Women of Volue: introducing Silvia Messa

Silvia is a power market specialist whose career has taken her from university to the fast-moving world of cross-border energy trading.

Over the course of her career, Silvia has built a reputation for turning complex market signals into clear, confident decisions. Here, she shares her journey, her perspective on collaboration and AI, and why she believes the energy sector needs more women across all roles.

She takes up the story below.

Energy Has Always Been my Passion

I joined the utilities world in 2002 and quickly gravitated towards trading. It's where analysis really gets tested: decisions aren't recommendations on a slide, they're positions with real consequences, and the market itself is the feedback loop. I loved that viewpoint and still do!

If you asked me what kind of work suits me best, I'd keep coming back to the same answer: the market itself. I love getting into the detail. Each day is spent interrogating datasets, separating signals from the noise, and watching how policy, fundamentals and market sentiment all make an impact.

One thing I've learned over the years is that price is never just a simple mirror of supply and demand. In European power markets, I always keep one eye on the frameworks that shape behaviour.

Our analysis tends to span multiple time horizons and includes spot-market signals, grid bottleneck forecasts and forward curves and futures data, building a composite picture of expectations and risk. The goal is always interpretation: reading what the market thinks it knows, and spotting opportunities as conditions shift.

Better Decisions Are Shared Decisions

Collaboration isn't just a nice idea; it presents a real competitive advantage. Complex questions get better with multiple perspectives, and strong teamwork is how individual expertise becomes consistent outcomes.

That mindset carries into how I work with my team. I believe in sharing insight early, aligning on the real objective, and building practical ways of working that support timely, well-founded decisions, especially when the pace of the market picks up.

On AI: Support, Not Autopilot

Artificial intelligence comes up a lot in our industry right now, and my view is a pragmatic one. In markets with abundant data and an unforgiving pace, I genuinely see potential for AI to strengthen planning and analysis, as long as it's implemented thoughtfully, with the right checks and context in place.

Automation is at its best when it removes the drudgery; the repetitive tasks that can be coded, monitored and made more consistent, freeing up time for the work that still requires human judgement. But domain expertise stays essential. It's what helps teams challenge model outputs, notice blind spots, and respond when conditions shift.

Creating Space for the Next Generation

As data and programming become more central to the energy transition, I feel strongly that inclusion has to keep pace with innovation. Opportunities need to be visible and actively supported, so that more people can see themselves in a range of energy sector roles, not as the exception, but as part of the norm.

Of course, this is still a male-dominated industry, and participation varies across countries and cultures. I'd suggest that role models matter, but so do the quieter signals like how teams recruit and mentor, whether it feels safe to ask a so-called "basic" question, and whether learning is treated as a strength rather than a weakness. Volue provides all of that and more.

Often, it starts early. When girls are encouraged to explore technology from a young age, confidence grows alongside skills, and energy careers can start to feel like a natural path, not one that needs justification.

Considering a Career in Energy?

Looking back across engineering, trading and forecasting, a few themes keep coming up for me: curiosity, rigour, and a willingness to keep learning as the industry rewires itself around new technology and new demands. It has been a career built in motion, and I'm glad to be sharing some of my experience here as part of the Women of Volue series.

If you're thinking about a role in energy, whether you're just starting out or considering a change, I'd say this: don't let the complexity put you off. The detail is exactly what makes this work so rewarding.

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