People like no other
Our people are like no other. It may just sound like a smart catch-phrase – but it’s not. The success of our company is built on having a diversity of ideas represented across the entire organisation: on our trading floors, in our customer business and our back office. Meet a few of our bright minds here.
My background
I was born in Copenhagen and have since then lived in Germany and the US, but Aarhus is the city where I have lived the longest and therefore it feels like home. I have a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s in Technology Based Business Development from Aarhus University. As part of my master’s degree, I spent a semester abroad working for Lockheed Martin in Texas before joining DC.
Why I wanted to work for DC
I wanted to work in a young and dynamic atmosphere, where you get the responsibility and opportunity to be able to make a difference. DC also has a strong focus on people development and helps me further develop my skills within different fields such as programming and problem-solving.
What I do
I'm a Portfolio Manager in the Renewable Asset Management team within Intraday Power Trading at DC. In essence, I am responsible for maintenance, optimisation and development of DCs physical asset portfolio on balancing related products. The role is quite versatile and I work with multiple stakeholders across the value chain spanning from trading and origination to operations.
My typical workday
You may have heard this before, but there isn’t really a typical workday. As part of the RAM team, my day sometimes starts on our team shift, working on forecasting alongside our intraday traders and meteorologists. If I'm not on the shift schedule, my day typically begins with getting an overview of current projects and tasks. Some days are packed with meetings or urgent matters to follow up on, while other days leave more time to conduct different projects and analyses. Being part of our Intraday Power Trading, priorities can change quickly and some things can require immediate attention.
Working on the trading floor, there are often unforeseen events that make every day different from the other which keeps the job interesting and challenging.
The best part of my job
I'm surrounded by highly dedicated and talented colleagues which keeps me motivated each day. Working on the trading floor, there are often unforeseen events that make every day different from the other which keeps the job interesting and challenging.
My background
I have always been drawn to technology, possibly because my dad has been working in the same field since I was a kid. I tried to read his books about programming long before being able to understand much in them. That, I believe, awoke my curiosity from an early age on. I did have years of not being a fan of school and, like many others, I had some tough teenage years but quickly turned it around when I was able to choose what subject I wanted to immerge myself in. For as far as I can remember, I have been helping my family out with everything from packaging wine with my grandfather to fixing gardens, but I always dreamt of working with software. Later, I studied and gained a bachelor's degree in software technology at Aarhus University, and today, I am studying a master's in Computer Technology.
Why I wanted to work for DC
Before I began my studies, I had been self-studying software and cyber security in my free time, participated in some hackathons and was extremely eager to learn a lot more about software. On my second semester of the bachelor's, I saw a job opening on LinkedIn, which I thought was a perfect opportunity to get some real-life experience working for a highly respected company, as school assignments rarely provide the depth of actual job tasks. Another aspect was that I wanted to prove to myself that I could do this job and furthermore saw it as a golden ticket to kickstart my career.
What I do
I work in a team called IP, which is an abbreviation for Intraday Portfolio. We have a close collaboration with our internal stakeholders, such as Power Trading Operations and the Intraday Trading teams, where we support them by providing software solutions to automate processes before, during and after trade execution. These solutions can be anything from automating the process of uploading nominations and visualising available capacities in different grids, to sending alarms if anything has gone wrong. Working on time-sensitive tasks can be fast-paced, particularly when trade-related updates or issues occur close to a deadline. The challenge of quick problem-solving under pressure adds to the excitement. Outside of programming, my responsibilities within the team can include some system administration to ensure our applications are deployed, available, and fully integrated in the existing infrastructure in DC. Each team member brings their own unique expertise, so we utilize this with good cooperation, and we consistently review our sprints to enhance and streamline our team processes.
My typical workday
On a typical workday, I begin by following up on open tasks to check if any new information has come up. Later, we have a team meeting where we update each other on potential changes, discuss challenges we’re currently facing that others might have experience with, and share what we’re currently working on. Besides that, each day can vary greatly in tasks and challenges. I usually have specific tasks that I need to work on, which could be minor updates in different systems, or maybe a larger project I've been working on for the past month or two. However, with our systems being critical to the trading process, we can quickly get new tasks highlighted by our product owner. In these situations, we agree within the team on who will take the task at hand, and it may be necessary to dive deep into anomalies to understand what we are experiencing and why, in order to solve the issue.
