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2021 Annual Letter to Juru’s Employees

#Blog December 31, 2021

Dear Colleagues,

2021 has been memorable for Juru in many respects. Last year around this time, Juru had 30 or so full time employees. This year, as of Dec 2021, we employ 60 FTE in Tashkent and ca. 120 people including project-based staff. This makes Juru by far the largest consultancy and engineering firm in Central Asia with a focus on energy transition and sustainability. I find the fast growth of our employee base highly rewarding, as creating high quality employment opportunities for our staff is one of the most important KPIs I measure my own success at Juru.

In the beginning of 2021 we have reorganised the firm into two separate business units (BUs), each with three dedicated practice areas:

Consulting BU

• • Energy Systems Advisory
  • Smart Power Systems
  • Environmental and Social

Engineering BU

• • Power Generation
  • Transmission & Distribution
  • Civil Engineering & Surveys

In terms of projects we worked on, just in 2021 alone, we have been contracted for over 25 new assignments. Overall in 2021, we have worked on more than 40 assignments, predominantly in Uzbekistan, but also in other countries in Central Asia. 

Examples of the projects we have worked on in 2021:

• [Sepco3/Masdar] Detailed Design of 220 kV power evacuation infrastructure and Design Adaptation for the first 100 MW solar PV project in Uzbekistan
• [EBRD] Technical Advisory for the first wind auction in Uzbekistan
• [Masdar] Complete annual solar measurement campaign for the 3 x solar PV projects (Sherabad, Samarkand and Jizzakh)
• [NEGU] FS and Tender Support for SCADA and telecommunications infrastructure for National Dispatch Centre of Uzbekistan
• [Acwa] Pre Feasibility study for ca. 290 km 500 kV OHTL in Uzbekistan
• [WB] Preparation of a Roadmap for Industrial Decarbonisation in Uzbekistan
• [EBRD] Advisory to GoK for developing local renewables supply chain in Kazakhstan
• [WB] Support for the establishment of Intersectoral Energy Saving Fund and evaluation of EE potential of different sectors in Uzbekistan
• [EBRD] Best Practice Guidelines on Management of Environmental and Social Impacts in Solar Energy Sector in Uzbekistan
• [EBRD] Category A ESIA for Sarimay-Dzhankeldy ca.130 km 500 kV Transmission Line

I am very much looking forward to 2022. We have a strong project pipeline for 2022, having recently been contracted for a number of high profile projects, such as:

• Engineering Design for the 500 MW Wind Power Project in Uzbekistan
• Support Modelling the Electricity Sector of Uzbekistan until 2050
• Techno-Economic Study for Renewable Heating and Cooling Options for Public Buildings in Uzbekistan

In 2022, we will continue to invest in our capabilities within Consulting and Engineering business units, developing new products and services, establishing new teams, and entering new markets. In 2022, we will also create a third business unit, Sustainability Business Unit, in order to better serve our clients on a range of sustainability topics across different sectors. The new BU will be created on the basis of our existing Environmental & Social practice and will see its number of staff and services increase.

Sustained growth of the firm is possible only if we build the company around strong values. Therefore, I would like to name three key values around which to build the firm:

• Value #1: Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship has been and will remain as the foundation of human progress. It has many dimensions:

• Problem solving
• Creativity
• Flexibility or Agility
• Persistence
• Innovativeness
• Creating opportunities for others
• Learning with clear purpose
• etc.

I believe that modern entrepreneurship is not always well understood. In the future, more ventures will be created within established platforms or firms that serve as such. In turn, the companies or the platforms that will succeed will be the ones attractive to such entrepreneurs. I would like Juru to be such a platform or vehicle for highly successful entrepreneurs. I also believe that everyone at Juru can be entrepreneurs, even a fresh intern! A young intern or recent graduate can bring his/her refreshing ideas to the team in order to tackle the task creatively and, in this manner, look to contribute to the team's overall success.

• Value #2: Team oriented 

Most people perform remarkably poorly in a team environment, at the time when projects are increasingly more complex and multidisciplinary. Getting the team into a coherent shape and perform well is both an art and a science. A single non-cooperating colleague might jeopardise the performance of the whole team. It could be due to poor “soft” skills, poor education or behavioural biases (read: ego). There might be other less obvious reasons, such as cultural differences, too. Whatever the reasons, it is clear that the future of work is in a team and the successful organisations are the ones with better performing teams, not individuals. Therefore, we need to support our team leaders to organise their team better and foster greater teamwork. We also need to support our staff to help them better integrate into their team. 

• Value #3: Humility

We live in the era in human history when our DNA is the most sophisticated. We are lucky to live through such a time and should be proud. However, this also makes us prone to get carried away every now and then. We are often highly opinionated and quick to judge. As a result, empathy and ability to listen are in short supply. Humility is necessary, both within the organisation and outside! We can’t be useful to each other unless we learn to be in one another’s shoes.

In conclusion, note that I did not mention the quality of work or anything like that as our core values. These are the result or output of our work, whereas our values are the input or key ingredients of our work. Our clients, partners and broader stakeholders will consider these things as a prerequisite for doing business with us. 

Thank you very much for your trust and commitment in 2021! God bless us all in 2022!

Yours faithfully,
Botir