“ A whole new generation of job profiles that never existed before had to evolve , and I am in no doubt that the UK will master this latest generation of skills required ”
- Mike Hughes , Zone President UK & Ireland , Schneider Electric
to us to integrate into the business . “ The last way is simply the practical experience we have built up over time . We have completed many , many projects in a number of sectors and are able to understand and retain knowledge of best practice .”
Keeping pace What was no more than a buzzword a decade ago is now ingrained into society writ large , and businesses failing to ingrain sustainability and energy efficiency into their operations and culture risk falling behind . Equally , the opportunities and rewards to be reaped are game-changing .
This is the clear message Schneider Electric will continue to push in the UK and Ireland , and Hughes believes the topic will become a major talking point in the coming decades .
“ My honest advice is , if you ’ ve started that journey , keep going ,” he says . “ If you haven ’ t started that journey , why haven ’ t you ? If businesses don ’ t embrace sustainability and energy efficiency , they are ultimately missing out on profitability and also a brand image story . Consumers are making choices every day based on the brand and the story of that brand .”
It is a challenge facing organisations in all parts of the world , something Hughes is acutely aware of given his first-hand experience of the past 20-plus years .
He concludes : “ The future is electric and the future is digital . The challenge we have today is how we generate that electricity , and most of it is still generated by fossil fuels . Populations are growing , GDPs are rising and people want to consume more .
“ This constant demand and how we feed that demand is the key issue , and Schneider has a big role to play in making sure we use that electricity as efficiently as possible .”
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