Scaling Innovation and Purpose in Power-to-X with Alice Vallienne, Head of Commercial Management at Topsoe | Season Eight, Episode Thirteen

Welcome to Season Eight of Conversations in Cleantech!

 

From inspiring stories and words of wisdom to conversations on overcoming obstacles and fostering innovation, you can expect to learn from the trailblazers who are navigating the complexities of change to build a cleaner, more sustainable future.

 

In this episode of Conversations in Cleantech, hosts Jenny Gladman and Hetty Lowther are joined by Alice Vallienne, Head of Commercial Management for Power-to-X at Topsoe, where innovation meets commercial scale in the race to decarbonise global industry.

 

Alice didn’t start her career in engineering - she began in politics and economics. But her drive to make a real-world impact led her to energy, where complexity meets purpose. Now, she’s helping steer Topsoe’s Power-to-X journey: scaling Solid-Oxide-Electrolysis (SOEC) technology and building a new business inside one of the most respected industrial companies in Europe.

We explore what it’s really like to lead a startup within a corporate environment, complete with all the challenges (and superpowers) that come with balancing speed, structure, and scale. From navigating early-stage risk to building trust with customers, Alice shares how adaptability, cross-functional collaboration, and diverse teams unlock clarity in the chaos.

 

This is a conversation about purpose-led leadership, navigating change in uncertain markets, and why innovation thrives at the intersection of strategy, people, and pragmatism.

 

Tune in to hear how Power-to-X is evolving, how Topsoe is bridging the gap between lab and market, and why thriving in cleantech starts with knowing what gives you energy.

 

01:04 - Introduction to Alice
02:10 - Alice, can you give our listeners a quick 101 - who are you and what do you do?
05:01 - What drew you to cleantech, and how did you choose it as your career path?
06:13 - How do you manage to keep building in a commercial role when the market, technology, and policies are all evolving so rapidly?
09:24 - How does your approach to commercial management in Power-to-X differ from that in a larger, more established company?
11:50 - What’s it like operating as a startup backed by a larger company, and what are the main pros and challenges?
16:55 - With your experience in DEI, how does that, combined with the startup-in-a-corporate culture, contribute to strength and resilience?
20:32 - How do you manage collaboration across technical, policy, and commercial teams to build trust?
25:10 - From both a personal and company perspective, how can we best navigate the current changes in the industry?
29:30 - Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of the Power-to-X space?
31:35 - What advice would you give to anyone considering a move into clean tech?

 

Connect with your hosts, Jenny Gladman and Hetty Lowther, on LinkedIn.

Find your guest, Alice Vallienne, on LinkedIn.

Thanks for listening to Conversations in Cleantech brought to you by Brightsmith.

This is a Loaded Hype production.