Women in Wind – female colleagues in Global Wind Service

Start date: May 2022

Wiola Smul is working as a blade technician at Global Wind Service (GWS), She joined GWS in May 2022 but has worked as a technician for over 10 years.
Although her education is not directly related to the wind sector (Wiola has a Master’s in wood technology engineering with a specialisation in furniture design), from a young age she liked do-it-yourself projects and using her hands. An interest she shared with her father.
For women who are considering joining the wind industry, Wiola advises, “If you think about it, do it. That is the only way to find out if it is a job for you.”

Start date: 2010

Meet Monika Lübker from Global Wind Service in Denmark. She joined the company in 2010 and started with administrative tasks. Later, she took up the role of HR Officer and played a vital role in establishing the HR Department. Currently, she heads the Global People Support team, which handles HR-related tasks like compliance, administration, recruitment, and HR IT systems.

Start date: March 2014

Sultana works as Area Manager at our office in Romania. Her job is a combination between leadership and finance. As Area Manager she is in charge of timely and proper communication with the senior management as well as with the local colleagues. A lot of her focus lies on nurturing communication and cooperation between the different functions and roles, motivating everyone to do their best work, maintain moral and workplace harmony. Adding to this, she is also responsible for the monthly financial reporting to the group.

“I like my job and GWS as employer because no days are the same. GWS is flexible and give employees a chance to grow in the company. I am a good example myself; I started as Financial assistant. In 2018 I was promoted to Financial Controller and in August 2019 I was promoted to area Manager for the Romanian unit.

The growth of the renewables industry for sure holds a lot of possibilities for women. It is an industry that also provides a sense of security, as it is not something that goes away. The world is committed to a green transition and as such our jobs are here to stay.”

Start date: May 2017

Sarah has the responsibility for recruitment for our Offshore division and our UK based colleagues. Being part of the HR team, she is also working on ongoing improvement projects relating to areas such as recruitment and onboarding. What she particularly like about GWS as a company is the “collaborative and supportive culture” as she puts it, you have the opportunity to make a difference, have your opinions heard and genuinely help the company grow and move forward.

“To women considering the wind industry or GWS I would tell them not to be intimidated by the complexities of a construction-based industry – there are a lot of technical aspects to working at GWS or many other companies in the industry. But all this can be learned! There are many people at GWS with a deep knowledge who are great mentors and being immersed in such a fast-paced industry means you are constantly learning new things. Soon the technical knowledge becomes second nature and what’s really important is your motivation to achieve and perform your role as best you can. It is not essential to have experience in a similar industry, as long as you have the right attitude and a positive approach you can succeed as much in the wind industry as in any other.”

Start date: 2014

Magdalena is part of our fantastic resource management team – she is managing the technicians and setting the right teams for our many different projects.

“My job gives me a lot of satisfaction. It is amazing to watch how technicians who I am mostly working with are growing within the organization. Especially those with no previous experience in wind, who I met at the interview and who are now team leaders.

I also really value the multicultural environment and the fact that everyday gives you a new challenge – in GWS you can always learn a lot.”

Magdalena herself has also developed over the years – she started as Operational Coordinator doing HR, trainings, and travels and after 3 years, she was given new responsibilities and challenges as a Manager.

“To any woman considering the wind industry I would say: Do not hesitate to join the industry or GWS if you seek for an exciting work adventure.”

Start date: 2013

Irmak has worked with various tasks since she joined GWS in 2013. Her tasks today include making man-power plan, travel arrangements, booking of accommodation, trainings etc. for technicians and assisting the project managers in the best way possible. An important aspect for her is also to make sure that the Turkish technicians “adopt the GWS culture” as she puts it – an important task with the many different nationalities and cultures represented in GWS.

“Working in wind means a lot to me. It means shining a light on the future for all of us – especially our children; we work every day to provide the world with more renewable energy. I think it is amazing and impressive how a wind turbine can turn wind into electric power.

The industry is growing and holds endless possibilities for both men and women. Don’t fear the wind spoils your make-up or blows your hair. Women can add value to all parts of this industry whether working at the wind farm or in the back office.”

Start date: 2011

Jane has been with GWS for almost 10 years. She started as Finance Accountant and is now a Leader of a team of 5 dedicated GWS finance colleagues. She is responsible for the financial figures in GWS A/S and part of the Finance Management Team.

“I have had the pleasure to be a part of almost the full journey of GWS. It has been most interesting and educational. Growing from a small company to now employing over 1,000 employees across 10 business units, including all changes that goes with it.”

“For me it provides a big level of satisfaction knowing that I, in combination with doing what I love, also work for a greener and more sustainable world. That we are working to make the “world a better place” in the future for my own children and all coming generations every day. To me that makes perfect sense at all levels.”