On the Move: Amber Rudd becomes Centrica director

In our first appointment round-up of 2022, former home secretary Amber Rudd has joined Centrica as a non-executive director. Meanwhike, Ovo’s corporate affairs director Simon Maine is leaving the company and Bulb’s head of industry operations has departed to launch a trade body for thermal storage.

Centrica

Former home secretary Amber Rudd has joined Centrica has a non-executive director.

Rudd, who served as Conservative MP for Hastings and Rye for 9 years, stepped down prior to the 2019 general election having served in several high-profile government positions including as energy secretary and minister for women and equalities.

At Centrica, Rudd will become a member of the Safety, Environment and Sustainability Committee and the Remuneration Committee.

Scott Wheway, Chairman of Centrica said: “As secretary of state for energy and climate change, Amber was the driving force in the UK’s participation in the Paris Climate Change Agreement, the first legally binding global commitment to reduce national carbon emissions.

“She brings a wealth of real-world experience in energy, which will be invaluable as we face the challenge of delivering net zero and helping our customers live more sustainably and affordably.”

Arenko

Former finance director of Engie Futures, Eddie Siow, has been appointed as chief financial officer of Arenko.

Siow has more than 17 years’ experience working in a variety of senior and board roles in the energy and financial sectors. His record includes operational and corporate finance, M&A and capital raising, as well as managing and growing energy transition businesses.

He joins from Engie Futures which has a £150 million revenue UK portfolio of heat networks, electric vehicle charging, and distributed and renewable generation businesses.

In addition, he served as an Engie board member for its UK onshore wind and solar assets, and helped develop greenfield investment opportunities.

Prior to this, Siow was a director in the investment bank at Barclays and he has also worked in investment banking at Lehman Brothers and Nomura.

Rupert Newland, founder and chief executive of Arenko Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome Eddie as CFO to the Arenko team. Eddie’s significant financial experience and deep sector expertise in grid scale and distributed renewable energy will greatly enhance our management team.

“Eddie will provide the financial expertise necessary to enable Arenko to facilitate a global transition to a zero-carbon future.”

Brookfield Asset Management

Ovo’s director of corporate affairs, Simon Maine, has announced he is leaving the company after just over a year. It comes shortly after the departure of Ben Blake as the company’s chief executive in November.

After leaving his current role on 31 January, Maine will be joining renewables investor Brookfield Asset Management as managing director in the communications team.

In a post to followers on LinkedIn, Maine said:  “Goldman Sachs recently coined the phrase ‘green energy majors’ (GEMS) to describe the next generation of businesses driving the energy transition forward. It won’t be long before a wider audience realises that Brookfield firmly belongs in this group of pioneering companies.

“As a mark of what’s to come it’s incredible to see the billions committed to Brookfield’s major new fund – the Global Transition Fund – to help accelerate the transition to a net zero economy. It will add huge firepower to what is already one of the world’s largest pure-play renewable power generators.

“It is also a moment tinged with sadness for the brilliant team I leave behind at Ovo. I’ve learned so much from my colleagues, particularly my team in corporate affairs who show up each and every day to drive their employer and their community just a little closer to our collective net zero goal.”

A spokesperson for Ovo told Utility Week that a replacement for Maine had not yet been confirmed.

Thermal Storage UK

The head of industry operations at Bulb, Tom Lowe, has left the company after two years to start a trade body for thermal storage.

Lowe initially joined the disruptor brand as interim head of legal, risk and regulation as maternity cover, before rising to become head of UK regulatory affairs and then head of industry operations.

Speaking recently Lowe said he was excited to be starting as founding director of the new trade body.

“Decarbonising heat is one of the toughest challenges to reach net zero. We need more flexibility in when we use energy from the grid and thermal storage has a big role to play,” he added.

Phoenix Group

Finally Tim Lord, who has spent a year as a senior fellow at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, has taken up the position of head of climate change at Phoenix Group.

The company is a long-term savings and retirement business whose customer brands include SunLife, Standard Life, Phoenix Life, ReAssure and Ark Life.