Innovative Energy Solutions Certa’s vision – to become Ireland’s most exciting energy company
Newly appointed managing director Orla Stevens tells IF&CR about her vision for the future
Congratulations to Orla Stevens on being appointed managing directors of Certa. Last time we spoke for IF&CR was in August 2023, when you were Commercial Director for Emo Retail which is of course, part of Certa.
After just two and a half years with the company you have been promoted to MD – how did that transpire? What was your reaction?
“Andrew Graham, our Managing Director, was promoted as Managing Director of Mobility at DCC Energy. That created a vacancy unexpectedly. Even though I have only been working with Certa for two and a half years I went for it and was pleasantly surprised to be selected as its new Managing Director. I’m delighted, particularly by the reaction from Certa colleagues, both male and female, who have said that they have never worked for a female Managing Director before and that they were excited to do so, which was wonderful to hear because this was something that I had not considered” Orla told IF&CR.
Certa is a DCC plc company, a global supplier of energy with operations across Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe – it’s both an exciting and a challenging time to be leading an energy company – what will be your short term, mid-term and long term goals?
“My short-term goal is to focus on getting to know the business as its Managing Director. I know the commercial side having been Commercial Director, but the short term is about understanding how everything works from the Managing Director’s perspective and getting to know my colleagues in that capacity. My goal in the mid and long term is to deliver our energy transition programme, working with the Certa team to understand what our customers need and to support them in transitioning from fossil fuels to low carbon solutions that are in line with DCC plc’s expectations and ambitions.”
Certa formed in September 2022 when Emo Oil, Campus Oil and Jones Oil, all owned by DCC plc, rebranded under one name. You were closely involved in this process. What are your memories of that time?
“My memory of that time is how we worked to be respectful of the legacy of the three businesses, recognising the wealth of experience and knowledge that our colleagues working in these businesses had to offer. That was really important to us, to maintain the trust of the old brands and to demonstrate to our customers that they were still dealing with the same people that they knew and trusted for years. One of the ways we did that was to use our delivery drivers and those working at our call centre in our rebrand campaign. That was a powerful way to communicate our message and to bring people together.
“My standout memory is how hard everyone worked to deliver the new Certa brand by the 1st September deadline, which included rebranding our depots, trucks, and website that took a huge effort. We wanted to embed the Certa values across the company and the way we did that was to get every member of the business involved. Everyone was invited to brand immersion workshops, and we got to hear from everyone, to hear their hopes, their concerns and their ideas. It was a massive company wide effort.”
The company employs 370 people nationwide. That’s a huge responsibility. Have you got a good team around you?
“Yes, I have a great team around me. For the two and a half years that I was Commercial Director I enjoyed a strong working relationship with the Senior Leadership Team as one of its peers. As a team we came through a lot in terms of rebranding to Certa and acquiring new businesses. There is a strong bond between the team already and that experience means that I don’t have to get to know new people in that way. People work every hard at Certa and they pull out all the stops to deliver. It is a very, very strong team that I’m proud to lead.”
Throughout your exciting career to date, you have held senior positions at SSE Airtricity, Bank of Ireland, Vodafone, O2 and Car Trawler. What did you learn from each position that you now bring to the table at Certa?
“That it’s all about people and that it’s not about your position in the market or your products. These things are very important, but ultimately it is about the people in the business and their relationships with each other and their relationships with customers. I’m fortunate to have worked in different industries and some great businesses, and I’ve learned that you can only get things done through people and by offering great customer service. People buy our products and services because of the good relationship they have with us as customers, and you always need to look at things from the customers perspective.
“We talk a lot in Certa about our health and safety values. We put a lot of stock on psychological safety, speaking up, and saying if you see things that are potentially unsafe. If every other company had the same ethos it would be fantastic. Feeling safe, speaking up, and doing the right thing are all elements that add up to a great culture in any business.
Certa became the first fuel operator in Ireland to open a fully-fledged Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel station and to make the renewable alternative to diesel more widely available to motorists – an exciting development which we have covered at length in IF&CR. As Certa is currently upgrading its forecourt network to offer HVO at all sites alongside other fuels, can you tell me more about how that is progressing?
