Monica Paraschiv
Who are you?
Monica Paraschiv studied energy management, and after completing her Masters degree in Energy Efficiency, volunteered at EFdeN Bucharest working on a solar prototype house. EFdeN is a Climate-KIC partner and Monica heard about the Pioneers programme while volunteering there. She joined the Pioneers programme to develop her knowledge and skills around climate change.
What did you do?
Monica undertook her placement with Porta Capena in Wroclaw, Poland, which provides smart solutions for the optimization of energy usage and business processes. It also delivers an energy saving platform called ECOSCADA. The focus of the placement was to improve the software and to research other European businesses, with the aim of developing contacts and building a network of organisations to investigate potential opportunities for working together. Monica was able to bring a new perspective to her host, as well as different considerations of energy efficiency.
One of the outcomes from the work Monica undertook was the development of a relationship between the host business and a business in Timișoara. She also identified compatibility issues between the software and tablets used by the participating businesses. Porta Capena also donated equipment to EFdeN for the solar house project to enable the NGO to measure energy generation and consumption as part of their ongoing work.
This was an amazing experience and a great opportunity for meu201d. It was special to be part of the Pioneers community and for the networking opportunities it provided through the groups and Climate-KIC platform.
What did you learn?
Monica particularly enjoyed the group project work and developed her personal skills including communication, and sales and marketing as part of her placement. The Pioneers programme also provided Monica with new networking opportunities within Poland and across Europe.
Monica learnt about the importance of understanding different cultures, both in different countries as well as different sectors. Her training is science-based yet she had to learn how to convey the benefits of the energy software to customers who were not technical experts.
What happens next?
Following the Monica’s time on the Pioneers programme, she applied to the Leaders Foundation in Romania for an intensive leadership training programme. While on the training she made connections with Schneider Electric, a company which develops solutions for managing energy, and which also has a strong commitment to sustainable development.
The sales experience gained from her placement together with the networking opportunities helped Monica to secure a job at Schneider Electric in Canada. Monica has now moved to Canada for a new job in Customer Project Sales. She feels that her new job came about from her experience on the Pioneers programme.