Each team member brings their own unique expertise, so we utilize this with good cooperation, and we consistently review our sprints to enhance and streamline our team processes.
The best part of my job
The best part about my job is the great variation of challenges that I get to go head-to-head with daily along with some amazing and talented colleagues. I get a kick out of solving tasks that I find to be unmanageable or complex at first.
My background
In my gap years between high school and university, I started learning the basics of programming simply by taking a process from my job at the time and trying my best to automate it. Soon I found myself working on LEAN projects and heading a pilot concept for RPA (Robotic Process Automation). Almost by chance, I had discovered one of my biggest passions: process improvement and automation.
Why I wanted to work for DC
I wanted to work somewhere I can unleash my potential and grow professionally and DC seemed like just the right place for that. Furthermore, DC seemed like a company that embraces the fast pace and at times hectic nature of the energy trading business without making compromises with the philosophy that going to work should be fun. These initial assessments have all turned out to be true.
What I do
I work as a Process Improvement & Automation Consultant in the Technology unit where I help stakeholders across the entire DC value chain by improving and automating tedious, manual and repetitive tasks which frees up their time to do more specialised and analytical work. An energy trader should spend most of their time trading and shouldn’t waste precious minutes updating Excel sheets, gathering data or documenting trades. Using automation tools like RPA, I help maximize the value creation of employees in DC.
My typical workday
Usually, my workday is a nice mix of collaboration with colleagues and independent work where I get to focus on solving a task. The collaboration part could be stakeholder meetings, sparring with colleagues, issue-handling or engagements with other teams in DC where I help uncover new automation potential. The independent work is where you deep dive into the details of a solution, i.e., understanding the nitty gritty details of the process, generating a solution design and programming the solution.
DC seemed like a company that embraces the fast pace and at times hectic nature of the energy trading business without making compromises with the philosophy that going to work should be fun.
The best part of my job
The best part about my job is the personal development that comes as a natural biproduct of the great responsibilities that you are trusted to handle, as well as the careful and competent supervision from immediate managers. I feel like I am constantly expanding my competencies – both professionally and socially.
My background
I was born and raised in a small city outside Vejle called Brejning. Later, I moved to Esbjerg while studying Financial Management (Finansøkonom). In 2020, I then moved to Aarhus to study a bachelor's in Economics and Business administration and now I am doing my master's in Finance and International Business. Former employments have been in several housings for physical and mentally handicapped people. I also worked as an event handler for Study-in-Esbjerg, a nonprofit organisation for students in Esbjerg.
Why I wanted to work for DC
I was looking for a company that could provide me with work related to my studies, as well as opportunities for development both professionally and personally. Luckily, DC is capable of all of that. Since joining, I've only been confirmed in that DC was the right choice for me with its great emphasis on employees and its focus on developing people within what they're good at rather than locking one in a specific job. As a student employee, DC knows that school has first priority and thus provides flexible working conditions which works very well for me.
What I do
As a Junior Business Controller my primary task is to support the Business Controlling team with various task. I also work on many projects with the goal of optimising business processes such as aligning our internal data with the counterparties or maintenance and development of different finance tools. I am also responsible for the DC Student Employee Network where we host events for the student employees internal at DC.
My typical workday
I have very flexible hours, but I like to work scheduled. As I do a lot of coding and have many projects across the team, I find it most productive to work many hours in a row, and fewer days during the week. A workday typically includes meetings with stakeholders, aligning project scopes and updating involved stakeholders along the way. My primary area of focus is our Power Markets, but I also work closely with other Business Controllers supporting different areas of the business. As one of the organisers of our DC Student Network, I have to make sure that the events we plan for all of our student employees are planned and executed. I also have to keep track of new student employees to ensure awareness of our network. It is a great responsibility that I enjoy, and also a privilege as a student employee to have a company that puts time and effort into our development.
The best part of being employed in DC is being part of a great company that strives to improve its people.
The best part of my job
The best part of being employed in DC is being part of a great company that strives to improve its people. My leaders have shown a lot of trust and I've been given major responsibility, and these are values that make working for DC fun and challenging. Independence is very important in my daily tasks which also means I feel that my work is useful for the team. Having said that, people are always more than willing to help which is nice when I undoubtedly need it from time to time.
My background
The field of economics has always been one of my greatest interests, so I studied a Master’s in Management Accounting and Control at Aarhus University. I started out working with Market- and Credit Risk Management in DC.
