the Library was a fantastic place to study. The course was revolutionary \u2013 and the URS building, where most of my lectures were based, was made up of a diverse community that I learnt a lot from and the academics leading my course were dedicated to supporting us in achieving our goals,\u201d he reflected.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Although graduating from university \u2013 in his own words \u2013 \u201ca lot wiser than before\u201d, Mark acknowledged he still had a lot to master and decided to embark on a career in the energy investment sector.<\/p>\n

Sustainable investing<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Mark began his career at HSBC and spent almost ten years advising on international energy projects and investments. \u201cThrough travelling extensively with the firm, I discovered the value in understanding the positive and negative impacts investment can have both locally and nationally,\u201d he shared. \u201cThese were really important skills that I\u2019ve carried with me throughout my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

His next major move saw him become a senior executive in GE Capital\u2019s Energy Division where he developed businesses in wind, thermal generation, and gas and electrics across several continents \u2013 and in 2013 \u2013 he joined the Dutch turbine manufacturer EWT as their Chief Executive Officer (CEO). At EWT Mark was responsible for the turnaround and subsequent expansion of the business across the UK, Continental Europe and the Americas.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cNot only did we achieve some great successes during my time at EWT, but most importantly I learnt a lot about the benefits of growing a global multidisciplinary team, experimenting with hackathons, exploring high-tech innovation, understanding the global supply chain and the importance of sustainable investing,\u201d he reflected.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Five years later, Mark was ready for a new challenge and in 2019 joined Ventient Energy<\/a>, who have become both the largest independently owned onshore wind energy business in Europe and the leading Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) company in the sector.<\/p>\n

The Ventient way<\/strong><\/h4>\n

As CEO Mark oversees the businesses\u2019 direction. \u201cSetting a clear vision allows the whole team to align and gives them a sense of purpose alongside their everyday tasks,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAnd a crucial part to the delivery of our vision is building on our strong financial and non-financial performance. We have been recognised as the ESG leader in the sector for the last three years and we are looking at what we can do to continue to improve in the future \u2013 it\u2019s not enough to simply be producing the greenest energy, it\u2019s about thinking innovatively around how you generate that energy and work with your stakeholder ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He added: \u201cIt\u2019s also about making decisions to grow the business at the right time in the right locations. Since I joined, we have acquired several major businesses which have helped us to deliver on our strategic goals. One Portuguese business brought in a team as big as our own in the UK, and at the end of 2021, we purchased another business in Spain to support our work in hybridization,\u201d he revealed. \u201cAnd going forward, these expansions will help us to work on cutting-edge solar and wind projects across one site.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Mark acknowledges that none of this would be possible without a strong and talented team around him.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhilst it\u2019s my job to set out our vision and mission, our success is because of our people. We spend a lot of time working on developing our culture, and we recently rebuilt our support structure which involved implementing many team-driven initiatives.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Reflecting on his career to date, Mark said: \u201cUltimately, I believe my course choice and the experiences I gained at Reading gave me the courage to pursue my professional ambitions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Securing the future of people and the planet<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Mark revealed that his mission \u2013 \u201cto generate renewable energy to secure the future of people and the planet\u201d \u2013 has not always been shared by the masses and it was this lack of understanding in the 2000s that inspired him to take action.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring a work trip to Germany back in 2005, I spoke to a lot of people about their experiences and reviewed the emerging energy infrastructure,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd I came to realise that the sector, both in the UK and internationally, was not on the right track.<\/p>\n

\u201cFollowing the trip, I sought to understand more about renewable solutions and their economic and environmental benefits,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd since then, a lot of scientific research and societal factors have reinforced the fundamental need for these solutions.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHowever, even if climate change didn\u2019t exist, urgent action would still be needed to protect the world\u2019s ecosystems,\u201d Mark shared. \u201cWith human numbers rising, we are threatening and destroying the environment on an unprecedented scale and we all have a responsibility to recognise this and act now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Mark\u2019s commitment to protecting the environment doesn\u2019t stop at work. On a personal level, he recently decided to adopt a vegetarian diet, support several land and sea-based charities, and became a member of the Long Now Foundation \u2013 a non-profit organisation established to foster long-term thinking.<\/p>\n

\"\"And in March, Mark is going to be travelling to Antarctica as part of the 2041 ClimateForce Expedition team. \u201cThe expedition aims to inspire the next generation of activists by shining a light over why it\u2019s so important to take steps to reshape the future,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd I feel really fortunate to be a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, Mark shares with CONNECTED what his long-term ambitions are. He said: <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAt Ventient we have a sustainable growth agenda and I want to ensure that we continue to drive that, carry on empowering my team to achieve their goals \u2013 both within the business and beyond \u2013 and I\u2019d like to be around long enough to see renewable resources power our planet.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cAnd lastly, I hope to keep learning and achieving my personal aspirations alongside my career \u2013 including competing in another Ironman World Championship, deep diving into new technology, long-term thinking and innovation, and travelling the world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Find out more about studying geography and economics<\/a> at Reading, or discover more about Ventient Energy<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cEven if climate change didn\u2019t exist, urgent action would still be needed to protect the world\u2019s ecosystems. With human numbers rising, we are threatening and destroying the environment on an unprecedented scale and we all have a responsibility to recognise this and act now.\u201d These words from Reading graduate, Mark Jones, are a stark reminder […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":8916,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[54,19,100,133,23,105,34,134,44],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPowering The Future - Connected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mark Jones, Chief Executive Officer at Ventient Energy, reveals what inspired him to take action and what his long-term ambitions are.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2022\/03\/03\/powering-the-future\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Powering The Future - 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