Meet the Team: Charlene Caten
This month, we caught up with Accelar’s Co-Founder, Charlene Caten, to learn more about her role, what inspires her work and her perspective on accelerating the green transition.
What made you want to found Accelar?
It really came from a desire to build something with a clear purpose: to make the environment we live in better. That became our vision for the company; accelerating the green transition. It is something I had often thought about doing, and when the idea became something real, I took the leap.
Tell us about your career so far, how did it lead you to founding Accelar?
Straight from university, I went into local government for two years. I had studied Urban Studies and Planning at university and got a graduate job as a Planning Officer in South Gloucestershire. It gave me a great foundation, but I knew I wanted to do something different. I had already enjoyed a year of my degree studying in Illinois, USA, and I wasn’t sure yet where I wanted to focus my career. So I headed to New Zealand for a year, where I worked for a consultancy and really enjoyed a more environmentally focused planning role. This really influenced where I wanted my career to go.
When I returned from New Zealand, I was fortunate to get a planning role in a global sustainability consultancy in London, where I got stuck into national-scale infrastructure schemes in an environment-focused role and knew this was what I wanted to do. From there, I moved once more before starting Accelar, joining a very small consultancy where I gained much more exposure beyond project work, including business development and people management. It is also where I met my co-founder, Chris.
“It really came from a desire to build something with a clear purpose: to make the environment we live in better. That became our vision for the company; accelerating the green transition.”
What does your role at Accelar involve and what do you find most rewarding about it?
As a small business owner, I find myself spinning all kinds of plates. I have my own clients, and I am currently seconded into SSEN Transmission part-time, working on their large programme of transmission projects. I really enjoy being part of the rewiring the grid vision; the scale and pace are so ambitious, which suits me. For Accelar, I manage most of the team, oversee the day-to-day finances of the company, and help drive our climate transition services. I have also been known to host walking tours of London and organise indoor skydiving activities for the team!
Getting a big win is hugely rewarding, whether that is achieving planning permission for a national-scale scheme in Scotland or securing a great new project for the team. Seeing people flourish in their roles is also really rewarding. There is amazing talent in the industry, and seeing people grow and develop their skills is a great part of the job.
What do you value most about being part of the Accelar team?
The teamwork. We really do come together when it is needed. We also share a similar passion for improving the environment we live in.
So far, which moments or achievements stand out as highlights of your time at Accelar?
Seeing the team work so hard to get 12 Landscape Recovery projects submitted to Defra really stands out. We have been at the forefront of green finance and knowing the impact these projects will have on recovering nature is incredible.
Where would you love to see Accelar heading in the future?
I would love to see more of the same, but on a greater scale: continuing to grow our impact across more clients and being able to demonstrate clearly how we have helped accelerate the green transition.
