Meet Laura Hoffmann-Ostenhof, one of the consultants at Apricum who joined in October 2021 as a fresh graduate after completing a bachelor in physics and a master’s degree in energy systems. With the focus of her master’s thesis on industrial decarbonization through electricity and zero carbon fuels, the decision to pursue a career in cleantech was clear.
In Apricum’s London office, she works across a range of strategy consulting and transaction advisory projects in key cleantech sectors such as solar PV, hydrogen, battery storage, digital energy. She is also one of the team producing Apricum’s proprietary PV market models, which are released four times per year.
Let’s find out more about Laura.
Describe your role at Apricum
As a consultant at Apricum, I get to work on both strategy and transaction advisory projects. Some examples of projects I did were mapping European cleantech market trends, advising on a buy-side M&A mandate in the solar PV value chain, supporting the fundraise of a digital energy start-up, developing a green hydrogen strategy for an aluminum company, and supporting in the creation of a solar PV manufacturing business. I also have internal responsibilities such as supporting our intern recruitment and I am responsible for the European markets in our Apricum PV market model.
When did you decide to pursue a career in cleantech?
After school, I studied a bachelor’s in physics at the University of Warwick, which was incredibly interesting, but also very abstract. Since I was looking for something more tangible and have always had a little bit of an idealist mindset, I wanted to shift my science background into something impactful – and decided to explore sustainability and cleantech. Through my master’s in energy systems at the University of Oxford, I completely fell in love with renewable energy and have since worked in this industry.
Why did you choose Apricum?
I wanted to work as a strategy consultant focused on the cleantech sector. Apricum was one of the few top consulting firms where I could do this. I also found the opportunity to work on both strategy consulting and transaction advisory projects attractive – something not offered by the traditional big consulting firms. Working at a smaller firm also appealed to me, as it is more hands-on. You get to take on more responsibility earlier, work on and contribute to internal topics and thus see the direct impact your work is having on the firm’s development.
How does Apricum support you in your career development?
I feel the opportunities for development at Apricum are at the core of our everyday work. Through agile feedback-loops, my basic consulting skills have improved strongly since joining the firm. Due to the diverse sector focus at Apricum, the variety of projects provides a great opportunity to acquire knowledge and experience across many cleantech industries. Having said that, there has also been the possibility, since day one, to voice my preferences when it comes to staffing, allowing me to tailor my work focus and career.
Every consultant at Apricum is also assigned a mentor, and with regular mentee chats throughout the year, we are supported and encouraged in individual development fields and overall career path at Apricum.
How would you describe Apricum in three words?
Ambitious, fast-paced, thought-provoking.
What advice would you give someone seeking a career in cleantech?
Don’t be afraid to try out different things. Cleantech has many sub-industries, and your daily work can differ greatly depending on the exact job you choose within the field.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I love to let off steam through exercise before or after work: anything from spinning, running and high-intensity workouts to Pilates or Yoga. On weekends you will mostly find me relaxing with friends over a glass of wine.
Education
University of Oxford
MSc in energy systems
University of Warwick
BSc in physics
We are actively working on our goal of achieving equal representation of women at Apricum. We are committed to an inclusive company culture, offering equal opportunities, and fostering transparent and open communication. We act on what arises in quarterly mentee chats and honor upward feedback. This, we will always continue to do. If you would like to work at Apricum, please visit our careers page for a list of vacancies. For any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Cate Holtz, Talent Acquisition and Development Manager.