Why I wanted to work for DC
I was inspired by the nice culture and the complex business, which I wanted to understand.
What I do
I work as a Project Manager in one of our Technology units. I lead projects, which are strategically important to a successful implementation in the entire organisation. In DC, we have a very mature and highly developed project model to secure fast and thorough project execution. My greatest job is to ensure an effective project implementation, and that the project is correctly balanced in relation to scope, time and budget. Furthermore, my team and I always explore how we can implement projects faster and more effectively without compromise on the project’s goals and success criteria.
My typical workday
The greatest part of my job is Stakeholder Management within the projects I am working on. I have daily contact with stakeholders in- and outside the organisation to secure mutual alignment on plans, timelines and next deliverables. I keep track on the project costs, risk mitigation plans and update the steering committees on important decision points. And then I off course make sure we celebrate our successes.
I was inspired by the nice culture and the complex business, which I wanted to understand
The best part of my job
I’m challenged every day I go to work and I still have a lot to learn about the energy markets. I have the best colleagues in the world!
My background
I grew up in a family and community in the western part of Jutland where hard work and long hours were the norm. At the same time, people cared about each other and everyone was needed and counted on. I have brought these values into my professional career and find that DC builds on many of the same values.
Why I wanted to work for DC
I love the DC culture, our values, the focus, the winning spirit and most of all the really strong team feeling everyone has.
What I do
I am a senior technology manager heading up the ETRM Programme Management team responsible for support, maintenance and further development of our core trade management system Allegro and the surrounding technology landscape.
My typical workday
Typically, my day is fully packed with meetings with project teams, stakeholders and vendors. Normally I finish with status reporting and planning for next day.
I love the DC culture, our values, the focus, the winning spirit and most of all the really strong team feeling everyone has.
The best part of my job
I love putting plans into action and feeling the excitement and focus this brings to the members of my team.
My background
I am a Norwegian citizen who has worked in multiple countries including Norway, Germany, the UK, Brazil, Denmark and the US. I have lived in cities such as Bonn, London, Rio de Janeiro and Houston. It has been a great experience to work outside Scandinavia, but I realise that we have it good here. I have completed a PhD on Risk Management in Electricity Markets focusing on financial transmission rights at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Since then I have worked with power market analysis and modelling for various trading companies. It is a topic that also interests me personally since I have published numerous journal papers on electricity markets.
Why I wanted to work for DC
I appreciate that DC is a power trading company which we do not have many of in Norway. I also like that DC is expanding its global footprint. I eyed the opportunity to work with the Brazilian power market again since I knew Equinor was active there since the early 2000s.
What I do
Currently I am working in the Commercial Business Development unit as a Senior Market Analyst focusing on market analysis and modelling of the Australian and Brazilian power markets. We participate in auctions for Australian financial transmission rights and I am involved in the valuation of these as well as identifying fundamental drivers of power prices. We are not active in Brazil yet, but I have developed some tools and forecasting models which can be used for trading decision support. I am also supporting the building out of analytics so that we can be ready when DC enters the Brazilian power market in partnership with Equinor which has ambitious plans for renewable investments there.
My typical workday
We have a daily morning team meeting. Besides this my workday can differ a lot. I have some regular presentations and meetings which I attend but aside from these, my tasks vary considerably. I am coding in Python, running our power market models and conducting various power market analyses. It entails looking into the fundamental data and simulations and what it means for power prices and our trading strategies and investment decisions.
I am curious person by nature, so I appreciate learning about new markets and emerging technologies.
The best part of my job
I enjoy working with power markets and being part of a team that is identifying commercial opportunities globally. I am curious person by nature, so I appreciate to learn about new markets and emerging technologies. I also like that we interact with Equinor and support them as advisors.
My background
I grew up in Randers with my parents and two younger siblings. After high school I moved to Aarhus to study. My professional career started in DC. I started as a student employee in June 2013 and got employed full time while writing my master's degree in the spring of 2014. In DC I have worked in two different departments: I started in Dispatching (now Power Trading Operations) and took part in building up the support of the Intraday team. In 2018 when I came back from my first maternity leave I moved to the Business Controlling team and worked as a business controller until the summer 2019, where I was promoted to manager for the team. In November 2023, I took on new challenges again when I moved to the People & Culture team where I now work as the Head of Rewards & Global Mobility.
