Let's do the impossible together

Nadežda Kulik, responsible for transport and supplies at Ignitis Gamyba, joined the company to explore the energetics sector. “I wanted to try myself in a new sphere, especially energetics,” she says. Her role involves managing transport routes, overseeing orders, and ensuring seamless operations, bringing fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to her daily tasks.

Beyond her primary duties, Nadežda organizes corporate events that unite employees and foster team spirit. “I organized corporate events which united employees and created a sense of a team,” she shares. Her job's dynamic nature keeps her engaged, with tasks ranging from answering emails and managing orders to handling urgent transport needs across company branches. “This requires fluent decision-making to fulfill the needs of different company branches,” she notes.

Nadežda values the lack of monotonous routine in her role, embracing the need for a different approach each day. She has enhanced her decision-making skills and developed various solutions since joining Ignitis Group.

Nadežda Kulik’s dynamic approach and dedication significantly contribute to the company’s success.

Driven by a passion for physics, Dominykas Stonkus pursued engineering at Vilnius Tech (formerly VGTU). His career path took an unexpected turn from bartending to discovering his true vocation at ESO. Today, he leads a dynamic team at Ignitis Group. “Six years later, I’m proud to be part of the Ignitis Group,” he shares.

One of his team proudest achievements is overhauling the rate methodology for connecting new electrical appliances, allowing customers to estimate costs without submitting an application. "Working on this project, I realized the incredible capabilities of my colleagues,” he explains.

Dominykas enjoys the meaningful impact, dynamic nature, and skilled colleagues in his job. “You understand that you contribute to beneficial changes affecting many people,” he says. Dominykas exemplifies the dedication and innovation that drive Ignitis Group forward, enhancing operational efficiency and fostering collaboration.

Joining Ignitis Group a few years ago, Margarita quickly found herself making a significant impact. She joined the team at Vilniaus kogeneracinė jėgainė seeking a stable environment to make a positive impact. “Ignitis Group was the right place for me,” she says. Her role focuses on ensuring the quality of fuel and ash, essential for the power plant’s performance and the company’s sustainability goals.

Currently, Margarita is leading her team in obtaining laboratory accreditation. “It’s our biggest project, and we aim to complete it next year,” she shares. She loves improving processes and making them more efficient. “Building good relationships is key. If you need a favor, bringing cake always helps,” she adds with a smile.

At the waste and biofuel cogeneration plant, Margarita contributes to Lithuania's energy independence and landfill waste reduction. “Our work greatly impacts the community and the environment,” she emphasizes. Her dedication and drive for improvement are propelling both her team and “Ignitis Group” toward a more sustainable future.

Dovilė began her journey in the energy sector by studying engineering, earning both a bachelor's and a master's degree. Joining “Ignitis Group”, she immediately knew she found a place where she could fulfill her ambitions. "Ignitis Group” was the right place for me because it is an important and integral part of the energy sector in the Baltic region," she says.

Dovilė leads a team responsible for physical and financial electricity trading, electricity demand and production forecasting, and trading green certificates and biomethane. Over the years, her department has expanded from basic physical and financial electricity supply activities to include sustainability solutions and PPA activities. "The energy sector is constantly changing, so every day brings new challenges and opportunities," she says. The dynamic nature of the work and the ability to constantly learn and adapt to changes are particularly interesting to Dovilė.

Every day, Dovilė works on creating and implementing sustainable energy solutions. She emphasizes that her team's activities not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also actively promote the use of renewable energy, thus contributing to strengthening Lithuania's energy independence.

Having relocated from Latvia to Lithuania 10 years ago, the HR specialist Liene never thought that one of her tasks would be… to become the face of Ignitis Group. And yet, that’s precisely the role she signed up to. And that’s far from the only bold move she’s made throughout her career!

After gaining some professional experience by working for international companies, Liene took an interest in green energy and joined the then-relatively-small team of Ignitis Renewables. “I got into ESG and soon began looking for work in this field. I learned about the job vacancy from a good friend who’d been working in the Group for years at that point. I knew nothing about the energy sector and had never worked at a Lithuanian company, so I had no idea what to expect. But today I’m totally convinced that it was the right decision”.

Liene is promoting the company’s sustainability culture through numerous initiatives, such as reducing car travel to reduce its carbon footprint. When working on this, as well as on many other projects and events, she often invites her colleagues to join in, thereby speeding up the achievement of the Group’s sustainability goals. What inspires Liene the most is the opportunity she has to enhance the organisation’s international character. As an HR expert, she’s responsible for onboarding new colleagues and introducing them to all available benefits and initiatives. In her view, it shouldn’t matter what country an Ignitis Renewable employee lives in, he or she should be able to enjoy the same positive experience.

