Sofia Orjuela Cortes - CFP Energy Grad Diary - Entry #2

Returning to CFP Energy – From Intern to Graduate

Last summer, I joined CFP Energy as a Marketing Intern, marking my first real experience in the energy sector, and my first step into a fast-paced, international business environment. It was a whirlwind few months of learning, creating, and growing, and looking back, it set the foundation for everything I’m doing now.

Over the course of the internship, I had the opportunity to:

Work hands-on with the team, helping to implement and manage our CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform to improve customer engagement. I got familiar with HubSpot, learning my way around its tools and features through HubSpot Academy, an excellent resource full of interactive and engaging lessons that help you build a strong foundation in the platform’s essentials.

Support digital marketing campaigns and see how strategy translates into measurable results.

Ideate nurture flows, aligning marketing efforts with KYC (Know Your Customer) processes and client communications.

Conduct market research to identify key competitors in the transition energy and carbon markets, as well as scout major sponsorship opportunities.

I helped coordinate and support a media shoot day for new marketing materials, a great behind-the-scenes experience seeing how creative direction, brand messaging, and technical setup come together to tell a story visually.

A personal highlight, or rather, a comedic moment, came when the light sensors kept turning off mid-shoot, and I ended up hiding behind a column, waving my arms to keep the lights on while the cameras rolled.

Not quite the glamorous side of marketing, but definitely one of the most memorable!

Beyond the technical skills, my internship taught me a lot about communication, project management, and strategic thinking.

More than anything, it showed me what it’s like to work in a purpose-driven company, one that values collaboration, curiosity, and impact. Seeing classroom theory come to life in a real business setting was both validating and inspiring, and I left that summer feeling more confident and certain about the path I wanted to pursue.

Full Circle

Fast forward a year, and I’m back, this time as a Marketing Graduate.

Coming back to CFP Energy feels like a true full-circle moment. I’m really happy to be part of the team again, not just for the role itself, but for the people, the culture, and yes… the world of acronyms! (It can feel like alphabet soup at first, but trust me, you start to speak the language within a week)

These first two weeks have been about finding my rhythm again and taking on responsibilities.

Settling In

My first week was all about getting the lay of the land, reconnecting with familiar faces, and diving back in. The onboarding process was smooth and welcoming, IT had everything set up and ready to go, which made the transition easy and stress-free.

One of the highlights was exploring the new office space. The open, collaborative areas are a great reflection of how much the company has grown in such a short time.

A big part of the week was spent getting up to speed with the broader marketing strategy. I learned how upcoming campaigns align with our business goals, what our key product areas are, and how we’re positioning ourselves in the industry.

I also got a first look at the newly revamped website, which has transitioned to a new CMS (Content Management System), lots of moving parts, but all really interesting to explore.

In terms of my own responsibilities, I have been tasked with growing our social media strategy and content calendar, something I’m genuinely excited about. Beyond just posting updates, the goal is to create content that helps us reach a broader audience and bring a fresh perspective to how we communicate as a company.

Right now, CFP Energy’s social media presence is primarily focused on LinkedIn,  which has been great for professional engagement, but launching our Instagram account will open the door to a more diverse and creative style of content.

It’s an opportunity to showcase who we are beyond the corporate side, giving our audience a closer look at the people, culture, and ideas that drive the company.

Because the energy and carbon markets can sometimes feel complex or niche, I want to focus on developing lighter, more educational, bite-sized content that helps demystify what we do and makes our work more approachable.

It’s about humanising the brand, showing the people, the innovation, and the purpose behind what we do and making it easier for anyone, whether they’re industry experts or simply curious, to understand our impact.

My first mini-project was helping to create an “Our Story” page for the website. Using existing interviews with the CEO and Executive Director, I used AI to extract and summarise the transcripts before prompting it to draft a conversational piece that tells the story of how the company started, a mix of history, purpose, and personality.

