The ongoing climate crisis has resulted in ‘sustainability’ being the most discussed topic among not just the boardroom meetings within the business ecosystem, but also among numerous governments globally. In light of this, almost every country is now coming-up with stringent regulations pertaining to environmental sustainability and even rolling-out many programs & initiatives to encourage the renewable energy sector across their nation with a vision to spearhead the planet's fight for environmental sustainability.
Known to be the next global hub for tech innovation, the island nation of Singapore too has not held back in this regard and is witnessing a flurry of government programs to nurture the renewable energy sector within the country - the noteworthy one being its commitment to have its entire fleet public buses run on cleaner energy such as electricity by 2040.
With such fertile conditions at hand, the renewable energy and power sectors in Singapore have witnessed the emergence of a new class of nextgen business leaders who are driving their respective organizations towards the pinnacle of success. Among the multitude of such industry leaders, one individual who has emerged as a true stalwart in Singapore’s power & renewable energy sector through his exceptional leadership skills and vast subject matter expertise is Dan Taylor (Co-Founder & Director, Ion Ventures). Starting his stint with the power sector two decades back with an energy utility company,
Dan’s career then traversed through electrical engineering, contracting, power plants and diesel & gas industries across UK and Southeast Asia. Owing to the vast experience he had garnered handling diverse roles and functions over the years, he then moved into renewable energy sector with a focus on energy storage and co-founded Ion Ventures in 2018.
Key Practice Areas & Primary Responsibilities
Under the aegis of Dan, Ion Ventures has evolved into one of the most reliable international partner for diverse battery storage and renewable energy related requirements today. With offices in London and Singapore, the firm’s service portfolio spans energy storage, energy infrastructure and renewable energy development. “Ion Ventures was founded off the back of greater demand for more investment in energy flexibility globally, especially across emerging markets in Southeast Asia.
As a technology-driven company, our vision since then has been to facilitate cleaner electrification of existing infrastructure and development of battery & energy storage portfolio across UK, Ireland and Southeast Asia. My current role at Ion Ventures involves handling a variety of mission-critical tasks – right from raising funds, to budget allocation, team management, identifying new market opportunities and signing-off new projects”, says Dan.
Secret Mantra to Successful Leadership
Maintaining fairness and trust among all the team members has been the cornerstone of Dan’s successful leadership journey so far, which he tries to impart across his organization on a daily basis. Additionally, he encourages his team members to learn from their mistakes and makes sure that every individual within the organization is provided with equal growth opportunities. As a people-centric leader, he also formulates an annual development plan for every team member irrespective of their job role or present career phase so that they are able to enhance their knowledge base, which will in turn be beneficial towards both contributing towards the organizational development as well as advancing their personal careers. “Rather than just making decisions and delegating, to me, leadership is all about inspiring others, being present on a daily basis to communicate with the team and supporting those who are starting-out in their career”, adds Dan.
Traversing the Herculean Task of ‘Work-Life Balance’
As a complete family oriented individual, Dan has always prioritized his family above anything else and strives to inculcate the same among all his team members as well, as he strongly believes that individuals with strong personal life tend to reflect the same in their professional work as well. Thus, despite last-minute schedules and late evening/weekend calls that are quite common among the startup ecosystem, he tries to ensure that all the team members are not disturbed during their off-duty hours. Additionally, Dan has built-in a fully flexible work culture across the entire organization, wherein employees are provided the flexibility to work remotely as befits the role. This way, he is enabling his colleagues to have the right work-life balance and spend quality time with their families or engage in other activities of their interest.
Rather than just making decisions and delegating, to me, leadership is all about inspiring others, being present on a daily basis to communicate with the team and supporting those who are starting-out in their career
Sharing his piece of advice to young entrepreneurs aspiring to be future industry leaders, Dan concludes, “Always surround yourself with smart people and never hesitate or be afraid to ask for help. Since the pressure on a startup entrepreneur would be quite high, you might at times feel cornered and forced to take a decision that might not be the right one. Thus, ensure to have a good mentor to guide you along your career. Most importantly, identify your strengths & weaknesses early on in your professional journeys and work towards improving them”.
Going Forward
Owing to the strong backing of his investors, Dan has ambitious plans for Ion Ventures going forward. He aspires to not only expand the geographical reach of the company further, but also look at new markets to foray into. Additionally, Dan will also focus on enhancing the on-ground capabilities in terms of infrastructure and manpower across Southeast Asia to successfully to the demand in the region.
Dan Taylor, Co-Founder & Director, Ion Ventures
A seasoned power industry professional, Dan possesses over two decades of experience across electrical engineering, contracting, power plants and diesel & gas areas in UK and Southeast Asia regions.
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