Andrew Tipping
What is your background?
I am a born and bred New Zealander, having done all my schooling and my first stint at university there. I originally studied real estate and commerce, majoring in finance, going on to spend three years working in investment banking in New Zealand. I moved to the UK in 2008 to study international development at the London School of Economics, and then worked for a company developing agriculture businesses in Africa for 18 months, before joining ECA in November 2011.
What’s it like working at ECA?
Intellectually stimulating and challenging, while also being fun. We’re constantly learning on each new project, so it’s very hard to get bored.
How will ECA help my career development/help me improve my skill set?
You will learn a mixture of technical and professional skills: technical, such as power market development, renewable energy promotion regulatory frameworks, tariff calculations; professional, such as report writing, project management, economic and financial modelling.
What type of projects do you typically work on?
With a background in finance, I tend to work on projects with financial angles, such as financial modelling or financing of investments. But I also work on a full range of projects in energy and water, including things like business model development, regulatory frameworks and governance.
Am I expected to present to clients? Who are the typical clients you work for?
If you want to, then you can! It is definitely encouraged, and there are opportunities to improve and receive feedback. Clients tend to be the large multilateral development organisations, e.g. the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, EBRD, but also regulatory agencies or consumer bodies.
Which countries have you covered in your time at ECA?
Bhutan, Djibouti, Egypt, Kenya, Lesotho, Macedonia, Moldova, Mozambique, Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe so far, with others lined up for the future already!
What is the best thing about working at ECA?
A great blend between interesting work and friendly, open team environment for working. There is always variety in the projects and variety in the team dynamic in the office – laughter is regular!