Sector Spotlight: Erica Mathers, Marketing Officer

Continuing our Sector Spotlight on the Energy Industry, today we hear from Erica Mathers, who is the Marketing Officer for EMEC (European Marine Energy Centre).
 
After leaving school, Erica undertook a degree in Rural Business Management with Agriculture at SRUC in Aberdeen.  Following that, she worked as an Agricultural Consultant in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire before returning to Orkney three years ago to undertake her current role.

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Can you describe a typical day in your role as Marketing Officer?

I work as part of the marketing team which is responsible for developing and implementing EMEC’s marketing strategy to promote the pioneering ocean energy, hydrogen and energy systems projects taking place at EMEC.

This includes hosting local, national and international visitors and providing tours of EMEC’s facilities; coordinating EMEC’s conference and event attendance and creating bespoke exhibition stands; and copy-writing and design for EMEC brochures, leaflets, website and press releases.

I also contribute to the development and upkeep of EMEC website and social media channels. It is really hard to describe a typical day as no two days are the same!

How did you end up in this role?

Growing up I never had much of an idea of what I wanted to do career wise.  I was keen however to go away after leaving school and study.  My favourite subjects at school included business management and accounting & finance.  So, I decided to combine my interest in business and love for agriculture together and applied to study Rural Business Management with Agriculture at SRUC in Aberdeen.

Four years later I graduated with a BA honours degree and started working for SAC Consulting in Inverurie as a trainee Agricultural Consultant providing technical and business support to various farming clients.

After living away for six years, I decided it was time for me to move back home to Orkney and the opportunity of a Marketing Officer post came up at EMEC.  I was keen to explore more of what I learnt at college, but this time in a marketing discipline so this job seemed a great opportunity to do that.  Almost three years later I am still working at EMEC and loving it.

What is the best thing about your job?

The best thing about my job at EMEC is the diverse range of tasks and activities that I carry out day to day.  This adds so much variety to my job and means that I never feel my job is repetitive or boring.  I love how EMEC are truly invested in their staff and I am encouraged to develop my skills and knowledge all whilst working towards a greener future.

What is the worst thing about your job?

There simply aren’t enough hours the day.  There are so many positive and exciting ideas for working towards decarbonisation and net zero which means I really have to prioritise which tasks to do when.  It’s impossible to execute all the great ideas at the same time.

What skills do you need to undertake your role?

The skills needed include:

• excellent communication verbally and in writing;
• an eye for layout and detail;
• computer literate;
• articulate;
• organised completer-finisher;
• self-motivated but also a teamworker;
• confident with meeting people;
• demonstrable willingness to learn in the course of the job;
• positive bias towards renewable forms of energy.

What qualifications do you have?

I have a BA honours degree in Rural Business Management.
 
Would you recommend this job to young people, if so why?

If you have a creative flare, like to pay attention to detail and are a good communicator, I definitely recommend a job in marketing, particularly within the renewables industry.  You can really make a stamp on this fast paced and innovative industry; the opportunities are endless.

Visit EMEC on:

Website:  http://www.emec.org.uk/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanMarineEnergyCentre/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/EMEC_Ltd

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