Clarke Energy has grown from strength-to-strength and the development within the company has been astounding since we started trading in 1989. The company has continued to grow and now provides employment to a workforce of over 1,000 people across sixteen countries globally. With the acquisitions of the Bangladesh arm of Orient Power Systems and Agaricus Trading in South Africa as well as the steady growth of the rest of our business it was likely that we would reach the milestone of 1,000 employees during 2014.
In November 2014 three employees in India and South Africa started on the same day. Rather than consult the Greenwich Observatory and calculate who was the first to arrive we are declaring them all our 1000th Clarke Energy employee!
In the 26 years we have been trading the structure of our business and the types of people we employ has changed. To demonstrate this we thought it would be interesting to compare the lives and experiences of our three “1000th” employees with one of our first employees that started in the business in 1989, Joan Eilbeck,
We have asked all employees about their background and asked what enticed them to want to work at Clarke Energy. Three of our employees started on the same day, so we asked each of them.
Mr. Ravindra Mahale
Mr. Ravindra Mahale
Mr. Ravindra Mahale (Operator; India) is currently working in Dhule West Region in Maharashtra. He lives with his wife and has four siblings, a younger brother and three sisters. In his spare time he practises his religion, as he describes himself as a very spiritual person. When Ravindra was asked why he applied to Clarke Energy, he replied with…
“To contribute in the gas engine domain with the segment leader gave a thought to me to work with Clarke Energy. Moreover, the team-play, learning culture and opportunity to be a ‘doer’ propelled me to join here.”
Ravindra has told us how much he is enjoying the work so far and how he likes supporting his colleagues and learning from his management team. We also asked him what is the best thing about the job, and he said:
“Discipline & structure! Ensuring a 24/7 power supply asks me to be diligent in my approach. Coordination with the customer, prompt reporting and running genset smoothly enables me to deliver on technical front blending it with soft skills.”
Mr. Mithun Patel
Mr. Mithun Patel
Our second employee was Mr. Mithun Patel (Operator; India) who also works in Dhule, West Region in Maharashtra. Mithun Patel lives with his wife and has one sister who is also married. He likes to play cricket and read books in his spare time. When Mithun Patel was asked what made him apply to Clarke Energy, he said:
“Firmly believing to make academia and previous experience relevant with a greater responsibility lead me to join Clarke Energy. The company’s repute spread by the ‘word of mouth’ was decisive to support my aspiration.”
Mithun told us he’s really enjoying working for Clarke Energy and relishes the responsibilities he has been given in his job role. We asked him what are the best things about the job and his response was:
“Implementing, learning and coaching best are the things about my role. It’s a new day everyday! Alertness in following operating procedures is the prerequisite. Moreover, overcoming challenges thrills me and sharing the learnt amuse me.”
Edward Sefularo
Edward Sefularo
Our third employee is Edward Sefularo, Field Service Engineer in South Africa. Edwards enthusiastic response can be read in his own words below:
“I live in Rustenburg and was born and raised at Zeerust. I am engaged with 2 boys aged 2 and 4 years old. I enjoy working for this company. It’s like a dream come true. My hobbies are; I like staying indoors and watching movies. From time-to-time I like to go out and do some gardening, which I find fascinating. I always wanted to be associated with a business that stands out and that supplies a very rare product. A group of people who would take something like biogas created from waste materials and turn it into power, which the world badly needs. I also like the idea of using natural gases as fuel.
In this company, I like the closeness, we are like a family. When one needs assistance, he knows for sure that he will be assisted. I learn a new things every day, the job challenges are not easy but they are regarded as learning curves. I’m so grateful to be part of this company. I am looking forward to a successful business relationship.”
Joan Eilbeck
Joan Eilbeck
In contrast to the 1,000th Employee, we asked Joan Eilbeck, one of Clarke Energy’s very first employees to enlighten us about how it has been working for the company through its expansion and her journey with Clarke Energy. Joan’s exact start date was 1st May 1989, meaning she has been with the company for a quarter of a century! Here is how she feels about Clarke Energy in her own words.
“I first came to the company due to redundancy from my previous job as a comptometer operator. I wasn’t initially successful in my interview as they took on a man before me, I then received a phone call a couple of weeks later asking to start and was delighted.
The company was only very small and incomparable to now. There were just seven of us when I started and it really was like a family. I feel since the company has grown I have grown with it. The best part about Clarke Energy is that they have never lost their roots and they always look after their employees, whatever job you occupy. I couldn’t and wouldn’t imagine working anywhere else.”
Supporting every employee equally
As you can see, although Clarke Energy has now expanded to over 1,000 employees, there is still positive feedback from our employees and a happy working environment. We are more than pleased to welcome our newest employees with open arms and we are proud that our company is growing continuously into multiple territories worldwide.
Clarke Energy supports every employee equally, whether they started with the company in the early years or 2015. We are glad to hear such positive words and how gratified and honoured each employee was to become part of the team.
We look forward to hearing from the 2,000th employee as this company is growing so fast, it probably won’t be too far in the future.
