A story of future energy leaders

The Future Energy Leaders the Netherlands was founded in March 2023 by Damilola Adeyanju, Douwe van der Stroom, and Thaddeus Anim-Somuah. They shared a passion for catalyzing positive change in energy transitions, and their involvement in the Global Future Energy Leaders Program of the World Energy Council ignited a spark of inspiration that would soon blossom into a transformative movement.

At the heart of FEL NL lies a bold vision to harness the collective power of local actions and amplify their impact on a global scale. Our community is driven by a deep-seated commitment to sustainability and innovation. The establishment of FEL NL was driven by our vision to support intergenerational collaboration in the energy sector because we see this as a key pillar for the longevity of the energy transition, bearing in mind that all decisions made today need to be effectively implemented from now until 2025. At the core, we aim to create impactful contributions to energy transition debates.

More than one year after its inception, this article serves as a moment to look back at what has been achieved within a short period. The past year has shown us the power of collective and intergenerational action in energy transitions, and we have had a fundamentally stronger impact than initially anticipated. This article also serves as a moment to look forward, as the momentum that has been created through our success requires us to enable more people to be part of the change.

Looking back

Central to our mission was finding and nurturing a diverse and dynamic cohort of energy enthusiasts—the "Future Energy Leaders." This journey began with a deliberate effort to reach out to individuals across various professional domains, genders, ages, and ethnicities, reflecting a commitment to inclusivity and collective empowerment. Therefore, in the beginning, our co-founders were activating their professional networks and were engaged in strategic headhunting to identify and recruit passionate individuals who could align with our vision. What emerged through this process was a vibrant community with different talents, expertise, and enthusiasm, allowing us to contribute to meaningful change in the energy sector. What started as a team of three people has now expanded to a team of 22 young people passionate about adding value to the future of energy.

Road to Congress was our starting point

Once a diverse group of committed changemakers had been identified, the next step revolved around creating partnerships and building momentum. The 26th World Energy Congress in Rotterdam in April 2024 provided a unique opportunity to achieve both. In terms of partnerships, we immediately reached out to the World Energy Council, the Dutch Member Committee of the World Energy Council, Gemeente Rotterdam, Erasmus University, and other stakeholders who were key in the delivery of the Congress. Our first appearance was at the Road to Congress event in July 2023, where we were given the unique opportunity to represent Future Energy Leaders. At that event, we managed to advocate for intergenerational collaboration, establish contacts with key stakeholders, and leave a mark on the delivery plans of the World Energy Congress. More importantly, this occasion ignited our passion to be actively involved in the Congress delivery.

We launched our community at Wind Meets Gas

Another hallmark moment was the Wind Meets Gas (WMG) conference, organized by our partner New Energy Coalition in Groningen in October 2023. Due to our members’ proven leadership, we had the unique opportunity to advocate for the Congress through a booth and officially launch our community in an intergenerational panel. This launch event signified our second achievement within a short period, and the intergenerational panel allowed us to share our views, perspectives, and expertise regarding intergenerational collaboration. This event also enabled us to reach out to new segments of the Dutch energy landscape, both from a sectoral and generational lens. Finally, this launch event equipped us with the mission to pursue our goals further and strengthen our impact in facilitating intergenerational energy transitions.

Energy Brief articles allowed us to share our expertise

Simultaneously, our Energy Brief articles went live, allowing us to reach further segments of energy enthusiasts. The Energy Brief, alongside our presence at high-level events, provided us with another opportunity to share our mission and engage in energy transition debates. Our thought leadership articles disseminated key insights for our audience and helped us amplify our voice. This allowed us to share our expertise and highlight the value we can bring to energy transition debates by introducing new perspectives and expert views.

