Sanjena Bhutani is on her second year of ESB’s three-year Graduate Programme. She is currently a key part of the Corporate Brand and Reputation team, working on diverse projects such as Kinia’s empowering children through education initiative, and Electric Aid, ESB’s social justice and development fund.
SANJENA, DESCRIBE YOUR CURRENT ROLE ON ESB’s GRADUATE PROGRAMME.
I’m currently working in the Corporate Brand and Reputation team as a part of ESB’s graduate development programme. My role involves supporting partnerships in ESB’s Generation Tomorrow STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) programme, and the broader corporate marketing and sponsorship campaigns, which consists of supporting the arts, corporate social responsibility, reputation management and innovation through thought leadership.
I am proud of my first campaign, which was in support of our Generation Tomorrow partners, Kinia, a social enterprise that empowers young people to unlock their passions and potential through the creative use of technology. I worked with an aspiring 13-year-old rapper, Shaun “MC SAMRA” from Finglas, Dublin who was the ESB TechSpacer of the Year in 2020, and our agency partners to bring to life a four-week integrated campaign featuring Shaun’s rapping across radio, digital and social channels in October in the run up to Creative TechFest Awards in October 2021.
I’m also an executive committee member of Electric Aid – ESB’s social justice and development fund where we support thousands of projects in the world’s most disadvantaged communities.
I joined ESB in September 2020 and spent my first year with the Electric Ireland residential marketing team, supporting customer acquisition and retention.
This was a great experience for me, to really get an understanding of our customers and their needs. I worked on a range of interesting projects, including smart meters products such as solar PV, heat pumps and EV charger products as well as Electric Ireland’s Rewards Programme.
WHAT WERE YOUR EXPECTATIONS WHEN JOINING ESB?
I always wanted to work in the energy industry as I believe they lead the way for a sustainable future. When I joined ESB, I wanted to work on projects that contribute to a sustainable future that benefits the environment and society. ESB has surpassed my expectations in this area.
WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU MOST ABOUT WORKING IN ESB?
People are very welcoming and accepting of diversity in the organisation. Joining ESB was a nervous moment for me as it was my first job out of university, in a foreign country. As an Indian, I had my reservations about feeling like an outsider but my experience with people in the company has been nothing but wonderful so far, and I’m really enjoying working on all the different projects as a part of my job.
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOUR WORK ALIGNS WITH ESB’S PURPOSE AND VALUES?
Definitely. One of ESB’s key purpose and values is its commitment and contribution to society.
On the sponsorship team, I work on the Generation Tomorrow programme which is a €7.5m investment programme launched by ESB to support organisations that are empowering young people to power their collective brighter future through the STEAM education and learning which focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths. Through this programme, ESB supports partners that are empowering young people to become the innovators and problem solvers of the future.
While the Generation Tomorrow partnerships are the key programmes through which we communicate and support our Brighter Future strategy, the wider portfolio includes several other sponsorships and partnerships including the Abbey Theatre, National Gallery, National Museum of Ireland and Generation Apprenticeship. We also support several thought leadership and business partnerships, as well as the new initiatives, including a significant Brighter Future Arts fund.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS.
Ambitious, adaptable and enthusiastic.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2022, AND BEYOND?
I’m really looking forward to being back in the office and making up for all the coffees, lunches and water cooler conversations that have been missed.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A FELLOW GRADUATE STARTING THEIR CAREER IN ESB?
Ask more questions as your colleagues are there to help and encourage you. When I started my job, I spent too much time trying to figure out tasks by myself as I didn’t want to risk making a bad impression on my colleagues. But having worked here for more than a year now, I can safely say that the people are extremely approachable and there is no such thing as a silly question here.
ESB also has a lot of opportunities to get involved in things outside of your work area – I learned to play tag rugby last year through ESB’s sports club and it was a fantastic experience that I would really recommend.
FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO JOIN YOUR FIELD OF WORK, WHAT THREE THINGS SHOULD THEY KNOW?
In my opinion, three things that every marketer should know are:
- Marketing is not selling. It’s everything that creates a connection between a company and its stakeholders which is inclusive of customers.
- To know that brand recognition is a very powerful thing. ESB is a large organisation and it’s important for marketers to find ways to create a positive connection between society and the brand.
- To get used to a new way of thinking and adapting because if we’ve learned one thing out of the pandemic, it is that our environment is always changing, and we should always be prepared to face that challenge.
For more information on ESB’s Apprentice and Graduate Programmes, or current vacancies, please visit our Careers page.
Connect with ESB on social media:
Twitter: @ESBGroup
Facebook: ESB Careers
Instagram: @theesbgroup
LinkedIn: @ESB