Distribute food to the homeless, save electricity, go to work on foot: Warsaw-based senior manager on what changes the world for the better

– Diana, who are you? How are you living now

– I work in the Ignitis group. I am responsible for the international development and implementation of the new strategy in Central and Eastern Europe. Currently, our focus is on the Polish market, coordinating the wholesale of energy resources, the provision of electricity and natural gas services to customers, and others.
In the beautiful region of Pomerania, in Poland, we are building one of the largest wind farms in the country. We are executing many other projects.

I live in Warsaw. After quarantine, like most people, I work from home. Sure, the workload is no less for that, but I’m not complaining, I really like what I do.

– As for the quarantine, why didn’t you return to Lithuania?

– A week ago, Polish journalists asked me that. That decision was not easy to make. Basically I didn’t go back for two main reasons. First of all, I felt responsible to the Lithuanian people so that, God forbid, does not bring the virus. Second, I couldn’t leave my team. How would the team feel if the manager suddenly started to put things together and left? … The manager has to be close, especially in case of difficulties.

– Do I understand that traveling, living more or less time in other countries is an integral part of your work?

– In fact, it’s not even part of the job. This is a way of life. I don’t think it fits away from everyone, but I’m happy with that. I like challenges, changes, I do not stand still. I like to know different countries, cultures, people’s habits. It enriches me. I admit that work is my priority right now. I focus on him and the energy. Once you clearly identify what is most important to you, there are no more distractions.

I kept dreaming about this way of life: traveling, working in other countries, but I didn’t want to work for a foreign company. So the job I have is perfect for me. Even abroad, I create value for the homeland and the people of my country.

– How do you feel in Warsaw? How did you manage to adapt?

– I like change, so I feel good. First of all, what I do when I come to a host country is to find an organization where I can volunteer. This not only does a good job, but also expands the circle of acquaintances. It seems to me that it is very important to communicate not only with colleagues, but also to find like-minded people with whom you can spend your free time. Even when I’m not afraid to say, a workaholic, I realize that it’s impossible to work effectively without a break.

So in Warsaw, I belong to an organization that feeds the homeless. Once a week, on Sundays, we meet and share food. For some of them, this is the only hot dish they receive in a week.

Also, in Warsaw, there is a large group of so-called expatriates (people who live outside their homeland for work) who live and work here like me. This is usually the case when regional leaders go to another country to carry out certain tasks. So we are a kind of community. I do not feel alone.

As I said, I really enjoy traveling. I have only lived in Warsaw for two years, but I know the city and the surrounding towns better than the local Poles.

– Extremely high positions in the energy sector are not as common among women. How did you get to where you are?

– If someone had said ten years ago that they would work in the field of energy, they would not have believed it. However, today energy has become not only a job but also a way of life. I am interested in new technologies, I spend a lot of time conducting training, seminars on energy consumption.
I don’t use a car at least two days a week. I go to the office by subway, bicycle or on foot. When my colleagues first saw me on the bike, I was very surprised. It is unusual in Poland for a senior manager to come to work like this. However, a good example is contagious: others have followed.

Despite the fact that people are becoming more aware, we still lack the awareness that we must make an effort not only for our own benefit, that we can see here and now, but also for the future. For example, let’s turn off the light in a room even if we are not in it. We believe what you will save here: 20 euros a year … But we do not believe that if we all did, we would contribute to the environment.

The fact is that only by acting together can we change something, but the fact is that we have to start with ourselves.

Before working at the Ignitis Group, he was a lawyer. I have to admit, it was terrifying to leave one of the largest Baltic law firms at the time. I did well, I had good career prospects. I was wondering if it would be successful? After all, a completely different activity, uncertainty, was waiting. Still, I heard an inner voice say that I was doing the right thing and that everything would be fine. Now I’m glad I didn’t escape.
Change is my driving force.

– We talk a lot about changes in personal life. As with changes in the energy sector itself. What happened during those eight years you worked on it?

– The energy has changed dramatically. Basically it has become an integral part of life just like the Internet. Telephones, watches, transportation: everything is rechargeable.

From the increasing amount of electricity produced from renewable sources to the digitization of services. From the decentralization of electricity supply to the desire of ordinary people to have their own sources of electricity supply.

Information technology has become extremely important to energy. Naturally, we want to live as comfortably as possible. Without leaving home to buy not only food, clothing, but also to pay the bills. More and more of us and electricity meter data is not declared every month.

Without IT, our project, the “Saulės parkai” Internet platform and many other things would not exist. In general, without good IT specialists, energy work is impossible.

– Why are you in Poland? In general, why is it expanding to foreign countries and not concentrating all investments in Lithuania?

– We carry out many projects in Lithuania, but why not expand if we have skills, experiences that we can share and thus create value for Lithuania? As for Poland, it is a country of coal power plants, so the implementation of our strategies based on renewable energy is important from the commercial side, but also from the common good: creating more green morning

There were no renewable energy projects in the country 2-3 years ago. But now, with the improvement of technology, educating the public about the environment, wind and solar power plants are gaining in popularity. When I go to a place where, as we mentioned, we are building a large wind farm, the residents of the villages there ask why we are not building even more turbines. They want to rent their land, they want the air to be less polluted.

I remember only when I got to Warsaw I started coughing. I realized it was not a cold. When I went to the doctor to find out what had happened to me, he just shook his head and said ironically, “Welcome to Warsaw.” Then he explained that, like most people, I cough from polluted air. So, in my own fur, I experienced what that meant. What to say about the situation and the consequences in India or China … And what could be more important than the air we breathe?