Consultant Spotlight: Veronika Palanska | Renewable Energy market in KSA

Last week, we sat down with Veronika Palanska, Account Manager – Power and Renewables at Progressive Dubai. Veronika joined us in September 2019. She covers the Renewables, Utilities & Power market. We spoke to her about her take on the Renewables market in the Middle East, current and future trends and developments, the road to Saudi Vision 2030 and how Progressive helps support a net zero future. Here’s what she had to say:

 

Q1. What trends and developments are you currently seeing in the Middle East renewable energy market?

Although the Oil & Gas sector in Middle East has always been in the lead and is still booming, we are seeing the Renewables and Utilities trending more and more each year. Currently every country in the Middle East is bidding for renewables and utilities projects as part of their initiative for green energy and a fulfilling their Net Zero goals.

 

Q2. How was your recent KSA business trip?

My recent business trip to KSA gave me a better overlook on both the Oil & Gas market and the Renewables and Utilities as I’ve visited clients from both sectors and discussed their upcoming projects and long-term goals. Currently the Saudi energy market is growing, and the next few years seems to be crucial for the development of both sectors. As a leader in the energy production Saudi Arabia has laid out a plan on a bigger scale to support the Oil & Gas sector while shifting more and more towards clean energy and developing energy generation within renewables, utilities, wind and solar.

 

Q3. On the road towards Saudi Vision 2030, what lies ahead for the renewable energy sector? Do you also see any potential challenges?

The Saudi Vision 2030 is well planned, and we can definitely see a lot of changes and new projects on the horizon within the renewable sector. There will be significant collaboration with international and local energy leaders to execute this vision. This will not only bring the Kingdom to be one of the most developed Middle East countries, but one with the most sustainable energy sources and clean energy production.

 

Q4. What are the most in-demand roles in the market for this sector?

Currently apart from the standard demand for Oil & Gas specialists, we are seeing increased need for water treatment engineers, wind and turbine specialists, electrical engineers, and PV solar specialists. What is also good to see is the raising demand for female engineers and diversity & inclusion within all our clients.

 

Q5. What according to you sets Progressive apart?

Progressive Recruitment is part of the SThree house of brands specializing in Engineering, Oil & Gas, Power & renewables, construction and more. Not only do we pride ourselves in our effectiveness and timely response to the clients’ needs, but also our expertise in the Energy sector. All our consultants are trained to understand the roles they work on and have in-depth knowledge on the market trends, changes as well as the in-country labor procedures and laws. This is a level of expertise and professionalism that very few companies can provide when it comes to sourcing talent. I believe Progressive has been very well known not only on the client side but the candidate as well and we provide special care for both which increases the demand of incredibly skilled and sought-after candidates wanting to be represented by Progressive.