Our Head of Global Finance Service Management, Ginger Carnline, shares her journey as a female leader in the energy sector.
Ginger shares an insight into her career journey – and offers advice for other women who are new to the energy sector.
How did you first get into Energy? Tell us about your journey to and within Centrica.
For more than 15 years I have spent my career in retail energy across various roles in Operations, IT, Accounting, and Finance.
I first got into retail energy at the beginning of deregulation in 2000 when Shell decided to venture into the Georgia and Ohio deregulated markets. Through acquisition, I left Shell and joined MXenergy, later to join Spark Energy, and finally Direct Energy in 2012.
I joined Direct Energy as Director of Cost Management, then moved into a leadership role within the finance organisation as VP Finance, COO in 2015. I transitioned into a Transformation role leading the North America Finance and ES&S Transformation teams in 2017. I'm excited to now be leading the Service Management team globally for Centrica Finance.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
My role and the concept of a Service Management team is new to the organisation. The opportunities and challenges that come from establishing a new team excites me the most.
What advice would you give to women who are new to the energy sector?
The energy and services industry is very diverse and truly is an exciting space to be in. My advice is to be assertive, network, and speak up when opportunities arise. The range of opportunities are endless and always changing – be adventurous and try new things, don't limit yourself!
What is your empowering question to yourself?
When I find myself in a challenging or stressful situation, I ask myself: 'What's the worst thing that can happen?' If I can get comfortable with that, it helps alleviate the stress. I also try to keep in mind that while something is stressful right now, in five years it probably won't even matter and I employ the 10-10-10 rule, thinking about the consequences of the decision in 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years from now. That helps keep everything in perspective.
What do you like to outside of the office?
I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I have a set of very close friends, many of whom I grew up with since elementary school, that get together on a regular basis. We enjoy getting our families together for dinner, game nights and weekend get-a-ways.