Joachim Elm's career path is a true story about challenging the ordinary and growing alongside the business. With a versatile history within IT, controlling and even gaming business, Joachim started his energy transition journey at St1 about five years ago.

Joachim today works as a feedstock trader and analyst in St1's HVO value chain. His job is to source feedstock for the biorefinery in Gothenburg, where HVO (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil) and SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) is produced. The feedstock Joachim is trading mainly includes used cooking oil but can also consist of other types of food waste oil e.g. bacon, animal fats, as well as crude tall oil from the forest industry. “My daily job includes lots of discussions with internal and external stakeholders. Depending on what type of needs we have at a specific moment, I speak with my supplier contacts around the world but especially the Nordics about parcels of feedstock or available vessels and try to negotiate a good deal with them. I have to make sure that I buy feedstocks that we can do something with, and that the product will actually sell,” Joachim explains.

The early days - from IT, controlling and gaming to energy

Joachim’s career began in the IT sector amidst the booming IT bubble, while still being a finance student at the University of Stockholm. An unexpected encounter led him to a position as CFO for a small startup. As the IT bubble burst, Joachim moved over to business controlling for Svensk Handel, a Swedish employer organization, and later into the gaming industry with Svenska Spel, a government-owned gambling company. Here, he developed expertise in business management, later managing retail operations and casinos. This role led him to St1 and his first position as Head of Sales in Convenience Retail. In Sweden, the convenience stores at the stations were taken back from Reitan and 7-Eleven, and Joachim was appointed Head of Sales to participate in kick-starting the own retail convenience concept Ploq.

Exploring the energy sector through the HVO Talent Program

During a company town hall meeting Joachim learned about the HVO Talent Program, which was St1's first internal program for identifying and nurturing potential. The program offered a chance to deep dive in the world of renewable energy—a domain he was eager to explore. Joachim decided to apply – thinking he would not be elected due to his already long work history – and was elected!

Joachim's participation in the HVO Talent Program was ground-breaking. It provided him with invaluable insights into the complexity of the energy transition. Through rotations across various St1 units—from Brocklesby in the UK to risk management in Helsinki, refinery planning and supply operations in Gothenburg, and trading in NEOT—Joachim gained a comprehensive understanding of the company's operations. The program allowed him to build important relationships and learn from experts across different departments, laying the foundation for his current role.

“Today I really feel that I am in the right place. My path has not always been the obvious one, but it has led me working quite in the core of our business, which makes it extremely rewarding. Participating in the Talent Program truly was a game-changer for me.”

Joachim has not been afraid of to tackle also hard tasks during his career. The experience of closing a business area at his previous job was initially perceived as a sad task, but in the end it offered Joachim the chance to go from controlling to managing. He learned how to manage something that has impact on several hundred employees.

“You need to make sure everyone gets taken care of. This is a lesson that I have tried to apply in my other roles as well.”

Curiosity as a driving force

Joachim's advice for career growth is grounded in his own experiences: be curious, build a network, and take on new challenges, even in unfamiliar territory.

“The main driving force during my career has been to be curious about people and learning new things. I suppose there is a part of me that can easily be a bit bored. So that’s why I always look for opportunities to develop and learn.”

“I also like success and am driven by doing a good job with my colleagues, whether it's making a good purchase, executing a successful trade, or accomplishing any other task together. Winning as a team is extremely motivating.”

Joachim’s story is a great example of how to grow through challenges and seizing opportunities, and how St1 has trusted his potential and given him the chance to develop through several roles.

“There is a lot of ambition within St1. We have an entrepreneurial mindset and we want to develop as a company. What I especially like is that at S1, we try to look at people’s potential rather than age, background and other factors of that type. The employees at St1 really get the chance to develop along with the company”.

Joachim encourages everyone to be a little selfish in order to go forward.

“Don’t worry too much about what other people think and don’t hold back. If you get a good opportunity – go after it!”