Careers at E.ON
Mission
E.ON aims to provide reliable and efficient energy solutions – including the provision of electricity, gas, and steam – to residential, commercial, industrial and public sector customers across Europe.
Business segments
E.ON has four core global units that are also reportable business segments:
- Generation, comprising the operation of conventional power generation assets – including fossil, biomass, and nuclear facilities – across Germany, the UK, Sweden, France, and the Benelux countries;
- Renewables, comprising the development, implementation and operation of renewable energy solutions;
- Global Commodities, comprising the purchase and sale of electricity, natural gas, liquefied natural gas, oil, coal, freight, and carbon allowances on the wholesale market, as well as the management and development of assets at several phases of the gas value chain, such as pipelines, long-term supply contracts, and storage facilities; and
- Exploration and Production, comprising the Company’s operation of oil and gas exploration and production projects.
History
E.ON was established in 2000 by way of a merger between VEBA and VIAG, two well-established energy operators. Both VIAG and VEBA were set up in the 1920s as holding companies for state-owned industrial businesses. The two companies were privatised later in the 20th Century and were listed on the Deutsche Aktien-Index, going on to establish themselves among Europe’s leading commercial energy operators.
Following the 2000 merger, E.ON embarked on a series of acquisitions. The Company gained access to the UK and US markets through its 2001 purchase of Powergen, and in 2002 became the sole owner of German operator Ruhrgas. In 2008 E.ON completed the acquisition of a portfolio of assets in Italy, Spain, and France from Italy’s Enel and Spain’s Endesa, in total boosting its generating capacity by 12.2 GW. This expansion has continued, with the Company establishing a power generation network across Germany, the UK, Sweden, France, and the Benelux countries, and additional operations across Romania, Russia, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
E.ON’s shares are traded on the Börse Frankfurt. It is one of the world’s largest energy groups, with a current market capitalisation of €16.60 billion.
Business model of E.ON
Customer Segments
E.ON serves a range of energy services to customers across Europe. Its customers can be broadly categorised as follows:
- Industrial and Commercial, comprising commercial and industrial entities of all sizes across multiple sectors that have high energy requirements and require a tailored service;
- Residential, comprising general consumers in single-family households and individual apartments in multi-family dwellings;
- Public Sector, comprising local and regional government bodies and entities; and
- Small and Medium-sized Businesses, comprising smaller, locally and regionally-operating business customers.
E.ON serves customers across Europe, notably providing power generation services to customers across Germany, the UK, Sweden, France, and the Benelux countries. It also has operations in Romania, Russia, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
Value Propositions
E.ON provides value to its customers in the following ways:
- Its industry standing and reputation, with the Company being one of the largest and best established energy companies in Europe, having a track-record as a reliable and efficient energy supplier;
- Commitment to innovation, with the Company devoting significant resources to research and development activities, participating in a number of strategic co-investments and start-ups to develop new energy technologies;
- Its range of products and services, with the Company providing a range of energy services and products, with customers able to receive gas and electricity from the Company as a one-stop shop; and
- Its customer service, with the Company providing ongoing support to its customers, with a dedicated team devoted to the management of each corporate client.
Channels
E.ON operates a website at www.eon.com, through which it provides information on its services, operating jurisdictions, and corporate activities. The Company also operates region or country-specific website, such as www.eonenergy.com in the UK, through which customers are able to manage their customer accounts and energy bills. The Company, however, does not operate an online sales channel.
E.ON makes its sales through an in-house direct sales force, which is divided by region. The Company operates ten regional units that take responsibility for sales, distributed generation and management of regional energy networks across Europe. These ten units cover Germany, the UK, Sweden, Italy, France, Benelux, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania.
E.ON also operates an International Markets team, which collaborates with local partners to provide renewable and conventional generating services and operate distribution and sales networks outside Europe. This covers the Company’s activities in Russia, Brazil and Turkey.
Customer Relationships
While E.ON does not operate a self-service sales channel, the Company does provide some self-service functionality through its website and mobile apps, which allow customers to manage their accounts, give meter readings and pay bills directly without interacting with members of E.ON’s sales teams.
E.ON’s sales are made through its regional operating units, which consult directly with commercial, industrial and residential customers to agree fixed-term supply contracts. Each corporate customer has a dedicated account management team, which works closely with the client to ensure their needs are met. E.ON also provides customer support services to its residential customers, who are able to contact the relevant E.ON team over the phone to receive a personalised response to their queries, concerns and complaints.