Why I wanted to work for DC
When I applied for the student position back in 2013 I knew a few people already working here, and my impression was that it was a company with great growth and a company that put a lot of responsibilities on their employees. The reality for sure has lived up to these expectations. More or less from day one I have been given a lot of responsibility and I really enjoy working here.
What I do
As the manager for the Rewards & Global Mobility team, I am responsible for heading the team in the right direction and that the people in the team are motivated and happy to work here. That includes prioritisation and delegation of assignments, sparring with employees and colleagues. Besides having the general overview of the team, I am also responsible for rewards, which includes creating benchmark and running the annual salary and bonus processes.
My typical workday
As most people in DC would say, my days vary a lot. Some days I use all my time on leadership things like one-to-ones, meetings or strategy talks. Other days I focus on benchmarks or salary and bonus sparring with leaders. I am also involved in projects such as creating PowerBI dashboards or implementing reward modules to our HR system.
My impression was that it was a company with great growth and a company that put a lot of responsibilities on their employees.
The best part of my job
I always get a lot of energy from being at work because I am surrounded by so many awesome, funny and nice people.
My background
Ever since I was a teenager, I have been addicted to energy through the wind and the sun. Being a watersports enthusiast, I found the volatility and complexity of (renewable) power markets extremely exciting. After completing my Master's degree in Energy and Environmental Management at Flensburg University in Germany, and doing some internships within German utilities, my career began in Denmark as an intraday trader. I was so motivated to sit behind 15 screens and have the responsibility to swing big volumes. However, after a year I realised that I would like to get a broader understanding of our full business, and an opportunity as a portfolio manager opened up. Being a link between trading and origination was the perfect fit for me and it really helped me connecting the dots of what a value chain is all about. Four years later I joined DC.
Why I wanted to work for DC
When DC was acquired by Equinor I saw my chance to become an active contributor in the energy transition. I want the future to be green, and I always believed that this can only be achieved when the oil majors start recognising that value can be generated with renewable energy. Being part of this journey is challenging, yet exciting, and I cannot wait to see where we are in a few years from now.
What I do
I am Senior Commercial Business Developer. As the title suggests, my job is to develop business cases for new markets or products and be a part of increasing DC’s trading footprint across market- and product offerings towards customers. We work together with trading and origination departments, and have a close connection with the senior leadership team. Further we are DC’s focal point for all interactions with our big brother Equinor.
My typical workday
I typically start my day around 7 to 7:30, which mostly leaves me until 9:00 to catch up on mails and do some quiet work. After 9, not one day equals another. What my days do have in common are a lot of meetings and alignments with stakeholders. These meetings could, for example, be about an improved strategy around power purchase agreements (PPAs) or developing trading models for derivatives in a new market. My job requires the ability to shift quickly from one topic to another, organise myself and communicate clearly. Mastering this split motivates me a lot and I learn every day because I get in contact with many different departments.
I cannot wait to see where we are in a few years from now.
The best part of my job
I absolutely love the freedom and responsibility in DC. In Commercial Business Development we hardly have any top-down steers, but we are expected to be pro-active. We can explore the next exciting market or product and we are given trust to develop DC in the right direction. Further, my job is not about creating theoretic PowerPoint slides. We can actually do business development with ‘skin in the game’ and have some trading mandates in new markets to prove that value can be made.
My background
I’m born and raised in a small Danish town on the “nose” of Jutland. Moved to Aarhus in 2008 to study Business Administration & Commercial Law. I started my career in DC in 2012 as a student employee and continued full time once I finished my studies and I have been here since then.
Why I wanted to work for DC
During my studies I thought that an international company was something for me. Happily I got the possibility to test it during my studies and found out that the split between a lot of responsibility, challenges, flexibility and great colleagues are a good match for me.
What I do
I work in our Legal team where we negotiate all kinds of contracts spanning from trading agreements, balancing agreements, consultancy agreements, guarantees, confidentiality agreements and so on. We assist the organisation in any kind of legal matter that may arise on the way.
My typical workday
My typical work day starts by catching up on possible urgent e-mails and requests, and prioritising the most important things to be done today, always having in mind that my plans and prioritisation may change quickly due to the nature of DC’s business. If an urgent or interesting business case come up, we of course adapt to see if we can catch the case. My work day is a split between meetings and concentrated work at my desk, preparing and negotiating contracts with customers, counterparties, consultants or any other entities we may cooperate with.
