#myStart@Axpo – Meet Marcin
Marcin Trzeszczyński – Mid Office Services Manager in Axpo Polska
Marcin Trzeszczyński started his adventure with Axpo in August 2017 as an intern in the Operations Origination Department. His next assignment was in the European Mid Office Services Department. Today, he is the manager. Privately, he is a huge football fan – both in the stands and on the field as a player. Two years ago, he discovered a new passion – sailing. For now, he mainly sails on lakes, but he might soon choose to stray further from land.
How did you start at Axpo?
I joined as a trainee in the Operations Origination Department, headed – at the time – by Edita Alimanović. I remember that I was supposed to start on October 1st but, due to the urgent need for employees in the SME Billing Department, I agreed to start my adventure with Axpo in August. That was a good move. The first two months spent with the Billing Team allowed me to help the department and acquire basic knowledge about cooperation with the SME (small- and medium-sized enterprises) sector, which later became useful.
The six-month internship in the Operations Origination Department was a wonderful experience. It taught me a lot and allowed me an inside look at how the energy market works. That is why I decided to extend the contract. When I began to feel like I needed a new challenge (around April 2019), I was lucky enough to be able to speak about it with my manager. Edita helped me consider my options and supported me in making the decision. After a month, I was supporting a new department – Mid Office. They must have liked how I worked because I was soon invited to an interview (held in Switzerland) to officially become the first employee in this department at Axpo Polska.
What does Mid Office do and what attracted you to this department?
I was interested in it because of its international connections and the opportunity to learn about European markets. The Mid Office headquarters is in Switzerland and the department itself provides services to all European countries where Axpo conducts Origination business. I started as a Junior Business Operations & Revenue Analyst. My job description was somewhere between a business analyst and a data analyst. I had the opportunity to work on many interesting projects – from analysing imbalance causes for a company in Western Europe and three-month on-site support in optimising operational processes in the London office, to coordinating system adaptation in response to changes in the Belgian market model. The latest milestones in my employment at Axpo are promotion to Mid Office Services Manager in July 2021 and recruiting Kajetan to the department – he is a great analyst and colleague.
You must have travelled a great deal! However, this is not unique to our industry. Why did you choose energy and Axpo?
When I was looking for a job, I was in the last semester of my Power Engineering studies; so, naturally, I was looking for a job in the energy sector. However, my experiences while studying convinced me that I would be more interested in the business side than this industry's technical side. I also really wanted to work at an international company. This is how I came across an ad for Axpo – a Swiss energy trading company. Although I didn't fully learn what Origination was until the interview (laughs).
Over four years have passed since then – you've been here for a while Tell me, what do you value most about working at Axpo?
First is the independence and trust that people in senior positions have in experts. I have been entrusted with tasks that require a great deal of responsibility from the beginning. It allowed me to spread my wings and acquire new skills. What's more, the company allows employees to change their position within the organisation and gives them the chance to take on new challenges. The company does not limit its employees to one role and the same tasks. At Axpo, there is a real focus on personal development and employee satisfaction.
What would you tell people who are currently taking their first steps in their career?
Currently, there is a widespread view in the labour market that the easiest way to climb the career ladder is to change your workplace every two years. Axpo is quite different in that regard – it enables the dynamic development of qualifications and promotion within the organisation. The company combines the features of a medium-sized company at the local level with a company of a more corporate character at the international level in an interesting way. I think that the energy sector itself is also an exciting choice nowadays due to energy transformation and digitisation challenges. Axpo is implementing innovations in all of these areas – if someone has a head full of ideas and wants to try their hand at working in the energy sector, I would advise them to be brave and apply. It is a fascinating journey on which we will gladly take more people.
