Welcome to the next edition of Leadership Matters where we ask leaders around the Pacific Zone for their insights and advice about leadership matters to support our continuing journey of personal and professional development.
In this edition, we hear from Vice President Power Systems James Hunt, who is responsible for renewables, electric utilities, transport and infrastructure, mining and materials, oil and gas, and distributed energy business across the Pacific zone.
Prior to his current role, James was General Manager Solutions – Sales and was instrumental in driving EcoStruxure solutions growth through pursuits and channels, as well as establishing and growing the microgrid business in the Pacific.
James is a highly motivated senior leader, where he has held a variety of sales leadership, operations, and general management roles in energy services and energy businesses. With twenty years’ experience within the energy industry, he is passionate about the role businesses play in driving energy transition and action on climate change.
With a focus on coaching and development, James has a strong background in leading engaged and diverse teams through transformational change and growth.
What motivates and excites you about your role at Schneider Electric?
The people! The thing that motivates and excites me the most is working with great teams to achieve together.
What makes you most proud of your team?
Collaboration. Anyone that works with me will understand that I see this as one of the most important activities. So, what makes me most proud of my team is when I see them working through a problem together or driving a big win, and the openness, trust and the give-and-take required to effectively collaborate.
How do you see the market for Power Systems evolving in the next 5 years?
We are currently living through the energy transition and the megatrends of decarbonisation, decentralisation, and digitisation. The electrical distribution system will be central to this shift, so the market for power systems will be very strong for a long time. What will change is the needs of customers and the demands on our technology over the next 5 years.
How does Power Systems support our leadership in Electricity 4.0 in the Pacific Zone?
Electricity 4.0 is where the electric future meets digital. Not only will the future be electric, but it will also be renewable – with distributed energy generation throughout the grid and with complex energy flows. This creates a need for control and automation to manage these distributed resources and their impact on power quality. The distribution network (where power systems live), is the backbone of the energy transition, and digitisation is the enabler of Electricity 4.0.
We’re one of the leading companies in the world when it comes to sustainability. How is your part of the business contributing to this leadership?
We know that distributed energy resources will play a key role in supporting flexibility in the electricity grids of the future. Microgrids, is a way for customers to manage onsite renewable energy and energy storage, maximise resilience, and minimise energy cost simultaneously. In the Pacific Schneider Electric team, we developed some of the first and most sophisticated microgrids in the country with the South Australian Produce Market, and then Deakin University, all leveraging our artificial intelligence to optimise the management of their distributed energy resources.
Describe a ‘customer first’ moment that you’ll never forget.
Despite the challenges from the past two years, I’ll never forget seeing how our teams have worked to ensure we continue to deliver. There have been numerous supply chain interruptions, but one such moment was when a freight company offloaded a customer delivery in the wrong port in Asia over Christmas. The team tracked it down, worked to get it cleared by customs, had the container unloaded, and got the components onto an aircraft so the customer’s deadline was met. A fantastic effort.
Which of our other values resonates with you most and why?
‘Learn every day’ for two reasons. Firstly, I have a strong growth mindset and I am energised the most when I am learning new things. The other is that we live in a world that is changing rapidly, and the only way to understand these changes and to stay current is by learning every day.
What makes someone a leader?
There are many things that make someone a leader – sometimes it may be because they have influence with others and at other times it may result from a formal position the person has. It may be in a work environment, or it can be in a community or a social group. What makes a good leader is the important thing. For me, it is about authentic leadership and understanding why you are there – your purpose, leading with your values, building relationships with people, demonstrating self-discipline in the pursuit of goals, and continuously growing.
Who has influenced you most during your career and how?
I have been fortunate to have worked with many different leaders over my career and have taken something from each experience. The leaders I worked with in my first frontline leadership role had the most influence on me. This was a time where the learning curve was the steepest, and I benefited greatly from their coaching and feedback.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
I have received plenty of good advice from people over the years and the impact of this has changed at different stages of my leadership journey. For me, the best advice was “focus on doing the right things and the results will follow”. That resonates with my values and has stuck through time.
