Meet Laura Hoffmann-Ostenhof - our Energy Associate in London!

I’m delighted to welcome Laura Hoffmann-Ostenhof to Gridcog’s growing London team!

As our client base across the UK and Europe expands, we want to ensure that we are supporting our clients as best we can with technical know-how and local market knowledge. With a background in energy consulting in Germany and the UK, Laura brings an excellent skillset and broad domain knowledge which will be a huge support to our clients and also add valuable perspective to our product.

Read on to learn more about Laura!

‍

What got you into the energy space and what were you doing before Gridcog?

What got me into the energy space was the search for an impactful career after having studied a bachelor’s in physics at the University of Warwick. I have always had a little bit of an idealist mindset, so I shifted my science background towards sustainability and cleantech via a master’s in energy systems at the University of Oxford. There, I completely fell in love with renewable energy and also started my energy system modelling journey, modelling different routes of decarbonisation of a small industrial business for my master’s thesis.

Before I joined Gridcog, I worked in strategy consulting at Apricum, a boutique cleantech advisory. At Apricum, I worked with a diverse set of clients across multiple renewable energy sectors such as solar PV, battery, wind, green hydrogen, and digital energy. I supported them in various ways, including assessing and developing business models, analysing their competitors, and creating market entry strategies - getting the hang of the renewable energy industry along the way.

What is your role at Gridcog?

As an Energy Associate, I will support our clients with technical queries about their projects. I'll also work closely with our data science and product engineering teams in Australia, sharing client feedback and testing new features.

What interests and excites you most about the energy industry?

To me, two of the “most challenging tasks” of the energy transition are (1) getting different kinds of stakeholders, especially industrial companies and corporations, on board, and (2) making sure modern day standards of consistent access to electricity are upheld - a large part of which is reliant on a resilient grid.

What attracted you to working with Gridcog?

What really excites me about Gridcog is the comprehensiveness of the software and the opportunities this creates. Gridcog’s software can play a major part in both previously mentioned “most challenging tasks”, as (1) it enables companies to model energy systems that could help decarbonise their operations, and (2) it promotes the deployment of appropriate asset types for a balanced grid by modelling systems before making investment decisions.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I love to move my body, when I’m away from my desk. Recently, I’ve particularly been enjoying Reformer Pilates classes and I’m also getting into bouldering. On weekends, you can usually find me exploring new areas and restaurants of London and socialising with my friends over some good food and drinks.

What technology could you not live without?

I am embarrassed to say this but it would have to be Google Maps, as my sense of orientation is close to non-existent.