Ganem is championing a healthy and safe environment for all

Hi, I am Ganem Chekili based in France. I am 35 years old, married, with 4 little boys. I am working in the Health, Safety, Environment (HSE) & Sustainability function and leading the Global HSE & Sustainability Center of Expertise (CoE) in Hitachi Energy. The CoE is composed of an international team of subject matter experts supporting the business on all HSE & Sustainability company-wide programs.

In my work, what I like the most is the possibility to be involved in directly contributing to communities.

All topics managed by the COE are linked to our Sustainability 2030 strategic plan, in order to improve our performance and meet our goals. On Health and Safety, we support the units on electrical safety, risk management, incident management, industrial hygiene, and wellbeing. On Environment, we address environmental subjects including carbon neutrality, circularity, chemical management, and remediation. We also support the Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting piece by consolidating the data reported in our management information system. It is an important subject for me, as all data are used for reporting to internal and external stakeholders such as Hitachi Group, customers and Ecovadis.

At Hitachi Energy, safety is our license to operate, and it is part of our DNA. Every day, we continuously work to protect people and improve our processes to provide a safe workplace to all.

Our goal is to protect our colleagues and ensure that they can work safely and return home without any harm.

To improve our processes, we learn from our incidents, hazards and areas of improvement identified during audits and inspections.

The environmental side of my work is a big piece that contributes to society as well. For example, in 2021 I had the opportunity to lead the fossil-free electricity project. To remove all fossil energy sources, we pursued several pathways including changing our electricity contracts for all facilities and manufacturing sites worldwide, generating our own fossil-free electricity by installing solar roof panels, switching to green tariff, signing Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), and buying Energy Attributes Certificates (EACs). Now, we are operating on 100% fossil-free electricity in our own operations, and a step closer towards carbon neutral. I am proud of this achievement which has a positive impact on our planet.

Collaboration is key

I try to base all my relationships on trust and teamwork. An African proverb says “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” It is this mindset that I am trying to follow every day. For me, the best compliment that I can receive is when I am recognized as someone you can trust and count on to deliver the job and meet the objectives.

I am #ProudToBeHitachiEnergy because we are a pioneering technology company dedicated to advancing the world’s energy system to be more sustainable, flexible and secure. Now more than ever, with us facing an urgent need to reduce the effects of climate change, I feel that I am working not only for the company but for the wellbeing of our planet as well.