Meet the team: Thérèse O Donoghue
Thérèse O Donoghue is our Press and Communications Advisor working on monitoring press, handling media queries and subscriptions, and supporting efforts in expanding our reach.
Thérèse also supports overall policy communications and leads on certain campaigns such as our #SolarSupportsUkraine campaign and our #SolarSaves campaign.
Prior to joining SolarPower Europe, Thérèse was working with a Brussels-based think thank on foreign policy issues, and before that NOVE, a Public Affairs and Communications agency in Brussels. She also worked in policy roles with IBEC, Ireland’s largest business member organisation, and at Áras an Uachtaráin, the Irish President’s Office. Thérèse has a BA in Politics and History, and an MSc in International Public Policy and Diplomacy from University College Cork, Ireland. She speaks English, French and Irish.
There’s probably a few things.
First off, I don’t want to sound too corny but the people. It’s always nerve-wracking starting a new job, but everyone was super lovely and welcoming. It’s also really refreshing to be working alongside so many great women in our communications team, and for an organisation with a female CEO, Walburga Hemetsberger as its head (Hopefully even stating this sentence in itself will be a thing of the past over the coming decades when we improve gender parity across all sectors).
Secondly, it feels great to work for an organisation with an ethical foundation; the ultimate goal of SolarPower Europe’s advocacy efforts is to ensure optimal policy framework for solar, and speed up the energy transition. It’s a complete no-brainer to save our planet, yet there’s still a lot of work to do.
Travelling to Solar Quality Summit in Barcelona earlier this year was a nice highlight. It was great to meet members from all over Europe and actually see the amount of work that goes in to organising such an event.
I’ve also really enjoyed working on the #SolarSaves campaign and talking with people from all backgrounds and European countries, about the difference that solar is making to their daily lives.
I really hope to see solar everywhere in Europe and around the world! Solar is accessible, for everyone, regardless of class or socioeconomic status, and is easily deployable. The facts are there; solar will be key to deliver the energy transition.