Žilvinas has been fascinated by technology since childhood – ever since the moment he got a hold of a soldering iron. His teachers later encouraged him to study electrical engineering. Having started his career in the Group as a technician, Žilvinas soon became Head Engineer, and now leads our Diagnostics Team at the Network Quality Assessment Department. Hailing from Panevėžys, Žilvinas is happy to have a meaningful job at a large organisation from his hometown.

Today, he’s using not only digitisation, Lidar data, 3D models, and drones, but also artificial intelligence to better detect malfunctions of the electric grid. And this is only the beginning, as these technologies are incredibly flexible and developing at great speed.

As part of its daily tasks, his team collects massive amounts of data that could have numerous uses in the future, especially when it comes to developing innovative solutions.

In addition to being responsible for the smooth functioning of our electric and gas networks, Žilvinas also teaches energy basics to both current and new employees, and provides students with the occasional introduction to Ignitis Group, the energy grid and its operating principles, as well as the nature and benefits of working in the energy sector.

“I used to be wary of public speaking, but thanks to the inspiration given me by my former teachers, and feeling the support of my colleagues, I found myself in this area, too. Besides, teaching affords many opportunities to learn something new yourself. For instance, you may be lecturing on the latest technological developments, while some colleagues from legal tell you about the processes that lead to changes in law. This way, I leave the auditorium having not only transferred my own knowledge, but also gotten some of that back from my co-workers”.

The litigation lawyer Lukas got a job at Ignitis Group in 2021, right after finishing his legal studies. Even though, at first, he was somewhat worried about possibly joining a massive bureaucratic machine, to his pleasure he quickly realised that both his closest colleagues and the company’s management are firmly committed to the best Western-style practices. Early on, Lukas received lots of assistance from his friendly and supportive team, and found his groove after the first time he started to look over legal processes and other litigation questions.

What he likes about his job is the variety of tasks and the opportunity to work in different legal areas. His responsibilities include everything from replying to citizen inquiries and providing legal recommendations to representing the Group and resolving disputes. The Group's large legal team allows for the exchange of not only professional experience and knowledge, but also warm mutual relations.

According to him, even those who see their jobs as meaningful don’t always feel the tangible results they’re generating out there in the world. “Meanwhile, since work in our Group is closely related with practical activity, it’s easy to not only perceive its meaning, but to also see it directly. Although this is slightly less the case for someone like me, as I don’t really engage with practical engineering, I learn from my colleagues and public Comms about the projects that my daily tasks contribute to. So it’s definitely possible to feel a real sense of purpose every day.“.

When choosing what and where to study, Monika – Environmental and Permitting Project Manager at Ignitis Renewables – already knew that she wanted a career in a field related to building a greener future. After getting a degree in biology – and learning a lot about the environment, as well as herself in the process – she took a job in the Ministry of the Environment. While there, she became increasingly fascinated by renewable energy.

Currently, Monika is working on solar and wind parks, where there’s never a shortage of interesting tasks, challenges, research projects, public relations events, and opportunities to grow, and to work on eco-friendly technologies. Her responsibilities include the implementation of new, and the monitoring of completed projects, as well as a plethora of things related to the environment and biodiversity. One day she’s thinking of ways to reduce a solar park’s environmental impact, and the next day – dealing with invasive plant species.

“What I appreciate the most is all the support we get from management, always willing to green light whatever efforts may be necessary to ensure  the sustainability of our projects. We never go through with a project that could potentially have a seriously detrimental effect on the environment. It would just be greenwashing and would, therefore, contradict our key values”.

What do the Ignitis Group’s accounting specialists do all day? Kristina, an accounting expert, counts lots of things – sometimes it’s funds, while other times – it’s her own blessings and sources of inspiration. From drawing up financial statements and conducting audit procedures to taking part in meditation sessions – there’s never a dull moment at work for Kristina!

Having joined our team 7 years ago, she started by working with some of the Group’s smaller companies, and today she’s responsible for a major one – Ignitis Gamyba. According to Kristina: “The sense of personal importance that I get working here comes from all the opportunities I get to make a contribution to achieving tangible results. I also appreciate being able to work flexibly and communicate with my colleagues from other departments in a friendly manner, as well as to learn and grow together. Whether it’s emotional well-being or mindfulness training – opportunities abound”.

Even though, most days, Kristina works from the head office (that has multiple rest areas), she also gets to travel to sites where the actual generation of energy is taking place. One of such opportunities came during the shooting of our TV ad, which took place at the Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant – a truly exceptional facility without analogues in the Baltic Region. In addition to the latter, Ignitis Gamyba also manages and continues to develop the Elektrėnai Complex and the biggest renewable energy plant in Lithuania – the Kaunas Hydro Power Plant.

After finishing her Business Management studies and getting a job in the finance sector, Sandra realised that she wanted to work in a more dynamic and impactful field. This eventually led her to take up programming. Finding the learning process both rapid and to her liking, the idea to start working in the automation field became reality once the newly-minted specialist joined ESO. For the first three years she worked as a programmer, and for the past two has been leading her own team of RPA developers.