Innovation Hub fostered intergenerational collaboration

The Innovation Hub was another project that helped us cement our position as a platform for intergenerational collaboration. From January to February, 40 young leaders from across the globe developed solutions that could help accelerate energy transitions. Mentored by us or our peers, this project enabled us to create a platform where different stakeholders with various backgrounds could work together to find solutions for the climate crisis. The project’s highlight was the pitching session of the solutions at the Future of Energy event in Amsterdam at the end of February, where the young innovators were given the stage to share their solutions. High-level judges, all with a strong track record in start-up finance and innovation, assessed those solutions and gave valuable feedback to the Innovation Hub participants.

Our Road to Congress event brought 100 people together

Another critical moment in our history was the Road to Congress event. In our pursuit to support the delivery of the World Energy Congress, we embarked on a mission to work with the Dutch MC and the Congress organizers to create a meaningful platform where we could generate excitement in the (Dutch) energy sector. Our mission was bold and difficult to achieve, but thanks to the relentless efforts of each of our members and our partners, we managed to deliver an exceptional event that fostered intergenerational collaboration. We created a lineup of high-level speakers (e.g., a member of the Cabinet of the EU Commissioner on Climate Change, Dutch Energy Ministry leadership, CEOs from leading companies, and so forth) and young changemakers, which led to an atmosphere of collaboration between different sectors and generations. With 100 participants, the event proved to be a unique forum where people actively discussed energy transition challenges. Furthermore, this convening also helped us build stronger networks with existing and new stakeholders, thereby strengthening our partnerships.

The masterclass was an unexpected win

The 26th World Energy Congress in Rotterdam guided our mission and vision in the first year, so we were moving towards it with great excitement. One week before the Congress, in collaboration with Erasmus University Rotterdam, we created a masterclass for citizens and students where energy experts were able to share how they impact energy transitions and how to enhance active participation. In less than two weeks, we managed to pull off an event with more than 50 participants, a testament to our ability to organize such events and the interest people have in our activities. Our ambition to support energy transition discourse and our partner were the driving factors behind this event’s success.

Everything peaked during the 26th World Energy Congress

All our activities culminated in the 26th World Energy Congress in Rotterdam, where we profoundly shaped the discussions. In short, we were able to have a Future Energy Leaders the Netherlands booth at the Congress, where we managed to get in touch with the Congress participants and showcase our activities, such as the energy compass. Furthermore, we shaped the discussions by organizing side events, most prominently the skills roundtable, in which participants from different backgrounds and generations discussed the skills needed for a successful energy transition (energy brief forthcoming). Additionally, our members Thaddeus Anim-Somuah, Damilola Adeyanju, and Ivo Wakounig were given the privilege to participate in the Congress’s ministerial roundtable, where we brought fresh and innovative perspectives to the discussions. Douwe van der Stroom moderated a session interviewing the CEO of Port of Rotterdam on what energy leadership means and how young people can chart their career paths towards effective leadership for energy. We were guided by our aspiration to make a real-life impact in intergenerational collaboration, and the outcomes of that high-level convening made it apparent that our approach is one of the keys to success for the energy transition.

Partnerships were central to our succes

All the activities above would not have been possible without having a supportive environment, such as our members, the Dutch MC, the World Energy Council, the World Energy Congress team, and all the other partners such as Solarplaza, New Energy Coalition, Gemeente Rotterdam, the Ministry of Economy and Climate, the EU Climate Pact, and Erasmus University.

 Partnerships have therefore been central to our past success. Through our work, we managed to create a strong network of different stakeholders and players who join our mission of intergenerational collaboration. Our activities resonated very well with our audience and community, and we have seen a rise in LinkedIn followers of around 25% per month. Using this momentum from the past year, we are all committed to furthering our mission and impact in the future.

Looking forward

The upcoming strategy and planning remain clear: to support intergenerational collaboration in the (Dutch) energy sector. Building on the success of the previous year and leveraging the partnerships that have been created through that, our approach to achieving our mission will focus even more on collaboration with other stakeholders.