This is a great example of how AI can be used to expedite mundane processes and tasks, but it’s not the end all solution, at least not yet It worked brilliantly for transcripts, but the direction, tone, and overall execution still needed a touch from George, our Senior Content Manager.

We ended the week with a lovely team lunch at a Thai restaurant, a great chance to catch up with everyone and talk about life beyond work. 

The team is James, the Georges, Oliver, and myself.

James is Head of Marketing; George T, our Marketing Platform Specialist, is versed in all things CRM/HubSpot; George B is Senior Content Manager, managing SEO and content strategy from idea to execution; and Oliver, our Content Writer, a real machine with the speed he churns out pieces of work!

Then there’s me, learning the ropes and still trying to keep up with the football chat...(slowly but surely).

A Creative Moment in the Chaos – Lime’s Take on the Tube Strikes

The start of my second week was disrupted with the Tube strikes across London.

With transport disruptions affecting most of the city, I helped send out internal communications advising everyone to plan ahead.

Throughout the week, I couldn’t help but notice how brands were reacting to the chaos online. And that’s when I came across one that truly stood out, Lime’s brilliantly clever reactive campaign. 

It’s simple, a blink-and-you-smile moment that instantly captured the attention of Londoners everywhere.

What made it so great was how timely and effortless it felt. Lime didn’t overcomplicate the message, it was clean, funny, and completely on-brand. They took a frustrating situation that every Londoner could relate to and found a way to inject humour and positivity into it.

It was a reminder of just how powerful reactive marketing can be when it’s done right.

It was timely, launched right in the middle of the strike, when it mattered most.

Recognisable, using TfL’s visual style made it instantly familiar. Cleverly branded as they didn’t even need a logo to make it unmistakably Lime. Most importantly it was human and relatable, they understood their audience and the mood of the city. 

It was a creative spark amid the chaos, and a great example of how agility, humour, and cultural awareness can make a brand feel truly connected to its audience.

Taking Ownership

Week two was all about stepping further into my role.

I started presenting my ideas and proposals to the marketing team and even shared some concepts with colleagues from other departments. It was a bit nerve-wracking at first, but seeing my input spark discussion, and be taken on board was incredibly rewarding.

I also took charge of organising our ClickUp  (my newfound love), streamlining systems to make processes more efficient. I created automations to reduce manual tasks, like setting up a flow that automatically moves backlogged events as deadlines approach, ensuring no sponsorship or attendance opportunities are missed.

After speaking with everyone, I realised that a visual and easy-to-digest approach works best for our team’s project management. I created a dashboard that will no doubt evolve as we discover what works (and what doesn’t).  

Another ‘first’ this week was working directly with our designer, Claire from Studio Works, to request creative assets for upcoming campaigns.

She is the best and her dogs’ special appearances on our weekly calls have become a highlight.

I had a brainstorming sessions , to come up with a name for a Spanish radio show with James and Marta Diez Dominguez, our Country Manager for Iberia and Senior Sales Trader in Italy.

(Marta is a highly respected sustainability professional who works with the British Chamber of Commerce in Spain and numerous other organisations as part of her role with CFP Energy)

Its amazing to meet someone who is well established within the industry and has worldwide connections, it will be interesting who the guests are for the show, will keep you updated!

On the content side, I built out a series of social media posts highlighting colleagues attending industry events. Having a consistent posting schedule has helped create momentum, allowing us to plan content themes two to three weeks ahead.

To round off the week, I completed my cybersecurity training, a reminder that staying safe online is just as important as being creative. The short modules were actually quite insightful, teaching practical tips on identifying risks and protecting data.

The Journey Continues

It’s been a busy but fulfilling start, full of learning, creative sparks, and opportunities to make a real impact. I’m excited for what’s ahead: launching our Instagram presence, refining our campaigns, and continuing to find new ways to make energy and carbon markets more engaging and accessible.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading! And if you’re curious about the graduate experience, marketing, or life at CFP Energy, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Until next time.

P.S. No packing lists in my inbox yet – If you know you know. (If not, check out my first entry to get in on the experiment!)