I have a lot of great colleagues and the winning- and open culture in DC is great.
The best part of my job
You are offered a lot of responsibility and flexibility when doing your job which gives you a lot of motivating challenges. Two days a rarely the same when you are working at DC. Furthermore I have a lot of great colleagues and the winning- and open culture in DC is great.
My background
I was born in southern Jutland and attended a natural science programme in high school after which I moved to Aarhus when it was time to study at university. Somehow, I ended up studying Business Administration rather than something within natural science and obtained a Master's degree in Business Intelligence while working at DC. I am also a huge NBA nerd from a statistics perspective - as well as an entertainment perspective. It is not uncommon for me to stay awake to watch games, which typically start between 01:00 and 04:30 AM Danish time.
Why I wanted to work for DC
DC was intriguing to me as it is known as a data-driven company. As a Business Intelligence graduate, this is exactly the kind of workplace we strive to work at and to be able to use some of the BI tools that I have learned throughout my studies is something I find very exciting and gives my skillset a purpose – to create value for DC.
What I do
I'm in the Data Engineering and Architecture (DARC) team, where my subteam’s responsibility lies in supporting the entire organisation with data-related matters. We have numerous data flows that process billions of rows every day, and sometimes, some of these solutions do not function due to various reasons. When that happens, we ensure they are re-established. We are also deeply involved with the surveillance systems that assist us in detecting erroneous data, so we can stay ahead of the business and mitigate any issues that may occur. As manager of the Data Operations team, I am also responsible for our talent pipeline, educating student employees and preparing them to become data engineers internally.
My typical workday
I start my day assessing how our systems have fared the past day, covering any breaches that may have occurred since yesterday. I'm invested in improving my team's capabilities, so I spend a lot of time finding opportunities to improve our services.
The best part of my job is knowing that the work we do creates value across the organisation and that the data we deliver creates new opportunities for DC in the market
The best part of my job
The best part of my job is knowing that the work we do creates value across the organisation and that the data we deliver creates new opportunities for DC in the market. The value creation occurs when we mitigate data incidents, ensuring the smooth operations of our data, so the business can operate without any major disturbances. As a manager, another great part of my job is seeing junior and full-time data engineers in my team develop into world-class data engineers.
My background
I'm born and raised in Herning (or just outside), right in the middle of Jutland. I was never really sure what I wanted to work with and I’m still not sure where I would like to end up. But I have always had a very strong drive and a lot of energy, which, among others, meant having four different student jobs at the same time next to my study - I’m sure this helped me get the job at DC.
Why I wanted to work for DC
Actually, I did not even know that DC existed before I saw the job ad. And at the time, it was the only job ad that sounded interesting to me – a young and dynamic company within the energy industry, offering the possibility to take on a very diversified role, where I could see myself using many of my competencies and adding value.
What I do
I have had various roles in DC over the years, leading me to my current position as Executive Assistant in the Global Trading & Market Development unit, where I work to support our global expansion journey. More concretely, I'm working on strategy development and execution, management sparring and support as well as ensuring strong communication and stakeholder management across the value chain, all to support the people we have on the ground at our headquarters, but even more importantly the people working from our offices around the globe.
My typical workday
At DC, there is no typical work day and to me, that’s a big plus. However, most days are packed with meetings, which might sound boring to many people but not to me! Most of the meetings I attend are very action-oriented, focusing on ensuring alignment and solving problems and I’m often the one facilitating the meetings.
The best part of my job is interacting and finding great solutions with so many skilled and dedicated people in a company where you get to put your ideas into action and see how it creates value!
The best part of my job
Interacting and finding great solutions with so many skilled and dedicated people in a company where you get to put your ideas into action and see how it creates value!
My background
I’m originally a journalist, and I began my career at the national Danish Broadcasting Corporation as a reporter and radio host, before moving into corporate communications. I live just north of Aarhus with my wife and two kids.
Why I wanted to work for DC
It was primarily the international environment that drew me to Danske Commodities. The fact that we have people of more than 25 different nationalities working closely side by side makes for one of the most inspiring work environments I have ever been part of.
