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On the Move: Former big six boss appointed CEO for battery developer

In our latest round-up of industry appointments, a former big six boss has been announced as the new chief executive of battery storage developer Pulse Clean Energy, while Ovo has made two new appointments to boost its senior team. Elsewhere in the sector, trade body the Association for Decentralised Energy has appointed a new chair.

Pulse Clean Energy

Former Npower boss Paul Massara has been announced as the new chief executive of battery storage developer Pulse Clean Energy.

The company was formerly known as Green Frog Power but was rebranded earlier this year as part of a strategic pivot towards battery storage following its acquisition by the Investment Management Corporation of Ontario last year.  It had previously built nine diesel engine peaking plants, which it is decommissioning and repurposing for battery storage as it seeks to build a 1GW storage portfolio.

Massara, who led Npower for almost three years from early 2013 to late 2015, has been Pulse Clean Energy’s chairman for the past year.

As well as holding a number of non-executive roles, Massara previously served as an advisory board member of the Committee on Fuel Poverty between January 2016 and March of this year.

He replaces Matthew Mendes who has moved to a non-executive director role.

Ovo

Elsewhere, Ovo has announced to two new additions to its senior leadership team with the appointment of a new chief commercial officer (CCO) and vice president of growth.

Mat Moakes

Mat Moakes, former local heroes director at Centrica, is joining Ovo as CCO and will be responsible for accelerating the company’s home services business and driving progress towards zero carbon living.

He was previously UK chief executive of online car buying platform heycar and also served as its group chief commercial officer.

Moakes, who replaces Chris Russell as CCO, will be supported in his role by Ido Padani who will join Ovo as vice president of growth.

Padani, who replaces Tim Grimsditch, is currently chief executive of B2C rewards start-up Cashkum. He has held a number of other senior roles including at Quidco, where he was chief commercial officer, as well as at Expedia and Marriott International.

Ido Padani

Moakes will join Ovo in December, while Padani will start in January 2023.

Commenting on the appointments, Ovo chief executive Raman Bhatia said: “Mat and Ido both have a wealth of experience in delivering highly impactful, digitally focused propositions and we’re delighted to have them join Ovo at a time when customers need support with cost of living and making their homes more energy efficient.”

Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE)

Dave Robson, chief executive of energy efficiency developer InstaGroup, has been appointed as the new chair of the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE).

He has served as an ADE non-executive director since December 2017.

Speaking about his appointment, Robson said: “The ADE is well-known in the sector for the fantastic work it does to progress energy efficiency, as well as its across-the-board successes in integrated, whole system thinking, so it is with real pleasure that I step into the role of chair at the organisation.

“There are certainly a wealth of challenges ahead, but with them comes new opportunities, and I am confident that the ADE will continue to play its critical role in the deployment of decentralised energy technologies able to permanently drive down demand, deliver net zero and ultimately, make energy work for the consumer.”

He replaces Ramboll director Lucy Padfield who will continue to serve on the board going forward.