Energy UK appoints director of supply from Citizen’s Advice

Energy UK has hired its new director of energy supply from the Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB) in a bid to improve the industry’s customer service and delivery.

Audrey Gallacher is currently the CAB’s director of energy, but Utility Week can exclusively reveal that she will join the trade association on 25 January 2016 to help the energy sector put consumer experience “at the heart of the industry”.

Energy UK chief executive Lawrence Slade said in a statement: “She brings with her a wealth of experience in campaigning for consumers and her appointment is testament to the determination of the energy sector to work on improving the service and products they provide their millions of customers. It is very important for any representative organisation to understand the issues and challenge the way things have been done.”

Gallacher said that although the energy industry has often had “a justifiably hard time for failing its customers” there is a “real willingness” to improve service and meet consumer needs.

In addition to treating customers fairly, in the future Gallacher says suppliers need to seize the opportunity presented by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) probe to regain consumer trust.

Gallacher told Utility Week: “The industry has a unique opportunity to reset consumer trust when the CMA reports back next year. The big challenge is to take advantage of the opportunity to reassure customers where the findings show the market is operating properly, and to swiftly respond to the remedies that the CMA identifies.

“It won’t be easy, but hopefully we can move forward from what, frankly, has been a pretty bad place,” she said.

Gallacher added that her experience working for customers will “help put the focus on the consumer experience”, providing a constructive challenge to the status quo and an insight into what is needed to meet the challenges.

She will join the executive team of Energy UK and will sit on the board, the association said.