In 2023, women accounted for 38% of the workforce in the renewable energy industry, but only 13% held senior roles.

We’re proud to say that Smart Ease bucks this trend, with women making up around 80% of our global team, as well as leading both our Sales and Operations functions. Meanwhile, the driving force behind Smart Ease’s commercial and marketing strategy is Chief Commercial Officer, Stefanie Di Trocchio.

In honour of International Women’s Day, we sat down with Stef to discuss her stewardship of Smart Ease, insights on Australia’s renewable industry and experience as a woman in the corporate world. 

1. What does a Chief Commercial Officer do exactly?

My primary focus is to shape commercial strategy and drive revenue growth. I also look after partnerships and integrations, oversee marketing and communications, and currently, I’m driving the rollout of a large tech project. There’s even a bit of HR thrown in. It’s a mixed bag!

2. In the past, you’ve described your career as a ‘rolling stone’. What has kept you at Smart Ease for over three years?

There are a few reasons, but the most important one to me is that the work aligns with my values. I feel like I’m working towards a valuable goal, which is to decarbonise our economy.

I also get bored quickly if I’m not being challenged and, thankfully, I don’t see that happening here. I learn a lot every day with evolving technologies, shifting priorities, and a constantly changing regulatory landscape. The industry and my role are always evolving, which means there’s always an opportunity for growth.

3. How has the renewables industry evolved since you’ve joined it? Any standout changes in the last three years?

There have been many. The regulatory, technological and energy landscape of today is constantly evolving – it looks far different today than it did when I first started.  

But what I have found most interesting is that while the industry moves at such a fast pace and there is now widespread acceptance and adoption of renewable technologies, government support has been frustratingly slow. Since I started in the industry I’ve been craving a strong policy framework, because, so far, government support simply isn’t keeping up with what’s happening in the real world.

We’ve moved past the question of whether renewable technologies are worth it – there is a multi-billion-dollar industry and 4 million rooftop solar installations that answer that question quite definitively. But old arguments always seem to resurface, and the issue is so politicised that progress is constrained. It’s a shame because I genuinely believe that Australia could – and should! – be a renewable energy superpower.

I would love to see a bipartisan, long-term strategy that ensures energy security for Australia. So far, that has been sadly lacking.

4. How do you think we can overcome that and move past the politicisation of renewables?

What we do daily at Smart Ease is key to solving this problem.

We make renewable technologies accessible to all businesses and organisations. With every customer that invests in energy-efficiency equipment through us, they’re able to see the clear financial and ESG advantages of renewables. With that, we’re slowly building an army of advocates who understand and can vouch for renewables based on their own lived experiences.

5. The renewables sector is known to be male dominated. Have you found this to be challenging?

It is male dominated, but I’ve met many female leaders in the energy space, perhaps because I seek them out.

I can’t personally say I’ve found navigating this industry too challenging. For the most part, I’ve found the industry to be quite egalitarian.

It probably helps that I’m assertive and confident in my knowledge and skills. I take the time to learn what I don’t know, so I think I’ve gotten quite far by just being curious and hard-working.

In fact, the only time I would have to say I come up against any kind of gendered challenge is when men who aren’t in my industry assume that they know more than me about it. That’s incredibly frustrating, and is possibly a result of renewables being so politicised and the huge amount of misinformation that persists.

6. What do you think are the biggest challenges women face in the corporate world?

There’s a few!

• The relentlessness of being dismissed and being spoken over.
• Always being assumed to be the least experienced or less knowledgeable person in the room.
• The frustration and fatigue that sets in when you’re in a workplace that condones a misogynistic culture. Always calling this out is exhausting and not calling it out is damaging. It’s a lose-lose situation and leads to low morale and burnout.  

7. What advice would you give to a young woman at the start of her career?

Be confident in what you know and forget about imposter syndrome. Second-guessing yourself is a colossal waste of time – every minute you waste questioning yourself is one less minute towards progress.

And if you don’t know something, embrace it as a learning opportunity.

8. Do you have a female role-model that inspires you?

I have many!

The best thing about inspirational women is that they kind of form an invisible net for you – not a protective net, more like a buoyant one or a platform.

I like to imagine that every knot in the net represents a strong, smart and energetic woman, and I feel like I’m buoyed by every single one of them.