A Career at WMS: Andrew’s Story

Tell us a little bit about yourself... 

My wife is Italian, and we had our first son in Spring 2025. I compete in dinghy racing and I’m also a keen cyclist. Luckily, both large sporting events I was in this year were in Italy, so they doubled up as family holidays. I was crowned the 2025 OK Dinghy World Champion after an epic week of racing on Lake Garda. Working towards this for 20 years, it was great to win with the largest and most competitive fleet that the OK dinghy class has ever seen at a world championship.

What initially attracted you to join EDF? 

I was drawn to EDF by the diverse set of assets the company owns or optimises. Power was a new market to me at the time, which was also a big draw. EDF offers good working flexibility, which is important to me for balancing all parts of life.

What was it about this role that appealed to you? 

I enjoy being involved in trading and optimising in a tangible market. Working in a shift team also appealed to me because of the flexibility it provides, allowing me to achieve things outside of work.

Can you describe your role as a Shift Trader? 

WMS Traders decide the best way to buy or sell the energy we have. We’re always on, working 24 hours a day, including weekends. There are always two of us doing a 12-hour shift - one focused on trading, the other on operations and scheduling. 

We can trade our power position in three ways: in an auction, an intraday market (like a live stock exchange) or leave it to cash out. Our job is to work out which option will gain us the most value. We also trade our position to optimise assets such as batteries, gas peakers and power stations. Some days can be challenging when prices change dramatically.

What skills are essential to succeed in trading? 

Being able to stay up during the night and think objectively under pressure. A bit of psychology comes into play, trying to figure out what other Traders might do and anticipate their moves. Being good at maths helps too!

What’s the most challenging part of your job? 

Keeping an intense focus for the 12-hour shifts can be tough. You’re dealing with things in the real world that aren’t controllable, and you need to stay calm and not let emotions take over. Things can change suddenly, like a power station going offline, or you might start the day with a great position and end up scrambling to recover. The setup can be overwhelming at first, but most people find their rhythm within six months.

How do you stay calm and focused during volatile market conditions? 

It’s a personality trait, really, but you learn to take deep breaths or take a break from the screens. There are two of us on shift, so you can use your partner to benefit from their objective view to keep things in perspective.

How do you collaborate with other parts of the business? 

Our Software Engineers build the tools we use to analyse data. Also, the Market Analysis team enters some auctions for us and provides analysis to help shape our view of the market. These collaborations make a big difference, especially during night shifts, but we know we’re backed by a wider support network.

What does success mean to you, both professionally and personally? 

Success for me is being able to spend time with family and friends doing the things we love. To achieve this, I need to be successful at work - working in a stimulating environment with good people and achieving the goals we set as a team. EDF helps with flexibility and understands employees have needs outside of work. This flexibility motivates employees to produce their best work for the company.