Interview with Elicio’s new Finance Director: Empowering sustainable growth from within the Finance Team
25 November 2024
Following a decade of financing renewable energy projects, Vanessa Vanleene steps up to succeed Frederic Teerlynck as the new Finance Director. In this interview, she shares her vision for the future of the department and the key factors driving Elicio’s success in an ever-changing energy landscape.
How do you ensure success in today’s fast-paced energy landscape?
As Elicio’s new Finance Director, my focus is clear: a continued success in the renewable energy sector requires building a foundation of financial resilience, stakeholder trust and improved foresight, for which we have relevant tools within the multinational Finance Team. These strategic elements will be necessary to drive sustainable growth in a context which has continued to complexify.
“It is not only about being financially sound — but also environmentally and socially responsible.”
Is finance still just about managing numbers?
Our Finance Team is a group of multifaceted, highly specialised individuals who bring added-value through their particular -and very diverse- expertise. I will therefore concentrate on building a cohesive team that partners with internal and external stakeholders to adapt to the evolving challenges of the broader industry. My team is involved in every phase of our daily operations - from business development to operations, from legal matters to construction and engineering - exchanging crucial knowledge to ensure that value is created at the level of the projects and then further leveraged and optimised.
What role does inclusivity play in sustainable financial growth?
Inclusivity is a key pillar, because it fosters diverse perspectives and builds agile organizations. Our skilled and dedicated team members are essential to our company, they are our greatest asset, so workforce development and talent retention are key. By prioritizing empowerment, we are dedicated to supporting our colleagues to be confident in their abilities and skills. This then leads to a strong, collaborative team culture which stimulates bottom-up initiatives across departments and across countries.
What shapes decision-making in finance?
Elicio’s core values — entrepreneurship, trust, sincerity, and pragmatism — define how the company operates. In finance, these values are applied in multiple ways. An entrepreneurial approach is required to identify diverse revenue streams, optimise resource allocation and seize growth opportunities. Trust and sincerity are foundational as we ensure accuracy in reporting, transparency in stakeholder exchanges, integrity in decision-making whilst being candid about risks or limitations. And finally, a commitment to pragmatism has driven our success over recent years and is deeply embedded in Elicio’s DNA, guiding us to toward sustainable, results-oriented growth for the future.
“I am very proud being part of Elicio, and of the ‘out-of-the-ordinary energy’ we produce and share.”
