In my work at ÅF I've done all sorts of things from drawing board work and biofuel issues to improving energy efficiency in India and boosting energy production in Mongolia. Since 1989 I have specialised in international projects. It's been a truly wonderful experience.

 

Today I head the work of a business area that coordinates our international projects funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the World Bank, and so on. Right now the main focus is on landing new contracts, but I'm still actively involved in our current projects.

 

I've had several fascinating experiences at ÅF and look forward to many more in the years to come. My time in India, when I commuted to Bombay for three years in the early 1990s was particularly interesting. It was tough too, as I was also a relatively new father at the time. But I have no regrets. Those years brought a totally new dimension to my working life. Also, on a personal level, I made many new friends who I would never have met otherwise. Sometimes my family has travelled with me, so my son has been exposed to all sorts of international influences. From my point of view that's an extremely valuable experience. In India our task was to advise the National Textile Corporation on energy efficiency at a time when the textile industry was undergoing a major restructuring process.

 

Following that, 1993 heralded the start of another interesting period closer to home. The fall of the Berlin Wall had opened up a market in the energy sector that was quite different to the work I had been doing previously. The Kyoto Protocol and climate change were the centre of attention. The problem of providing heating in Russia and the Baltic states, which are among our closest neighbours here in Scandinavia, opened the door to new challenges in our own backyard, so to speak, where the climate is more like the one we ourselves are used to. This marked the start of the ten-year EAES programme (Environmentally Adapted Energy System). This project placed a firm focus on environmental issues and one of the main targets was to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the Baltic region.

 

When you work as an international consultant you have to be aware of the big picture. It's an enormous advantage to be familiar with the culture of the country you are working in. Often you are regarded as a representative for Sweden - not merely for your company or the project you are working on. I've been responsible for projects where one day I have presented energy efficiency solutions to a country's energy minister, and the next pulled on a pair of overalls and spent hours crawling around inside a boiler. That's exactly what I love best about working for ÅF.

 

Name	Roland Mårtensson
Family	Partner and 17-year-old son
Education	M.Sc. Civil Engineering, Lund
ÅF career	It's long - I started in 1980... The best parts are the international projects, which I have worked with since 1989.
Age	51
Lives	Limhamn, Malmö
Drives	Saab
Leisure activities	Sailing in the summer (Malö 41) and skiing in the winter
Best thing about the job	My colleagues! ÅF people are a wonderful bunch.
Favourite gadget right now	I love all the technical toys for my boat, but right now a combined hard disc and DVD recorder is high on my wishlist.