Member profile: Mr Matteo Deidda MEI Chartered Energy Manager

When did you first become interested in energy?

My interest in energy and sustainability started in my early 20s, when I was studying Civil Engineering at the University of Pavia in Italy.

It began as a personal interest, by reading blogs, newsletters and forums about sustainability in the built environment and attending seminars and events at university about different subjects from energy efficiency in the construction industry to sustainable economic development.

It was only after completing my degree that the interest started to grow and take shape into pursuing a career within the industry.

Tell us a little about your current job

I am a Sustainability Manager working in the Property function at the Lloyds Banking Group.

My main objective is to support the business’s ambition to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions across the estate.

With such a large and diverse portfolio of buildings, no two days are the same. I’m involved in all sort of projects ranging from proof of concepts for new technologies, energy optimisation of existing assets, heating decarbonisation, and water usage efficiency to name a few!

Working in such a large organisation, also means that I dedicate a good part of my time engaging colleagues across different functions, so that energy and sustainability is embedded in projects and processes.

What inspired you to pursue this career, and what path did you take to get there?

When I decided that this was going to be my career path, I did extensive research to understand which area I wanted to focus on and how to take those first steps into the industry.

Renewable energy caught my interested because of the variety of emerging technologies and the dynamic pace of its development.  This led me to study an MSc in Renewable Energies at the University of Zaragoza in Spain.

It has been a decade since then and, after completing my MSc, I relocated to the UK and had the opportunity to work for some of the largest energy consumers in the country, allowing me to get a taste for the broadness of the energy and sustainability industry.

How has being a Chartered Energy Manager benefitted you in your career?

Becoming a Chartered Energy Manager has helped me to build the confidence that the skills and knowledge that I have developed throughout my career, are those required to carry out my job and to present myself as a subject matter expert in energy management.

This confidence boost means that I have been able to push the boundaries in my day-to-day job, be more forthcoming with my opinions and challenge the status quo to deliver better energy management, and ultimately playing my part in reducing cost and CO2 emissions.

What one piece of advice would you give to an aspiring Chartered Energy Manager?

My advice is to take your time to prepare the application, enjoy the process and make the most of it!

All the questions are very much about self-reflection on your skills, experience, successes and failures as well.

Take time to think about good examples that can bring your expertise to life. A top tip would perhaps be to use something like a Situation-Task-Action-Result model to structure your answers consistently.

And, of course, if you are not satisfied with some of your answers and you think that you may be lacking experience in certain areas, link the application to your personal development plan or business objectives for the year, so you can fill the gaps!

Away from work, what do you like to do in your spare time?

With two young children at home, spare time is rare and precious in our household.

Whenever I get the opportunity, I seek refuge somewhere to read, or enjoy a long walk listening to an audiobook or podcast, usually about sustainability!

And finally… What does your Chartered Energy Manager accreditation truly mean to you?

For me, it means being part of a peers’ community, that have a deep understanding and expertise in energy management, share similar values and work ethic.

A community that you know you can rely upon, for advice, knowledge sharing or just to for a chat when you need it.

Interested in applying for Chartered Energy Manager? For more information on how to apply, please click here.