What is Sandra most proud of today? The “little robots” that she’d deployed at work save her colleagues 18,000+ hours of work every month. Making the robots “know” what to do took lots of programming and energy-related knowledge, creativity, and a strong connection with the workforce of the company – and of the entire group. Sandra is happy that, instead of competing, the group’s employees are both friendly and always willing to share knowledge with each other. Due to their different areas of expertise, however, mutual understanding can at times only be achieved with the help of the more analytically-inclined colleagues!

Although Sandra’s job brings something new to the table almost daily, that’s exactly what makes work at Ignitis Group interesting. You can pretty much count on being offered a unique opportunity for self-realisation – such as taking part in the shooting of a TV ad – at least once in a while. “I got to play an engineer for just 3 hours, but the process was fascinating. I was wearing a bright-coloured ESO uniform – someone actually came over to me, asking about my job. This experience has made me realise how difficult my colleagues’ jobs really are. Working from the office, we’re optimising the Group’s operations, so our other colleagues can bring light to people’s homes,” Sandra told us.

For some, an offshore wind park in the Baltic Sea is still a matter of science fiction. For Dainius, a project manager at Ignitis Renewables, on the other hand – it’s one of the milestone projects of his career. Dainius is not intimidated by such large-scale projects because, as he tells us, he’s working alongside a large crew of consummate professionals both from Lithuania and abroad. Even though the wind park is scheduled for completion by 2030, he remains excited because this project is exceptionally dynamic, offering numerous opportunities for learning and growing.

So, how did Dainius end up working on one of the country’s most vitally strategic projects? Following in his sister’s footsteps, he went to study water engineering at VGTU (now Vilnius TECH), took part in the Erasmus student exchange programme, and capped off his education with a Master’s degree in green energy. Dainius started his professional career in the then-Vilniaus Energija and ESO, where he was responsible for a smart metre installation project. Later on, after trying his hand at working in a different field, Dainius realised that the people, culture, and the actual work at Ignitis Group is what he liked the most. Soon afterwards, having accepted an invitation to apply for a new position from his former colleague, he joined the Ignitis Renewables offshore wind team and is now making his mark in projects that will, no doubt, become historic for Lithuania’s energy sector.

“There’s going to be lots to learn until we get to 2030, and the project itself will be changing at each stage. And yet, standing here at Dutchman’s Cap, a few dozen kilometres from the future park, I can already imagine what an amazing result is waiting for us,” Dainius said, reminiscing about his participation in the shooting of our TV ad.

Since Tadas Želvys grew up in a family of the STEM-minded, and besides had been gravitating in that direction himself, he later enrolled in energy studies at a university, and – after working for a few companies post graduation – joined ESO. He’s now glad that he wasn’t too shy to apply – and that ESO itself showed a good deal of trust in him – despite his relative lack of experience at the time. Having started as a procurement coordinator, he soon came to lead the procurement planning team, and has now been the head of ESO’s division, which grew out of it, for the past 7 years.

Along with his colleagues, Tadas is responsible for ensuring the supply of materials and arranging the contractor agreements necessary for reconstruction projects and for connecting the organisation’s clients to the grid. One of his biggest recent achievements was the new contractor acquisition campaign, which took place in 2023. His role at ESO requires a very high sense of personal accountability, and involves frequent communication with both Lithuanian and foreign suppliers, as well as efforts to retain already engaged contractors to ensure the timely connection of clients to the grid.

Tadas says that, at work, he’s motivated primarily by two things. First – open and genuine communication with the people that surround him work. He likes that he can both teach others and learn from them, in turn. Second: “A work environment where people’s opinions matter and where you can feel that you’re generating real value. We always try to make sure that all of our colleagues have an opportunity not just to implement someone else’s ideas, but also to come up with and express their own. In other words, I’m really happy with both – the work process itself and the results they make possible”.

Lina Žibienė became interested in renewable energy while studying environmental protection, and then spent the first decade after graduation working for a consultancy firm in this area. Today, as Head of Environmental and Permitting Projects, she takes part in all the projects of Ignitis Renewables from their earliest planning stages.

Her contribution to every prospective solar and wind park begins with the assessment of development-related environmental risks and potential impact. In her view, if there’s no possibility to ensure the due representation of nature at the “negotiating table”, it’s better to reject such projects altogether.

“Thanks to our Western-style approach to people, work, and the environment, we always make an effort to go the extra mile when it comes to regulatory compliance. Valuing long-term relationships, we interact a lot with communities, where our projects are set to be implemented, talk to experts and involve them in project development, and more. If we want to be green, we must first be transparent. A key reason for hosting extra meetings and educating the public is that our parks will be around for many decades, which makes it important to forge long-term ties with the people living nearby”.

According to Lina, each and every one of her colleagues believes that his or her work helps ensure a greener future. She’s also happy not only about the Ignitis Renewables team (which recently went from 20 to 150 people), but also about the strong support provided by management.