Senior Manager, Partnerships, Asset Strategy, Liberty Power
Clean Energy Career Profile
Ever wonder what it would be like to work as a wind turbine technician, 500 feet in the air? Or to work as a solar farm electrician, harnessing the power of the sun, and using it to charge a massive on-site battery system? CanREA’s Clean Energy Career Profiles ask Canada’s renewable energy and energy storage workers what they do, how they got into this line of work, and what advice they have for others looking to work in the renewable energy and energy storage sector.
In 2023, CanREA spoke with Emilia Ligeti, Senior Manager, Partnerships, Asset Strategy, Liberty Power to find out more about her occupational journey.
Name: | Emilia Ligeti |
Job: | Senior Manager, Partnerships, Asset Strategy |
Company: | Liberty Power |
Career journey
Before entering the renewable energy industry, Emilia worked as a certified public accountant in Europe, auditing financial statements of publicly listed energy and utility companies. She first encountered renewables when driving by a Rotterdam wind farm. When she came to Canada, she found employment with Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp. in Oakville, Ontario. Emilia has made career changes when needed, learning new skills on the job through experiential learning. She has held a variety of roles since joining Liberty Power in 2010, including financial reporting, accounting policy research, utility acquisitions, internal auditing, commercial asset management, and now, management of tax equity partnerships and joint venture partnerships of wind generation facilities in Canada and the US.
A day in the life
In a typical day, Emilia is called upon to manage cooperation and working relationships with partners, to own effective internal communication channels with corporate and business services groups to enable reporting on commercial, financial, and operational performance, to ensure compliance with contractual obligations, to liaise with project financing functions; execute extensive governance tasks of the partnerships, to participate in strategic discussions of commercial asset management to support, monitor and provide risk mitigation strategies, to advise leadership in understanding and managing risks associated with the partnerships, and/or to identify opportunities for performance improvement and synergy capture.
Quick advice
“Change your career if that will enable you to land the job you desire. I changed my career four times! If you are passionate about the renewable energy industry, you can make your way into any role you want, step by step, no matter your preceding career or existing skillset. If you are disciplined and self-motivated and believe in experiential learning, then nothing can stop you.”
“Trust the value of your interchangeable skills. Locate academic resources to enhance your existing knowledge and build on your skills.”
“Use LinkedIn for networking with professionals already working in renewables and seek their advice. Follow renewable companies on social media and set up job alerts.”
“Many jobs are remote; be open for relocation.”
—Emilia Ligeti
Important skills
- Renewable energy technology and operations
- Project financing for development
- Commercial asset management/contract management
- Stakeholder relationship management
- Financial reporting, risk management, governance, compliance