Release by Scatec’s General Counsel shares her journey to Renewable Energy

14 June 2024: Studying Law was not necessarily her first career choice but today she is the General Counsel for a renewable energy company. Growing up, Clémentine had always seen herself being an Engineer, whilst life had other plans studying Law seemed like the fitting choice. “I chose to study Law because it is quite comparable and it’s logical reasoning,” says Clémentine.

Her passion for travel and learning about different cultures made her aware of early discrepancies around the world, which brought her to projects and then renewables. “To refresh my mind after studies travelling was my go-to activity, it still is, with my family. Travelling the world and discovering new cultures is an eye-opening experience. From an early age this made me aware that access to energy is key for economic development,” she adds.

For Clémentine, moving into the renewable energy industry was written in the stars as she had been exposed to the industry in every step of her journey. From the time she kickstarted her career at a law firm – she chose one specialising in renewables – that is when she got a glimpse of what life at a renewable energy company would be like. She then transitioned into banking to finance renewable projects.

Three years ago, Clémentine took a leap of faith and moved to Norway to advance her career, starting as Senior Legal Counsel at Scatec. This marked the beginning of her journey at Release, where she eventually became General Counsel.

It was definitely no coincidence that she was going to end up working in the renewable energy sector.

The transition to the renewable energy industry was not a difficult decision for her to make, “I am an early believer in renewables so applying to Scatec was a natural fit for me because I had heard of the great things Scatec is doing in is markets mainly in Africa and I had previously got a glimpse of what working in the industry would look like,” she says.

Today, Clémentine wears many hats in her role but takes on the responsibility of ensuring consistency in Release’s contract policy and alignment with Scatec’s, abidance to Release’s governance rules and helping smooth coordination among the various functions across the company as the Legal department has the broad overview of the company’s activities and their respective calendar.

“The traditional IPP model doesn’t work for all the markets, now Release brings a technology solution that allows you to rent solar and energy storage power without the need for large capital investments and the long-term commitments,” says the General Counsel.

Clémentine added that Release has a start-up feel to it, which means that there is close collaboration among teams, giving you the opportunity to sink your teeth into the different happenings within the organisation.

Clémentine considers herself as being fortunate for working with people who are passionate about the work that they do and share a common vision in creating a sustainable future for all.  Release may be a small team – spread across 4 different locations around the world, but there is so much diversity within the team. The team building held in the beginning of the year in Cape Town, South Africa was a true testament of the cultural diversity.

She says that she hopes to see steady growth for Release in the coming years and it brings numerous growth opportunities for those within the company and to see new, enthusiastic talent coming in.