SaaSy Talk S01.36: Electric Dreams: Louise Monger's Journey from Sparky to Leadership at Schneider Electric
Introduction
In this thought-provoking SaaSy Talk Unfiltered interview, Louise, the Vice President for Digital Buildings at Schneider Electric, shares her unique career journey and insights into the challenges and opportunities in the construction and property industry. From starting as a Sparky in the mining industry to leading a team of 350 people in delivering innovative solutions for building segments, Louise's story is one of resilience, adaptability, and continuous learning.
Louise's Unique Career Journey
Louise's career path is far from typical. She started as an apprentice in the mining industry, following the opportunities available in her hometown. Despite the challenges faced as a woman in a male-dominated field, Louise persevered and built resilience during her time as a Sparky. Her journey took a turn when she moved to London and started working in buildings, gaining exposure to facility management and realising the potential for a career off the tools.
"So when I moved to Sydney, I got my first facility coordinator job, and yeah, that started my career in real estate. I had a number of different roles in real estate, head of property management, director for technology. Really just leaning into every opportunity as it came along." - Louise
Transition into Facility Management and Real Estate
Louise's transition into facility management and real estate opened up new opportunities for growth and development. She embraced every chance to expand her skills and experience, taking on roles that allowed her to explore different aspects of the industry. Her diverse background, including a trade background, end-user experience, and technology transformation, made her a perfect fit for the role of Vice President for Digital Buildings at Schneider Electric.
"I think in doing that, I had built up all this experience that when Schneider had this opportunity for the Vice President of Digital Buildings here in Australia, they saw my profile and realised what a good match it was because I had that trade background, some end-user experience, had done some technology transformation, and this would tie all that together." - Louise
Role at Schneider Electric
As the Vice President for Digital Buildings at Schneider Electric, Louise leads a commercial line of business in Australia, overseeing a team of 350 people. The focus of her role is to deliver solutions for customers in various building segments, including healthcare, commercial real estate, transport infrastructure, universities, and data centers. The primary goal is to make buildings more efficient through the use of building management systems (BMS), software, analytics, and apps.
"We've got about 350 people in the business here, delivering solutions for our customers in building segments that include healthcare, major hospitals, commercial real estate, transport infrastructure, universities, data centers, and primarily the BMS or Building Management System, which is your HVAC control, lighting and room control, security, and access control, as well as software, analytics, apps that enable the users of property and facilities to make their buildings more efficient." - Louise
Industry Changes Over the Last Decade
Over the past decade, the construction and property industry has undergone significant changes, driven by advancements in technology and the increasing demand for sustainability and efficiency. Louise highlights the dramatic shift towards open platforms and the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which have revolutionised the collection and analysis of data in buildings.
"The available data, so IoT devices, how cheaply that can now be collected, aggregated, AI on top of that. So if we cast an eye back 10 years, very segregated systems, quite difficult to get data out of building systems, a lot more proprietary systems in place, less open ecosystem." - Louise
This transition towards open platforms and the ability to gather data from various devices in buildings has opened up new possibilities for improving building performance and user experience. It has also led to a shift in customer expectations, with a focus on total cost of ownership and the ability to choose from a range of vendors and partners.
"Customers really want to have that competitive environment over the whole life cycle of their technology. An open ecosystem where there are partners that can service that gives them that ability. We're probably seeing more, particularly in government, but now even more with institutional owners, that they're putting those requirements out in their RFPs, in their tenders at the construction stage." - Louise
Adapting to Open Platforms and IoT
The shift towards open platforms and IoT presents both challenges and opportunities for Schneider Electric. While not all systems, especially legacy ones, are open, Schneider's EcoStruxure platform is designed to be open and allows for data integration with other systems through APIs. The company also has a partner program, the EcoExpert program, which ensures that partners have the necessary training and technical support to deliver high-quality solutions.
"We've got a branded program, so it's called the EcoExpert program. Partners who are a part of that program or that we agree a partnership with go through a training process to get the badge, and the badge will give them that ability to promote themselves in the market as a BMS installer, a lighting and room installer." - Louise
By embracing open platforms and working with partners, Schneider Electric aims to provide customers with a wide range of choices and ensure competitive pricing and service throughout the life cycle of their technology systems.
Working with Partners and Vendors
Collaboration with partners and vendors is a crucial aspect of Schneider Electric's strategy. The company actively seeks out new technologies and startups that complement their offerings and can bring added value to their customers. However, the decision to engage with a partner or vendor is based on several factors, including compatibility, scalability, market readiness, and the ability to integrate with Schneider's existing APIs and systems.
"We get lots of people reaching out, new technologies they think might be a fit with us. I'm really curious and continue to meet with new companies and chat with them. In-country here, we might do a small pilot or partnership and test something out, but for anything to scale, we'd be engaging with my colleagues in the U.S., in the line of business in Boston where our R&D center is." - Louise
Schneider Electric's approach to partnerships is focused on finding solutions that fill gaps in their offerings, can be easily scaled, and provide a seamless experience for customers. The company values the quality of the founders and engineers behind the technology and looks for opportunities to embed new solutions into their existing offers.
The Future of Schneider Electric
Looking ahead, Schneider Electric faces several challenges and opportunities in the construction and property industry. One of the biggest challenges is the impending skills shortage, as the industry experiences a surge in demand for energy transition projects and net-zero initiatives. To address this challenge, Schneider Electric is focused on building capabilities and attracting more people to STEM and sustainability careers.
"The biggest challenge locally, I think it holds true globally, is going to be skills shortage. In the face of a massive amount of capital being thrown at the energy transition, and everybody, all companies and governments trying to achieve a net-zero outcome and address the challenges we have around climate change." - Louise
Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to play a significant role in making the industry more efficient and addressing the skills shortage. Schneider Electric has established an AI center of excellence to leverage AI in improving internal processes and enhancing their offers for customers. By automating routine tasks and optimising workflows, AI can free up resources and enable employees to focus on high-value work.
"AI is going to have to play a huge role here in making us all more efficient. So I think one of the ways Schneider is leveraging AI is as both making Schneider itself more efficient, but also making our offers more efficient." - Louise
In addition to addressing the skills shortage and leveraging AI, Schneider Electric is focused on growing its enterprise software business and expanding its capabilities in delivering innovative solutions for customers. The company aims to support customers at an enterprise data level, providing facility management software, building analytics, and other tools to improve building performance and user experience.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
Louise's journey from being a Sparky in the mining industry to becoming a leader at Schneider Electric is a testament to the power of resilience, adaptability, and continuous learning. Her insights into the challenges and opportunities in the construction and property industry shed light on the importance of open platforms, collaboration with partners, and the integration of new technologies.
As Schneider Electric continues to drive innovation and sustainability in the industr
y, the company is well-positioned to address the skills shortage, leverage AI, and deliver cutting-edge solutions to customers. By embracing diversity, investing in capabilities, and focusing on customer outcomes, Schneider Electric aims to leave a lasting legacy of excellence and positive impact in the construction and property industry.
Louise's journey and the future outlook for Schneider Electric serve as an inspiration for individuals and organisations looking to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of the construction and property industry. By embracing change, fostering collaboration, and leveraging technology, the industry can achieve greater efficiency, sustainability, and customer satisfaction.
