Ella Taylor

Current Employer/Organisation Name

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

What have you been doing since leaving Exeter, and what are you doing now?

Since leaving Exeter I have completed a Masters, worked as an Environmental Consultant, and am now a policy advisor in the civil service. I went on to complete a Masters at the University of Southampton in Environmental Consultancy, before going on to become an Environmental and Energy Consultant – working at a small consultancy that provided support to mainly developers that were planning and building new developments. After over 2 years in consultancy, I decided I wanted to try out the public sector, and became a policy advisor in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. I now work in Public Sector Decarbonisation – developing policies to enable public sector buildings to decarbonise, in line with government targets.

Why did you choose this career? And what do you enjoy most about your work?

I’ve had a slight career change, but remain in the same field of environment/energy related issues – the key theme of my degree at Exeter. I enjoy making a difference in our national efforts to progress on our commitment to deliver net zero and reduce our carbon emissions.

Please tell us if you were a member of any societies, groups or sports clubs?

I was a member of the netball society and geography society.

What did you enjoy most about your programme and what was the biggest highlight?

I enjoyed the variety of modules available Environmental Science and Geography, the field trips on offer really contributed to an enjoyable, diverse and interesting degree programme, particularly the field trip to the Isle of Scilly.

What did you most enjoy about studying here?

I was on the Penryn Campus, so my highlight was living and studying in Cornwall. The campus was modern and had great facilities, and the access to nature and the beach was brilliant. The course also made sure to harness that access and ensure we learnt about our programme in the context of where we were.

Why did you choose to study at Exeter?

I chose to study at Exeter because of the location of the Penryn Campus in Cornwall. It offered a very unique University experience.

What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?

My degree really taught me how to consider different challenges from different angles. In the course, lecturers made sure to approach topics from a range of perspectives, and a range of scales. For instance we would look at Cornwall-specific issues, to nation-wide issues, to global issues. This cemented my understanding and awareness of the scale of issues we have in relation to the Environment, and how this means different solutions are appropriate.

What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?

Find the aspects you enjoy and seek out experiences in them. You won’t love every aspect, but find the ones that motivate you and make sure to look out for extra-curricula activities on them.

What are your plans for the future?

I plan to develop my career in the civil service further. I also hope to take a career break soon and do some hiking!