On The Move: Energy UK appoints new chair

In our latest round-up of industry appointments trade body Energy UK has announced a new chair as incumbent John Hutton steps down after five years in the role. Elsewhere, Thames Water has a new interim retail director while Yu Energy makes two new senior appointments.

Energy UK

Former chief secretary to the Treasury David Laws has been announced as the new chair of Energy UK.

Laws, who replaces outgoing chair John Hutton, will take up the role in the New Year.

While serving as Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil from 2001 to 2015, he held a number of positions in the Coalition Government including as schools minister and Cabinet Office minister.

He is currently executive chairman of the Education Policy Institute, chairman of the Education Partnerships Group, an adviser to GK Strategy and a non-executive director at Fable Data.

Commenting on his appointment, Laws said: “The fundamental importance of the energy industry to our economy and everybody’s lives has probably never been more evident than at present.

“While the energy sector certainly faces very significant challenges right now, it also offers enormous potential to help us meet the challenges around climate change and boost the UK’s sustainable economic growth and productivity.”

Emma Pinchbeck, Energy UK’s chief executive, said: “David will be invaluable in helping Energy UK to represent our industry at this time, as we look to tackle the causes and consequences of the current global energy crisis for our customers.

“We were delighted that David also strongly supports net zero, as we are committed to building a clean and affordable energy system to power the future, low-carbon economy.

“I must also give heartfelt thanks to Lord John Hutton for all his support and wise counsel during my time as chief executive.”

Thames Water

David Bird, former managing director of Eon’s UK residential business, will take up the role of interim retail director at Thames Water following Warren Buckley’s decision to retire early.

Buckley, who started the role in March 2021, will step away from the business in January. He will continue in his role as chair of Citizens Advice, however.

Bird has spent more than a decade in the retail energy industry and was chief executive of Co-op Energy, a business eventually bought by Octopus. Most recently he was chief operating officer at waste management company Biffa.

He has also worked for a range of household names including Marks & Spencer, BUPA, Vodafone, Homebase and National Express.

Furthermore, Bird has held non-executive director roles in the NHS, Department for Education and at the Independent Police Complaints Commission and is currently an advisor to Aston University’s Centre for Circular Economy & Advanced Sustainability.

Buckley said: “I’m extremely proud of the part I’ve played in beginning to transform Thames Water’s customer service, representing the voice of the customer across the business. The retail team have been integral in helping me to deliver my vision and I’d like to thank them for dedication.

“I am confident that David will continue to drive the changes already put in place to deliver excellent customer experiences.”

Bird said: “I’m very committed to continue the journey of transforming customer service at Thames Water – a company that provides such an essential service to millions of customers across the region.

“I’ll be working closely with Warren over the coming two months to ensure a smooth transition and remain focused on delivering the businesses turnaround strategy.”

Future Energy Skills Board

A number of high profile industry executives have come together to form a new Future Energy Skills Board aimed at ensuring a just energy transition.

The board is co-chaired by Centrica chief executive Chris O’Shea and GMB general secretary Gary Smith. It will build upon the work of government-led initiatives including the Green Jobs Taskforce and produce two reports.

The first will examine the steps that can be taken to ensure the sector creates “careers for the future” as the UK accelerates plans for energy independence in a more geopolitically challenging environment.

The second will explore how to ensure there is a just transition for the UK’s existing high carbon workforce as part of the pursuit of net zero.

The board consists of:

• Co-Chair, Centrica – Chris O’Shea, Chief Executive
• Co-Chair, GMB – Gary Smith, General Secretary
• Rolls-Royce – Sarah Armstrong, Chief People Officer
• Daikin – Iain Bevan, Commercial Director – Heating and Renewables
• JCB – Philip Bouverat, Corporate Affairs Director
• Unite the Union – Simon Coop, National Officer for Energy
• Equinor – Alex Grant, Senior Vice President of Business Development Origination and Execution
• Offshore Energies UK – Katy Heidenreich, Supply Chain and People’s Director
• Prospect – Sue Ferns, Senior Deputy General Secretary
• Unison – Matthew Lay, National Officer for Energy
• Rt Hon Jim Murphy, Managing Director Arden Strategies
• National Grid – John Pettigrew CEO
• TUC – Kevin Rowan, Head of Organisation, Services and Skills
• Professor Karen Turner – Director of the Centre For Energy Policy, University of Strathclyde

Smith said: “This programme brings together leaders from industry, trade unions and academia to use their expertise in tackling the twin challenges of transitioning to a low carbon future and the urgent need for greater energy resilience.

“The group will do so by focusing on the opportunities to create the skilled workforce and corporate leadership that ensures our country is a global leader.”

O’Shea said: “Delivering the transition to a net-zero economy has consequences for British industry, the future of thousands of workers and the communities in which they live.

“High amongst the challenges and opportunities is the need to retain and retrain our existing workforce and repurpose legacy infrastructure in a way that enables new industries to flourish and generates value for future generations. In the coming weeks we look forward to exploring how British workers and businesses can be best placed to make the most of these opportunities.”

Yu Energy

David Crowe has been appointed as the new managing director of non-domestic supplier Yu Energy.

Crowe, who previously served as Yu Energy’s head of trading and optimisation, founded and was chief executive of Entice Energy, a small supplier which ceased trading in November 2021.

Additionally, Yu has appointed Adam Jones as head of trading.

Formerly a senior manager at Bfy Group, Jones’ previous roles include senior vendor manager at Eon UK.