Interview
TURKI ALSHEHRI
Group Vice President, ENGIE’s Key Client Office
As Group Vice President for ENGIE’s Key Client Office, Turki is dedicated to forging global, long-term partnerships that support organizations in their journey toward decarbonization and sustainable practices.
With extensive experience across the US, the Middle East, and Europe, Turki has gained a deep understanding of global business operations and the importance of building strong industry relationships. This role not only drives business growth but also contributes to broader societal impact by creating jobs, strengthening economies, and advancing environmental initiatives. One of his most significant achievements includes leading the training and hiring of Saudi Arabia’s first female desalination plant technicians—an initiative that underscores a commitment to fostering inclusive and diverse workplaces.
His leadership philosophy centers on cultivating a motivating, resourceful, and developmental work environment where teams can thrive while keeping a strong focus on sustainability and societal progress. At ENGIE, the goal extends beyond closing deals—it’s about building lasting relationships that drive sustainable growth and meaningful change.
Q:What inspired you to drive impactful and lasting change in your past and current roles?
A:The ability to drive impactful and lasting change is an inspiration in itself. It is one of the key prerequisites to ensuring individuals in an organization are not only aligned but believe in the objectives, goals, and overall purpose of the organization. Such inspiration can only be achieved if the individuals themselves believe. Therefore, the inspiration that drives me to create impactful and lasting change is: (1) I personally believe in what I do, and (2) it is the driver that ensures the individuals I work with also believe in what we are doing. It must be a 'lasting change' to generate enough momentum to keep individuals going through the tough times as well.
Q:What were some significant challenges you faced while implementing Saudi Arabia's National Renewable Energy Program, and how did you address them?
A:The most difficult challenge, surprisingly, is often the same one I've faced in nearly every organization I've worked with: internal alignment on where we need to go. With respect to the National Renewable Energy Program—being completely new to the country—the need to align government stakeholders, national companies, and senior advisors was mind-boggling. Establishing a country-wide renewable program across policy, regulation, and execution under one organization was almost an impossible task. However, I was fortunate to work with leadership that was determined to find a solution. It remains one of the most challenging and educational experiences of my life.
Q:Can you share a pivotal moment in your career that influenced your trajectory towards leadership roles in the energy sector?
A:I believe I've always been someone who works well with others. I've always believed in teamwork, greatly value being surrounded by people who know more than I do, and enjoy harnessing everyone's knowledge to contribute to the overall objective. Whether in a leadership position or as an individual contributor, there is always an opportunity to enhance your work with those around you. I never actively pursued leadership, but when entrusted with such a role, it gave me the tools to better harness the people around me. I like to use the analogy of a conductor creating a masterpiece through the talent of musicians playing different instruments.
Q:What strategies do you employ to foster innovation and maintain high standards within your teams at ENGIE?
A:The strategy I use—and have used even before ENGIE—is built on four principles: Motivation, Environment, Development, and Resources. If individuals are motivated and believe in what they do, it becomes part of who they are and creates a drive unmatched by any other incentive. I try to create a work environment rooted in trust, transparency, care, ethics, and safety, so people feel comfortable with where—and with whom—they work. People must also feel they are continuously developing, so their tasks should challenge and grow them. Lastly, we must provide the tools, workforce, budget, and time needed to succeed. The closer we get to fulfilling these principles, the more likely our people will give 100% and more.
Q:How do you adapt your leadership style towards diverse markets while maintaining a consistent standard of excellence?
A:Applying a leadership style across diverse cultural and business environments is an extremely complex task. It requires a strong level of emotional intelligence and patience to fully understand the environment before reacting or making decisions. Regarding communication, there are global principles that apply to all individuals, regardless of context. The principles that have worked for me include: clear communication with no sarcasm or hidden messaging, transparency—and clarifying when you cannot be transparent—listening and confirming what the other person is trying to say, and repeatedly reinforcing the idea that people can speak freely without consequence. I believe this is a natural human desire, regardless of culture or background.
Q:Training Saudi Arabia's first female desalination technicians was groundbreaking. What lessons can leaders learn from this milestone?
A:Training and employing the first female technicians is one of my proudest accomplishments. There are several lessons from this achievement, and the one that always comes to mind is the saying, “Where there is a will, there is a way.” In this case, all signs pointed to failure. There were no training institutes, the sites were in remote areas, it went against cultural norms, it was costly, and there were no existing standards or policies. Still, I was fortunate to have worked with people around me who refused to give up and kept moving forward—simply because it was the right thing to do.
Q:What's your advice to leaders while cultivating teams to deliver excellence?
A:My advice to upcoming leaders is to ask themselves: Do you believe in what you're doing? If you weren't in a leadership role, would people still follow your direction? Do you genuinely care about the wellbeing and future of your team? Can people speak freely without fear of consequences? If the answer is yes, then you're moving in the right direction. Personally, I dislike phrases like “my team” or “my employees”—we don't own people. Individuals should always feel they are working with you, not for you. A manager once told me he stopped holding townhall meetings because the only feedback was, “Can we change the wall colour?” I told him that meant he'd succeeded—if those were the concerns, he had already built excellence.