David Townsend, TownRock Energy’s Managing Director was invited to take part in the Scottish institute for Enterprise’s (SIE) Festival of Innovation. The half hour-long interview carried out by Quentin Cooper, BBC Journalist, delved into how TownRock Energy came to be; the challenges and opportunities Mr. Townsend faced; and outlooks on life during our current tumultuous, climate change age.
The multi-award winning entrepreneur was asked to single out the defining awards he had received. Recognition being received at a young age, Mr. Townsend remembered being presented with a high school mathematics award for the highest grade. However, the defining opportunity for the company was SIE’s own award – the Young Innovators Award – presented to David as a university graduate. Winning in the category of renewable energy kick started TownRock Energy with £50,000 seed funding, a required boost for a graduate able to take the risk to pioneer commercialisation of geothermal energy in Scotland.
The Director recommended that entrepreneurs be their “genuine, fundamental selves,” as this is likely to shine through irrespectively. When considering the state of the world and being in a position to make an impact in the energy sector, David described an interest in climate change as a “rollercoaster”. Separating your work and passion, and personal life, into categories allows you to manage stress and continue to enjoy life outside work, recommends the seasoned entrepreneur.
Although highlighting what is being done to tackle climate change should be balanced by a continued push for action, Mr. Townsend believes that “the stories we need to be telling are the really positive stories of people innovating to tackle this challenge.”
The interview was carried out under the festival’s Imagining the Future section and is available on the Institute’s Youtube channel.
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