“The great thing about HVO is that it can be used as a direct replacement for diesel without any need for vehicle or engine modifications to help motorists lower their carbon emissions by up to 90%. Drivers understand that it is a drop-in product. Our ambition is to make HVO available at every Certa site and we hope to reach 12 sites in the coming months. Demand is continuing to rise as we introduce HVO to more sites. We have also partnered with other consumer brands to promote HVO as a quick and cost-effective way for motorists to lower their emissions.”
Certa is certainly a ‘going places’ company. It’s not just about the forecourt sector – Certa has also helped a growing number of businesses and events to lower their emissions and to transition to HVO as a renewable fuel, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), John Sisk & Son Ltd., Dublin Airport, Dublin Port, The National Ploughing Championship, the Irish Open, Electric Picnic and Bloom. Can you tell me more about this side of the company – and the plans for the future?
“Certa is a leader in the renewable sector and we want to put cleaner energy into our customer’s power. We are constantly working to bring the best solutions to businesses, whether that is HVO or solar energy. The beauty of HVO is that it can immediately help to lower carbon emissions. It is the ideal solution for any company with an ESG mandate that is looking for a solution that they can implement immediately. HVO can be used to power their fleet, machinery and equipment and events, or to provide a reliable back-up to power everything from office buildings to data centres.”
The acquisition of Alternative Energy Ireland – that was a very exciting development at the time, and not Certa is rolling out a plan that will enable its entire network of 49 forecourts to generate their own power from solar energy following its acquisition of renewable energy specialists Alternative Energy Ireland (AEI). Can you tell me more about this development and the move towards solar energy?
“We are continuing to install Solar PV panels at our forecourts as part of our commitment to reducing our carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 or sooner. Our new forecourt in Liffey Valley, for example, has 66 Solar PV panels to help power the site, including its carwash and two EV fast chargers with speeds of up to 180 KWh, saving an estimated 7 tonnes of carbon a year. In addition, any new dealer who joins the Emo network will have the opportunity to power their forecourt with high quality Solar PV panels to help reduce their running costs and to lower their carbon emissions.”
To some degree, it’s about ‘changing hearts and minds’ and Certa will play a vital part in the transition strategy for the whole of Irish society – that must feel like both a very worthwhile enterprise – and also a huge responsibility. Have you got a new marketing and communications strategy underway?
“Certa is proud to lead the energy transition and proud of our record of delivering energy, power, transport and heating solutions to our customers for over 35 years. We have a dedicated renewables team within our marketing department that is focused on promoting our energy transition programme. Part of their work includes raising awareness about HVO as a renewable fuel and how it can help customers to lower their carbon emissions.
Certa’s vision is to become Ireland’s most exciting energy company, connecting people and businesses to the most progressive energy solutions available. How will you do that?
“By delivering the most innovative energy solutions that are available to customers. Right now, we are focused on making HVO more widely available and enabling Certa’s commercial, industrial and domestic customers to transition to Solar PV to reduce their carbon emission and to lower their energy costs, but we are a future-focused company. One of the benefits of being part of DCC plc is that we have access to the latest technology and best energy solutions as they become available, and we can move quickly to offer these to all of our customers.”
What is your leadership style?
“Certa gets a lot of credit for being a business that genuinely wants to hear peoples’ opinions. Everyone’s opinion counts. No one has a monopoly on the right idea, and I really believe that no one person has all the answers. I have an open, approachable style of leadership and like to ask people what they think and to learn from colleagues around me. I’m transparent and like to roll up my sleeves and to get stuck in. I’m always open to new ideas and to taking time to discuss them with colleagues.”
Tell me a little bit about Orla Stevens?
“I have a husband, four children and a dog so I don’t have a huge amount of time for hobbies, but I do enjoy Pilates and being part of my local choir. I’m not a great singer, but I really like to sing. I take myself off to Pilates and choir two evenings a week and they really help me to relax and to check out of work.”
