Thomas Olsson
Thomas in numbers
10
colleagues
8
energy sources worked with
3
children
About Thomas Olsson
Thomas has an MSc in Environmental Engineering from Luleå University of Technology. He began his career as an environmental consultant working across a number of industries before joining Vattenfall as an R&D Engineer in 2009.
“As an engineer at heart, I’m driven by curiosity and a desire to see how we can do things better – I’m always looking to lift the next stone to see what’s under there!
Although my job titles haven’t changed much during my career at Vattenfall, my work has constantly evolved and I’ve had the opportunity to work across all energy sources and on many different projects. My role is a mix between developing the environmental management culture in Vattenfall and the processes needed for that, but also getting hands-on in the development of new products and offerings.
It is really interesting right now how customers and investors are increasingly pushing the agenda which in the past was mainly driven by legislation.
For example, some customers are looking to source fully climate neutral electricity where the whole lifecycle emissions are taken into account, including the raw materials used in the construction of projects. That means Vattenfall really needs to be at the forefront in offering what the most progressive customers want today which others will also want in the future.
We need to continuously develop our transparency and one of my responsibilities has been to improve our rating on the Carbon Disclosure Programme, the global system which provides data on climate performance. Last year we achieved an A rating which only the top 2% achieve and we are one of only a handful of energy companies to reach that level globally.
“As an engineer at heart, I’m driven by curiosity and a desire to see how we can do things better – I’m always looking to lift the next stone to see what’s under there!
Although my job titles haven’t changed much during my career at Vattenfall, my work has constantly evolved and I’ve had the opportunity to work across all energy sources and on many different projects. My role is a mix between developing the environmental management culture in Vattenfall and the processes needed for that, but also getting hands-on in the development of new products and offerings.
It is really interesting right now how customers and investors are increasingly pushing the agenda which in the past was mainly driven by legislation.
For example, some customers are looking to source fully climate neutral electricity where the whole lifecycle emissions are taken into account, including the raw materials used in the construction of projects. That means Vattenfall really needs to be at the forefront in offering what the most progressive customers want today which others will also want in the future.
We need to continuously develop our transparency and one of my responsibilities has been to improve our rating on the Carbon Disclosure Programme, the global system which provides data on climate performance. Last year we achieved an A rating which only the top 2% achieve and we are one of only a handful of energy companies to reach that level globally.
Good balance of internal and external
I get to work right across the business and I enjoy the balance I have between liaising with colleagues to improve things internally, but then also working with customers and the industry which provides a wider perspective.
I’m very proud to have played a part in what Vattenfall has accomplished so far on the fossil-free in one generation journey. It’s not just a fluffy slogan, but it really is where we are heading. It’s also not just the right thing to do, but it makes sense from a business perspective. If we want to be a profitable company in the years ahead we will have to do this.
With three young children, my hobbies are whatever they are interested in right now – whether that’s fishing, collecting mushrooms or playing badminton! We live in a small village and as a family love spending time in nature.”
I’m very proud to have played a part in what Vattenfall has accomplished so far on the fossil-free in one generation journey. It’s not just a fluffy slogan, but it really is where we are heading. It’s also not just the right thing to do, but it makes sense from a business perspective. If we want to be a profitable company in the years ahead we will have to do this.
With three young children, my hobbies are whatever they are interested in right now – whether that’s fishing, collecting mushrooms or playing badminton! We live in a small village and as a family love spending time in nature.”
Career Path
2013
As a senior advisor at the corporate strategy function, I help set the environmental direction of the company as a whole. Although my responsibilities have varied over the years, the key focus has remained - reducing the overall environmental impact and thereby keeping the company competitive. I now often play a co-ordinating role as part of a small team which gives me the opportunity to both lead on projects but also to provide expertise. Although we work across the business, right now I have a special focus on the customer side in helping developing products and offerings aimed at organizations who are looking to be at the forefront of sustainability.
2011
Following a restructure of the Future Energy Markets team, I moved to the Corporate Staff function where I was working with integrating environmental risks into the corporate enterprise risks management processes and system. This to make sure we were taking long term sustainability and environmental factors into account, alongside other risks such as financial when we are assessing company risks. I was also responsible for carrying out on site sustainability due diligence and assessing potential partners to identify any risks from an environmental perspective.
2009
This was an exciting opportunity to help Vattenfall assess the environmental impact of future energy technologies such as Carbon Capture and Storage and wave power. I focused on the full lifecycle impact of both new technologies as well as conventional ones. This gave me a good basis and understanding of the full environmental impact of energy generation technologies which has been valuable for my work since.
2007
After leaving university I began my career as an Environmental Consultant, working on projects across different industries on issues such as contaminated land, environmental impact assessments and permitting.
