Team Spotlight - Featuring Müge (Head of People)

Müge Arslantürk , thank you for joining us in our spotlight series! Let's start with a brief introduction. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role within Entrix?

Hey, this is a bit awkward, as I am usually the one on the other side. I am Müge, Head of People at Entrix and it is a pleasure to be participating in the Spotlight series.

Can you share your educational background and what led you to your current field with us?

I studied Psychology with the ambition of either staying in academia or eventually becoming a psychotherapist but as I was doing my master’s degree in Munich I decided to take a look at the People area. I ended up liking the organizational psychology perspective too much and decided to stay in it. So that was around 9 years ago and here I am going strong at it 😄

We are glad you took that road. What were some of your past roles or industries you've worked in before joining Entrix ?

When I joined the team we were 20ish people and when I left around 150.

My first role in People was in a SaaS startup in the hospitality industry. What was supposed to be a role in the Engineering team building Turkish semantic structure for data science teams (I know, wild right?!) ended up being a career in HR.

Later on, I joined another startup this time in the railway industry, KONUX, and stayed there for 5 years. There I have done anything and everything. When I joined the team we were 20ish people and when I left around 150. In the years that passed I have seen a lot of development and change. My role itself has shifted quite a bit from generalist to HR Business Partner and eventually brought me to leadership.

Wow, that sounds like quite the ride! What motivated you to join Entrix and what makes it stand out to you from your previous experiences?

I eventually realized I wanted to do something new again. Take something small and make it a success.

After 5 years at KONUX, I eventually realized I wanted to do something new again. Take something small and make it a success. I was clear on what I didn’t want (certain industries or companies) but I was not sure what I wanted. Initially, Steffen Schülzchen and I got introduced by a common friend/colleague and what was supposed to be a 1.5-hour exploratory meeting turned out to be 3 hours of us brainstorming on how to create the right culture, People practices and leadership for the Entrix team.

That conversation and later on getting to know some other members of the team made it clear to me that I wanted to be part of Entrix. Also, Sébastien Schikora and I have both worked closely before so that made the decision easier too 😉

We are glad that it turned out this way! As a Head of People, what does your day-to-day look like and what are your main responsibilities?

[...] my purpose at Entrix is to enable and co-create an environment for our business to thrive. I believe that is only possible if you are creating an environment for your people to thrive.

What I love about this job is that there is no daily work. If you are working in a startup our size and with similar vision/goals you must be doing something wrong if you have a proper routine in place 😄. Jokes aside, my purpose at Entrix is to enable and co-create an environment for our business to thrive. I believe that is only possible if you are creating an environment for your people to thrive. To me that means giving them the right challenges, helping them grow and letting them grow the business. This touches everything our People Team does like being intentional about the culture we are fostering, hiring and developing.

So on a random day, you may see me do interviews, talk about performance and development with people, coach people, hold feedback workshops or sit in front of an Excel sheet.

How does your role at our company differ from similar positions in other organizations?

I love this question. I have seen quite a lot that People teams have to fight to do the things they believe in in other organizations. Somehow there is a misalignment of what business needs vs what People functions want to do. I love that at Entrix the alignment is there, we know what we need as a business and it doesn’t come with the conflict of business needs vs people needs.

Can you describe the team you're a part of and how you all work together?

We are, before all, part of the Entrix team and then part of the People team.

Today this is a tiny but strong team. Kudos to Kristina Kilian , Salim king Osei and Linda for their work. We are growing in the next 2 months as well but the current work mode is very collaborative and ownership-focused. We have our weekly syncs, sparring sessions either 1-1 or in a group depending on the topic and then asynchronous information exchange. We are going to be a bit more organized when we are growing but right now this works really well for us.

We are also a team that works super cross-functionally so sometimes the daily interactions with others in the company may be higher than our internal interactions. We are, before all, part of the Entrix team and then part of the People team.

What are some common misconceptions about your role that you've encountered?

I believe culture should be owned by everyone in the organization.

The biggest misconception is that my role is a Head of People & Culture role and I am the deciding person on culture. I believe culture should be owned by everyone in the organization. Of course, the leaders need to take more ownership and decide certain things and People Teams need to be role models but there isn’t a one-person culture decision-maker in our organization.

What do you enjoy most about your job and working for Entrix ?

I think our team has such brilliant and capable people and on top they are fun to be around - I mean what else can I ask for?

The team. Such a predictable answer but it is true. I love coming to the office, and having moments of great ideation, sparring, and FUN. I think our team has such brilliant and capable people and on top they are fun to be around - I mean what else can I ask for?

Looking back at your time with the company, what are some milestones or achievements you're particularly proud of?

Looking back to 2022 and comparing today, we have achieved a great level of awareness and intentionality for the Entrix Culture. We built our team around that and brought amazing new people on board who are shaping the energy future daily.

What skills do you find most valuable in your role, and are there any areas you're currently working to improve?

I have always found coaching very valuable. This is something I also recently started doing externally and I am now on a certification path. Learning more about it and practising makes me a better leader and a sparring partner for the whole organization.

Outside of work, what are some of your hobbies or interests?"

Twice to three times a week, you will find me in the gym trying to lift weights. Others in the team like to make fun of my geekiness because I play Dungeons & Dragons 🐉 🎲 once a month (and sometimes host it at Entrix) with my amazing friends, read fantasy books, play board games and am super into true crime stories. When I am not doing the nerdy things I am out there enjoying my time with my friends ideally next to a body of water.

Can you share a surprising or little-known fact about our industry?

Imagine 4-6 shipment containers full of battery modules (and some other electronics) sitting in the middle of a field connected to the national grid.

If you are not working in the industry, it is super difficult to imagine what a 10MW Grid-Scale Battery would look like. So if you are struggling with it like I did: Imagine 4-6 shipment containers full of battery modules (and some other electronics) sitting in the middle of a field connected to the national grid. It does look wild in your imagination but it is also wild in real life 😉

Any final thoughts or messages you'd like to share with our readers?

An obvious one: Entrix is a team to be part of. So if you are not considering joining us, you are missing out. Take a look at our open roles and let’s talk how we can make you an active part of the energy transition. Reach out to me for any open questions!

Thank you, Müge! It was super nice to get to know you in more detail. We are happy and proud to have you on the team!

If this article caught your attention and you are looking to join an Energy Tech company where you can have as much impact as Müge does check out our open positions!