One key partner will be the Dutch Member Committee. The Congress has shown that the appetite in the Netherlands for impactful conversations and intergenerational collaboration in the energy transition is only growing. Therefore, one key component of our strategy will be the collaboration with the Dutch MC and its members. On the one hand, we will actively support the current and future projects of the Dutch MC, most importantly its high-impact studies and knowledge work. The Dutch MC is in a unique position in the Dutch energy landscape, which allows them to unite different stakeholder groups with various sustainability visions. Our contribution to their work is adding another layer of diversity: intergenerational collaboration. On the other hand, we will invite the Dutch MC’s members to join our own projects, such as Energy Brief, Energy Compass, Energy Connect, and Innovation Hub.

Energy Brief will enter a new era

Our monthly Energy Brief has proven to be a successful platform to share insights regarding energy transitions. Our members have contributed by publishing thought articles, and the articles are well received by our audience. Over 50% of our followers subscribed to the Energy Brief, and on average, each article received more than 1,300 impressions (likes, shares, etc.). For us, this is a tremendous success, and we will use this momentum to move the Energy Brief to the next level.

Starting from September, we will work closely with existing and new partners to create new ways of disseminating insights regarding energy transitions. We will collaborate on new formats with the members of the Dutch MC, which will include high-level interviews, thought articles from established leaders, and intergenerational discussions. By elevating the Energy Brief to this next level, we aim to reach an even greater audience and strengthen the impact we have on thought leadership.

Energy Connect will make energy tangible

Our Energy Connect program will be launched in late 2024. Through this program, we aim to connect energy experts and thought leaders with the physical realities of energy transitions. Far too often, we think in terms of numbers in graphs and tend to forget what the physical realities behind those figures could be. The Energy Connect program aims to fill that gap by showing participants the physical realities of energy infrastructure.

With our partners and the members of the Dutch MC, we will organize site visits at their premises, where they will show us how they shape the physical reality of energy now and how they intend to shape transformations in the future. Through these site visits, we aim to show participants the scale and impact of the energy sector and energy transitions on physical realities, thereby connecting people with energy. This would help build greater awareness and understanding of energy transition debates and expand people’s knowledge of the energy sector’s transformation challenges and opportunities.

Energy Compass will be scaled

The Energy Compass is the first tool worldwide that can seamlessly support energy literacy. Through the Energy Compass, we intend to help citizens access relevant information that they need to make informed decisions about their use of energy and their options to contribute to energy transitions. The Energy Compass is currently in its early phase, and we intend to scale the project in the Netherlands, which would allow citizens to become better informed about their options, thereby accelerating local energy transitions. Furthermore, the learnings from this phase will be scaled globally, so that people from all continents and places get the opportunity to participate in the greatest transformation of our time.

Innovation Hub will enter another round

The Innovation Hub was one of our first projects that contributed to intergenerational collaboration. In its first edition in January/February 2024, we were surprised by how positive the responses were and by how many people wanted to participate in the program. In less than two months, 40 people worked on innovative solutions to solve an energy challenge in their region. This program enabled peer-to-peer learning and collaboration between young leaders and senior experts, which ultimately led to four groundbreaking innovative solutions that were presented at the Future of Energy event in Amsterdam, where world-leading start-up investors listened to the participants’ presentations.

Building on this success, we will organize another round of the Innovation Hub and let young people contribute to sustainable innovations. In this program, we will work with our partners and the Dutch MC’s members, who will either provide the innovation challenges or support the teams in their projects. By enabling this kind of intergenerational collaboration, we will support the energy transition and strengthen partnerships.

Future Energy Leaders the Netherlands as the organization for intergenerational collaboration

By building on the above projects and innovating on our mission and ambitions, we are establishing and consolidating ourselves as the organization for intergenerational collaboration in the Dutch energy transition. We will pave the way for a new mode of collaboration and partnership between different generations, which will elevate energy transition debates and accelerate implementation. As a very young organization, we are constantly reinventing ourselves and adapting to the current challenges and realities, while our mission remains the same. Through our members, partners, and projects, we are well-positioned to leave a lasting mark on the Dutch energy landscape. Come join our mission, and let’s shape energy transitions together!

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