Meet The Team - Calum Russell

Tell us a little bit about yourself

My name is Calum and I am the Sales and Tender Coordinator at EDS HV. I am also part of the James Fisher Plc Graduate Leadership Development Programme, with EDS being my second placement. I have only been with EDS a couple of months, but I am enjoying learning about the company and Renewables Sector from an industry perspective, having studied this topic at university.

I graduated from the University of Strathclyde in 2020 (in the midst of the pandemic!), with a 1st in Economics and International Business and during my time, I have studied in Paris and Hong Kong.

In my free time I play football and golf, and I occasionally participate in running events around Scotland. I also enjoy watching my favourite football team, the mighty St Mirren – even when the results don’t go our way.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I remember changing my mind a few times during my childhood as to what I wanted to be. When I was very young, I wanted to be a palaeontologist, then my love of St Mirren took over and I wanted to be a footballer, but I think the one that sticks out the most for me is wanting to be a Police Officer.

Does your job resemble that in any way?

Whilst I don’t think it resembles my job, I do a fair amount of policing to make sure we capture all of our data and communications on the system (although I wouldn’t go arresting my colleagues if a data field was missing!).

As if you were explaining it to a complete stranger, what do you actually do at EDS HV?

As the Sales and Tender Coordinator, I provide support to both the Sales and Tendering teams, making sure both teams are organised and present a united front when bidding for new work or managing customer interactions. Pre-dominantly, I work on our Customer Relationship Management System, interrogating data to help colleagues make decisions, prioritise workloads and provide updates of opportunities in the sales pipeline. I liaise with clients regularly to manage expectations and make sure we meet their needs.

How did you get into it?

As part of the Graduate Leadership Development Programme, I transferred from JFD to begin my second placement here at EDS. What I enjoyed most about my last placement was system upkeep and data interrogation, as well as having a few opportunities to provide support to the Bids/Tendering Team. Therefore, I jumped at the opportunity to work with EDS, as it allowed me to build on what I enjoyed in my last placement as well as have more exposure to tendering.

What do you love most about your job?

I love the systems aspect of my job and finding new ways to help improve business efficiency through data interrogation and system integration. I also enjoy engaging with clients on a regular basis, building relationships and meeting with them to discuss opportunities.

What have you enjoyed the most since starting your role?

What I have enjoyed most is being able to travel to different parts of the UK. This includes going to London and Newcastle for Renewable UK events and getting exposure to the industry, as well as travelling to the different EDS offices to learn from colleagues and actually meet them in person (rather than over MS teams).

Name one attribute you need the most, to do your job?

I think for my job, the key attribute is flexibility. Sales and Tendering can be very fast-paced and dynamic and no two days are the same. Therefore, if you come into the role with an open mind and are keen to support wherever you can, you will be successful.

What are you looking forward to getting involved in over the next 12 months?

I am looking forward to working more with the Tendering Team, helping to grow our capacity and create new processes which may be beneficial to the company.

I am also looking forward to the Renewable UK Future Leaders event as it will give me a chance to grow my network and meet other like-minded individuals. Given I am fairly new to renewables, The Renewable UK Future Leaders Event would provide me with the opportunity to broaden my knowledge of sustainable energy and apply these learning to my current role to benefit both my own and my company’s growth. I am also looking forward to interacting with young professionals which will allow me to expand my business network, gaining valuable connections, who I can reach out to for support.

What advice would you offer anyone entering the industry?

This is one of the best industries to be in as it is the future. I would say engage with individuals both inside and outside your organisation as there is so much to learn. I would also say build a strong network as the industry is growing fast and potential strategic partnerships may help to supply the future demand needed to achieve Green Energy targets.

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