Dylan, how did you end up working as a communications professional at Eurogas?
I was previously working as a freelance translator, which means I owned my own business and had to promote my services. In doing the latter, I became much more active on social media and learned a lot about reaching customers through online and in-person tools and events. Of course, advocacy is very different from self-promotion, but I saw people doing it, learned from them, and when I decided I was done with the freelancing life, I wanted to use what I learned to work towards something I care about.
What would you advise the new generation of young professionals just beginning their careers?
If you have a certain goal in mind, there are many ways to achieve it and tools for learning how. If you don’t, those tools can help you learn what you like and are interested in, as well as what kinds of jobs would suit you. Don’t assume it will just happen without effort or planning, but also try to leave room in your plans for surprises, because you truly never know what’s going to change in the world, in your network, or even in yourself that will figure into your options and preferences. You’ll often be surprised by what kinds of opportunities come around and where you end up!
What would you like to achieve in the next five or so years in your career?
I would like to continue learning and improving as a communications professional while specialising further in gas, transport, and energy in general. These are such important issues, especially with recent events, and I find that few people can say that they understand them well, so I would like to increasingly take part in that in different capacities and regarding various interesting European projects.
If you could share one message with European leaders in a personal capacity, what would it be?
Citizens and experts may not know how to make policy, but policy should be based on their input and then communicated well to voters so that they know why certain things are happening. Similarly, fighting disinformation needs to be one of governments’ priorities, as it is corrosive, dangerous, and reproduces itself. Lastly, I would just remind them to embrace diversity, to not sew division, as it is the former which makes us strong.
Lastly, what would you like to achieve by retirement?
I’d just like to be proud of the work that I’ve done, continue learning new things at every step, and surround myself with passionate people that care about the world and others.
