Joanna Taylor is a Partner at Omera Partners specialising in executive search across the global energy, oil and gas, and new energy sectors, with over 17 years of experience appointing Chief Executives and senior leaders in markets spanning Australia and Asia-Pacific through to Europe, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom. She is known for taking on the mandates other firms consider impossible, drawing on deep sector networks to find leaders in a market where the talent pool for emerging energy disciplines is genuinely thin.
What are the biggest challenges your clients face in finding senior talent?
“The energy sector is undergoing its most profound transformation in a generation and the talent challenge reflects that complexity. Clients need executives who can build renewables portfolios, execute on mergers and acquisitions, unlock alternative revenue streams, and understand the role that new energy technologies, smart metering, data centres, and Renewable Energy Zone development will play across the value chain. Many of these are emerging disciplines. The talent pool is thin, profiles are unconventional, and the executives who can build businesses and drive transformation with a genuine growth mindset do not always come from where you would expect. Finding them requires creativity, deep networks, and the ability to assess capability well beyond a traditional resume.”
Which industries or functions do you specialise in?
“I work exclusively across the energy value chain: oil and gas, liquefied natural gas, power generation, transmission and distribution, wholesale and retail energy markets, and new energy technologies including solar, wind, hydrogen, and battery energy storage systems. The roles I work on range from Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer through to Executive General Manager and equivalent senior appointments.”
What types of appointments are you most proud of?
“The briefs I find most rewarding are the ones other firms consider impossible, where the market is thin, the brief is complex, and the client does not believe the person exists. My proudest appointments include Chief Executive roles for organisations at the heart of Australia’s energy sector: the Australian Energy Council, the Australian Institute of Petroleum, Hydro Tasmania, AusEnergy Services Limited, and Scheme Financial Vehicle.”
The Hydro Tasmania Chief Executive search illustrates the complexity Joanna operates within. Hydro Tasmania is one of Australia’s largest government-owned energy businesses, operating significant hydroelectric, wind, and gas-fired generation assets and playing a critical role in the nation’s renewable energy future. The mandate demanded a leader capable of navigating complex government stakeholder relationships, significant operational scale, and the pressures of the energy transition simultaneously. The appointment was made from a highly competitive national and international field.
As Joanna reflects: “Finding the right leader for an organisation like Hydro Tasmania, where the mandate is complex and the stakes are genuinely high, is exactly what I do best.”
How do you build trust with both clients and candidates?
“Trust comes from being honest, transparent, and genuinely consultative, giving advice based on what is in the best interests of the client and the candidate, even when that means a difficult conversation. At this level, a candidate is making a career-defining decision, and a client is appointing an executive whose success directly impacts the organisation. I invest significant time building relationships with leaders long before any mandate exists. That approach has resulted in a 97% repeat client engagement rate over five consecutive years.”
"Greatness is found in the details others overlook: in understanding what a client truly needs, in knowing which conversation has not happened yet, and in the courage to have it. I go beyond the expected because the stakes demand it. Every appointment I make shapes an organisation’s future..”
What keeps you energised outside of work?
“I am at my best when I am outdoors. Ocean swimming, surfing, skiing, hiking, tennis, and yoga keep me grounded. I am also a passionate traveller and find that different cultures and markets keep my thinking sharp.”