Customer are also able to interact directly with E.ON through its various social media accounts, including with Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, and YouTube.
Key Activities
E.ON is a provider of energy solutions, principally to customers across Europe.
The Company's operates through global and regional business units, primarily through four global operating segments: Generation, which comprises the Company’s operation of conventional generation assets in Europe; Renewables, which comprises the Company’s carbon-sourcing and renewables businesses; Global Commodities, which is engaged in the acquisition and sale of electricity, natural gas, liquefied natural gas, oil, coal, freight, biomass and carbon allowances; and Exploration and Production, which comprises the Company's oil and gas exploration and production operations across the North Sea and Russia.
The Company also operates fifth global unit named Technology, which combines project-development, project-delivery, and engineering activities to support the development of new assets and the operation of existing assets.
Key Partners
E.ON works with a range of companies and organisations in order to provide its customers with a reliable and comprehensive service. These partnerships can be broadly categorised as follows:
- Innovation Partners, comprising technology and energy companies with which the Company collaborates on con-investment and innovation and development projects and start-up businesses;
- Distribution Partners, comprising resellers and distributors across the Company’s operating regions that help to extend the Company’s own sale and distribution reach;
- Supplier Partners, comprising suppliers of resources, tools and services that support the Company’s active operations; and
- Strategic and Alliance Partners, comprising a range of companies with which E.ON shares tools and resources and collaborates of joint-venture projects.
E.ON has co-invested in a number of start-up businesses, including Greensmith, Bloom Energy, The Westly Group, Space-Time Insight, and Thermondo. The Company also has a partnership with SolarWatt on solar energy storage solutions, with Barratt Homes to provide sustainable homes, and with IBC Solar to provide energy storage to customers in Germany.
Key Resources
E.ON’s key resources are its distribution and transmission infrastructure – including pipelines, storage facilities, substations and power generating facilities, its supply chain, its sales and support channels, and its personnel.
Cost Structure
E.ON incurs costs in relation to the development and operation of its power generation and transmission infrastructure, the management of its supply chain, the operation of its sales and support channels, and the retention of its personnel.
E.ON accrued significant costs related to the purchase of materials in 2015, which totalled €104.21 billion, up 4% on the previous year due largely to an increase in gas procurement costs. The Company also accrued substantial personnel costs – relating to the payment of salaries and benefits to the Company’s 56,490 employees – which amounted to €4.18 billion.
Revenue Streams
E.ON generates revenue from the sale of electricity and gas to industrial and commercial customers, to retail customers, and to wholesale markets, as well as through the distribution of electricity and gas, and from the delivery of steam, heat and water.
In 2015 E.ON generated annual revenue of €116.22 billion, around 3% higher than the €113.10 recorded the previous year. This increase was attributed primarily to higher gas sales volumes in the Company’s Global Commodities unit.
Our team
info: Johannes (“Teyssen”) has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at E.ON since 2010. He first joined the Company in 2001 as a member of the Board of Management at E.ON Energie, going on to serve as a member and Vice Chairman of E.ON’s Board of Management before assuming his current role. Teyssen began his career in 1984 as a research assistant at the University of Göttingen. After completing training in law and jurisprudence, Teyssen was named Head of Energy and Corporate Law Department at PreussenElektra in 1991. He moved to Hastra in 1998, serving as a member of the Management Board, and joined Avacon in 1999 as Chairman, where he served until joining E.ON.
info: Leonhard (“Birnbaum”) has served as Chief Regions Officer at E.ON since joining the Company in 2013. Birnbaum began his career in 1996 at McKinsey and Company, where he went on to serve for 12 years. During this period, he held a number of positions, including consultant, project manager, senior project manager, and partner, ultimately leaving the Company in 2008 as a senior partner. He moved to energy RWE in 2008 as Head of Group Strategy and Business Development and a member of the Management Board. Birnbaum was named the company’s Chief Strategy Officer in 2009, a position he held for a year before being appointed Chief Commercial Officer.
info: Michael (“Sen”) joined E.ON in 2015 as its Chief Financial Officer. Sen began his career at Siemens in 1996, serving in operational and project leadership roles within the company’s Corporate Development and Corporate Finance divisions. He was promoted to the position of Vice President of Efficiency and Growth in 2001, and went on to serve as Chief Financial Officer of the company’s Solutions Business, Chief Financial Officer of the company’s Applications and Solutions Business, Senior Vice President of Strategy Transformation, and Head of Investor Relations. His last role at Siemens before joining E.ON was as Chief Financial Officer of the Healthcare Business.