What I do
I am a Senior Communications Specialist in our small, but bad-ass Strategy & Communications team. I work with both internal and external communications. I develop communications strategies, carry out communications training, write speeches, pen media releases, create videos and podcasts, make sure our Intranet is updated with the latest internal news, talk to journalists, act as a communications partner whenever bigger projects needs to be communicated internally in the company, and I also have the overall responsibility for our social media. So it is a great mix of big projects and smaller, day-to-day tasks – and everything in-between.
My typical workday
There is no typical work day at Danske Commodities. I know that it’s a cliché, but at Danske Commodities it’s true. There are hectic days, where we have a big story in the news and media are calling us from all over the world, and there are more quiet days, where I can deep-dive into a communications strategy or a big project. Sometimes it is a combination of the two.
The fact that we have people of more than 25 different nationalities working closely side by side makes for one of the most inspiring work environments I have ever been part of.
The best part of my job
I work with some of the most ambitious, skilled and fun people in strategy, marketing and communications, and that is extremely inspiring. Personally, I find it most rewarding to work in the intersection between strategy and the more practical side of communications, and at Danske Commodities I own a communications project from the very first steps – the development of the communications strategy and the plan for carrying it out – and I also get to do the actual implementation of the project.
My background
Originally from Southern Jutland (“synnejylland”), I’m a misfit geek from the countryside. I experimented with music in my teenage years before letting myself engulf by academia and the world of nanoscience. This led me to a Bachelor and a PhD in Theoretical Physics which, perhaps a bit out of the ordinary, led to a Software Developer position in DC.
Why I wanted to work for DC
Because of the extremely fascinating business area, the high pace and the young and modern culture.
What I do
I develop and maintain software to support the business flow in DC – from trading to invoicing
My typical workday
A typical day at work does not exist at DC! But I divide my time between supporting the business (keeping the software systems running and solving what problems that may appear) and doing actual software development. Both tasks require a close contact with colleagues ensuring that development is on the right path and that support and maintenance works effectively.
A typical day at work does not exist at Danske Commodities!
The best part of my job
The variety of different tasks combined with the possibility to immerse yourself into complex assignments – and of course the wonderful colleagues.
My background
Although I’ve spent most of my life in eastern Jutland, I’ve travelled the world and lived in cities such as Manchester, Sarajevo, Heidelberg and San Francisco. Natural sciences always fascinated me, but I could never quite choose which discipline interested me the most. Because of that, I chose a broad education in medicinal chemistry and quickly narrowed my interest down to computational biophysics and from there to data analytics.
Why I wanted to work for DC
I wanted to work for DC because of my keen interest in the field of data science. Even though the data that we use in DC are very different from what I’ve previously worked with, I absolutely enjoy using and learning new analytical techniques. Other than that, I wanted to work in a dynamic environment among talented people – so, DC is the perfect fit!
What I do
I provide additional analytical insights into the trends that our meteorologists detect from their daily forecasts. This enhances the traders’ decision-making.
My typical workday
It’s difficult to put an exact recipe on my day, but it typically starts with a nice refreshing cup of coffee. Other than that, my day usually involves exploratory analysis, number crunching, data fetching, data transformation and the likes.
I wanted to work in a dynamic environment among talented people. DC is the perfect fit!
The best part of my job
The best part of my job is when my analytical products or tools can aid the meteorologists into making more accurate forecasts, ultimately helping our traders better compete in the market!
My background
I have been a meteorologist since 1999, working for the Danish Meteorological Institute as well as privately owned weather companies. During this time I have worked with both aviation and ship-routing all over the globe, as well as local weather forecasting.
Why I wanted to work for DC
The working environment in DC allows you to make a difference. I also appreciate a working environment where my colleagues expect me to bring something to the table and are not afraid to challenge me on pretty much everything I deliver.
What I do
As a meteorologist I handle a lot of different questions regarding weather. Most importantly is the question of how the weather forecast data is incorrect or may develop over time. In other words: It is not so much the weather forecasts as such I do - rather a forecast of the forecasts.
My typical workday
The reason for weather being relevant for an energy company like DC is mainly the increasing amount of renewable energy production in many countries. For example: During a windy and sunny day in Germany, almost all of the power needed in the country may be produced by wind turbines and solar panels. In this case, a precise forecast of wind and sun will add a lot of value to the optimisation of the power production. My job is to improve the forecasts we already have in-house and to forecast if and when these forecasts may be completely off.
