Julian Nebreda, President, and CEO, at Fluence Energy, is optimistic that battery storage technology, which plays a crucial role in ensuring that homes and businesses are fuelled by green energy, will change the way the world works. He thinks India has a tremendous chance to become self-sufficient if it takes advantage of the opportunity presented by creating renewable energy with battery storage technology to lessen the country’s energy deficit. “It would also help India create economic value at a global level,” says Nebreda.
He explains that his organisation, Fluence, which is a joint venture between the big manufacturing company Siemens and the electric power company AES, believes in a concept known as ‘profitable growth,’ which means that developing in a way that is profitable for the chairholders creates value for their customers and opportunities for their employees.
Nebrada says India is one of their top focuses while speaking about his company’s expansion plans. “Ours is a developing technology that still needs a lot of investment. We have formed a JV with ReNew, an Indian renewable energy company, to sell our products in India. We are aiming to localise the supply chain, and we would seek out Indian suppliers that will not only assist in the development of battery resources but will also facilitate our exports to other Asian and European nations.”
In addition, he explains that they are transforming their current technology centre in India into a centre of excellence as part of their fundamental personnel management approach. “We intend to bring in engineers, data scientists, and financial specialists to leverage growth here, because India is crucial to us from a market, supply chain, and talent standpoint.”
He talks about sustainability and how his company is involved in sustainable practices. “Sustainability is at the centre of our mission as a company. It is all about making a difference, like making environmentally friendly products that are also affordable or using electric vehicles with lower emissions, etc. I consider sustainability not only from the standpoint of my organisation, but also from the perspective of the entire world and see it as a means of bridging global divides.”
“In addition to focusing on sustainability, we have also made diversity and talent management central tenets of our efforts to attract talent. People want to join us because they want to work in an environment where they know they are doing good.”
Nebreda elaborates on the topic of leadership, saying, “In order to be an effective leader, you need to follow only three simple rules: have a clear plan before initiating anything, be ambitious about your dreams, and most importantly, be true to yourself. And then you will be happy even if you are not rich.”
Julian Nebreda shared these thoughts in a conversation with ET Insights at the Global Economic Summit 2023 in New Delhi.