Meet our people: Amena Khatun

When I was growing up in Bangladesh, my family wanted me to become a doctor, but I have always had a passion for mathematics and physics. Deep in my mind, I knew I wanted to be an engineer. During my studies I developed a strong interest in renewable energy, which led me to Sweden and to a career in Hitachi Energy.

In Sweden I pursued a master’s degree in solar energy engineering at Dalarna University. I wanted to gain the best possible experience in this field, and Dalarna stressed the importance of practical experience as well as classroom learning. I learned how to install a solar energy system from scratch! While working on my thesis, I also worked as a project leader for a startup company, designing residential solar systems.  

Driving change and innovation

I joined Hitachi Energy in 2021 as a technical consultant to continue my mission of advancing renewable energy and sustainability. My goal is to leverage my expertise to drive meaningful change and innovation.

I am proud to work for a company that is at the forefront of groundbreaking solutions in the energy sector! Hitachi Energy's commitment and role in driving the transition towards renewable energy aligns perfectly with my values and career goals. Working for the Power Consulting team is incredibly rewarding because I get to use my knowledge to create solutions that have a positive environmental impact.

Every day, I am challenged to find ways to improve energy efficiency, reduce systems’ carbon footprints, and promote the adoption of renewable energy technologies. I mostly work with life cycle assessment (LCA). LCA quantifies a product, service or solution’s burden on the environment (e.g., in the form of CO2eq emissions) throughout its entire cycle of design, use, and disposal.

As such, I prepare applications for carbon or environmental footprint calculation. My background in coding comes in very handy here! I also work on corporate decarbonization strategy and implementation. The dynamic and evolving nature of sustainability ensures that my work is always interesting and meaningful.

Fika, anyone?

In addition to my consulting role, I am also a coordinator for the sustainability and technology transformation (STT) team here in Gothenburg. Our team is intentional about fostering a collaborative environment globally, and I enjoy how our virtual fika sessions enhance our sense of community. Fika, pronounced “fee-kuh” is a Swedish word that refers to a coffee break, usually accompanied by a sweet. Fika are about building friendships.

We use our virtual fika to deepen team relationships globally and to share best practices. This custom is just one of the things I have grown to appreciate about Swedish and Hitachi culture.

In my free time, I spend as much time as possible with my family. This helps me maintain work/life balance and keeps me grounded and motivated in both my personal and professional life. I also try to develop new skills, whether it’s learning about the latest advancements, exploring new tools, or enhancing my project management capabilities. It doesn’t feel like work to me because it’s just so interesting!