The best part of my job is that I actually make a difference.
The best part of my job
The best part of my job is that I actually make a difference. Even in a world where computers seems like they can do everything better, faster and more precisely, I am still able to make a difference in the analysis of what the future will bring.
My background
Being half Dutch, half Danish, born in the USA and having grown up in South America and Asia, I have an innate feeling that anything is possible - and I always want to make the most of things and push the agenda. I moved to Denmark when I was 12 and have been living in the Aarhus area ever since, where I've studied English and Media studies, which makes me a bit of an outsider at DC. Fortunately, they don't leave anything numbers-related up to me!
Why I wanted to work for DC
I had worked in an organisation which supports start-ups and businesses with growth potential before coming to Danske Commodities, and had heard that DC was an inspiring and entrepreneurial company with an amazing growth story. I also knew that it was a very internationally oriented company, which really sealed the deal for me and made me apply.
What I do
I work in the Strategy & Communications team. Our job is twofold: we support our Senior Management Group and business teams by helping develop strategies that set the direction of the company and we are in charge of supporting DCs brand. I help with the latter, mainly through marketing assignments.
My typical workday
I am fortunate enough to have very diverse assignments, which vary from helping conceptualise many projects - such as our videos and website - to creating content for on- and offline use. A typical day would include time in front of the computer, where I update our website and create social media posts, and time spent in meetings, either brainstorm meetings about different projects or alignment meetings with any business teams that may need marketing support. I also spend time working with external agencies, helping during video shoots, getting practicalities in order for fairs and many other things.
We try to come up with different and fun things that show the core of DC and focus a lot on our people, which I think is quite unique in this business.
The best part of my job
The openness to ideas and suggestions - even if they are on the crazy side sometimes. We try to come up with different and fun things that show the core of DC and focus a lot on our people, which I think is quite unique in this business. Also, I really appreciate working in a team where we complement each other so well. We really make each other better and laugh every single day, which is a crucial thing, if you ask me.
My background
Growing up, I wanted to be all kinds of things - but mostly, I wanted to be an elite soldier in Jægerkorpset in the Danish army. Unfortunately, I didn't make it through the health check to even get into the military, and so I spent some time trying to figure out what to do with my career. I was playing a lot of video games at the time, and started thinking maybe software was the way to go, but I also considered nanoscience and archaeology (yes, I have a lot of interests). I went with IT, and took a bachelor's in software engineering from VIA University college in Horsens. Since then, I've worked primarily as a full stack software developer, and I've also worked as a consultant before coming to DC.
Why I wanted to work for DC
DC has an excellent reputation for diversity and inclusion, and for caring about their people, which is something that means a lot to me. As I have an ADHD diagnosis, I needed a workplace that allows me to be me, and that cares about the welfare of their employees. DC has also implemented a lot of diversity initiatives that I think are fantastic. I also find the energy sector very interesting, and actually took a course in Smart Grid during my bachelor's degree.
What I do
I work as a software developer in the PBA team within Flexible Asset Management. I'm a backend developer, and work primarily on the backend services supporting our internal system DCPlanner, a tool our customers use to balance and trade energy. I also do a lot of maintenance and devops work, setting up pipelines and ensuring a smooth every day life for the developers in our team. Besides all that, I also assist in daily operations as third level support now and then.
My typical workday
A typical workday can vary a lot, but most days I begin around 8.30 by reading some news on the business or IT related stuff. After that, I determine what tasks I need to do for that day, if I have anything from the day before that I need to finish and other practical things. Then at 9, we have our daily standup where everyone runs through their tasks and focus for that day and we take care of any necessary coordination across the team. The rest of the day is usually filled with coding tasks, occasionally some meetings and daily operations if I'm on schedule for that. What I love about my workdays is that I can largely plan them as I like, which means that I spend most of my time coding (and not in meetings). If I ever need help or need someone to discuss a problem with, there is always a member of my team who can help me and is happy to do so.
DC has an excellent reputation for diversity and inclusion, and for caring about their people, which is something that means a lot to me. As I have an ADHD diagnosis, I needed a workplace that allows me to be me, and that cares about the welfare of their employees.
The best part of my job
The amazing and helpful colleagues on my team, and the variety of tasks that I have - and the freedom to plan my days as I like to get the most out of them. I also feel like I'm growing as a developer on a daily basis, which is a fantastic feeling.
