BROAD PERSPECTIVES AND DIFFERENT CULTURES
Abbie Duran, Senior Project Manager, based in Sydney, Australia, had a hunch capSpire was a great place to work even before joining the team four years ago. She’d been working alongside capSpire at a different company on a Five-Minute Settlement project in Australia, and witnessed how approachable people at capSpire were. “It was my first time working in the energy space back in 2020 when we met, and I found their work very interesting,” Abbie says.
Today, Abbie works in Delivery at capSpire, serving as a trusted advisor to clients and the internal team with her extensive strategic project management expertise. She’s worked with clients across Asia Pacific and Europe, an experience that has helped her grow as a project manager.
“Working with people all over the world gives me a broader perspective. You have to think about effective communication and people’s different cultures.”
A WILLINGNESS TO HELP IS UNIVERSAL AT CAPSPIRE
However, a willingness to help one another is universal across all capSpire offices– it’s an important tenet that drives the company’s culture and extends to the value provided to clients. “What it boils down to,” says Abbie, “is that capSpire is good at hiring people. And they have something to offer employees.” With continuous learning, mutual respect, and a team-first attitude, this niche industry is approached with collaboration and a problem-solving mindset. Challenges are conquered with collective best practices that get things done better and more efficiently.
But it’s not just teammates helping one another. Leadership plays an important role in driving capSpire’s value of Support and Respect. “Leadership makes sure the runway is clear for people,” Abbie explains. This means that management eliminates obstacles and pain points for employees, giving them the space, resources, and autonomy to do excellent work.
“Leadership knows people don’t need to be micromanaged because capSpirians are always the best of the best.”
TRUST AND AUTONOMY
She provides an example of a challenging time at work, and how leadership helped her figure out a solution. Abbie was working with a leading utility-backed seaborne energy trader specialising in LNG, power, coal and freight after they contracted capSpire for efficiency gains after a performance evaluation. Abbie was the Project Manager, and it was her first time with a client outside of Australia. “I didn’t know anyone outside of the capSpire Australia office,” she says. “It expanded my horizons, professionally and culturally.”
Abbie found success in the project. The client was thrilled with the processes she implemented and even recognized Abbie as one of the best Project Managers they’d worked with. But with a massive time zone difference, Abbie found the role challenging and feared burnout. However, she felt comfortable sharing these concerns with her managers at capSpire. “They addressed my issues, and I was switched to local Australian clients.” After some time, though, Abbie’s client requested her return as the project manager. Together, she worked with her capSpire manager to create a new schedule that worked for capSpire, the client, and Abbie. “capSpire and the client trusted me and gave me autonomy,” she says. Abbie was back on the project that gave her so much fulfillment, now with a more manageable schedule that accommodated the time zone difference.
SUPPORTING EMPLOYEES’ SUCCESS
capSpire’s desire to support their employees’ success is just one reason why it’s been rated as a Great Place To Work for the seventh consecutive year, an achievement highlighting capSpire’s ongoing commitment to a supportive and empowering workplace. To learn more about employees like Abbie and capSpire culture, click here.
“At capSpire, people are technically skilled but also have the right attitude. We care for each other and our clients thus, there is a willingness to help one another. Our leadership genuinely puts people first.”