Introducing the Customer Engagement Group for
UK Power Networks

Peter is an Associate with FTI Consulting, Cornwall Insight, Stonehaven, and Sustainability First, where he provides advice to corporates and government agencies on energy market issues.

Peter previously spent 20 years as an equity analyst covering the pan European Utility sector. Peter headed up the sector research teams at a number of investment banks including Kleinwort Benson, Citigroup, and Jefferies. During this period, Peter and his team regularly topped the rankings as voted for by institutional investors. Prior to this, Peter spent 6 years at National Grid where he had a number of commercial roles, latterly as a member of the corporate strategy team with responsibility for the core transmission business.

Peter is an experienced leader, director, and consultant whose skills have been developed during a varied career of more than 35 years in the energy industry including twelve years’ experience at Board level in major plcs and a further 10 years as founder, CEO and then Chairman of Haven Power.

He began his career at Norweb (now Electricity North West) followed by Eastern Electricity and is a graduate of Cambridge University, a Chartered Engineer and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Peter has experience of electricity Generation, Distribution, Trading and Supply including extensive experience of supporting Customers, Generators and other stakeholders in their contact with Distribution Network Operators.

Ann has worked for more than thirty years with regulated infrastructure businesses and regulators in the UK and internationally.

She is the founder of Indepen, which is known for promoting constructive challenge to the status quo and has convened and chaired cross disciplinary groups to address controversial issues in the public, private and third sectors. She has a wealth of governance experience from working with boards and leading panels to review and challenge the thinking, strategies and plans of infrastructure businesses. Ann has lived and worked in UK Power Networks’ regions for over three decades and understands the region and its rich diversity of customers and stakeholders.

A leading figure in the technology sector, Dan chairs SmarterUK – the UK smart infrastructure initiative within techUK – and chairs the British Standards Institute (BSI) Standards Policy & Strategy Committee, with a focus on driving digital transformation.

A former politician heavily involved in energy and technology policy, Dan is a highly effective and experienced speaker and communicator, and is the Chief Commercial Officer at artificial intelligence start-up UnifAI Technology.

A former British Army officer, Dan stepped down from Parliament in 2015 where he served on the Energy & Climate Change Select Committee and the Science & Technology Committee, in addition to chairing a number of influential All Party Parliamentary Groups including the All Party Environment Group.

Dan was founding Chair of the All Party Smart Cities Group and has a strong reputation as a thought leader with regard to Smart Cities, the Internet of Things (IoT) and digital transformation. As an MP he was a Parliamentary Adviser to the Green Alliance and a President of the Young Persons Trust for the Environment.

Sarah is an expert in regulation, competition and consumer policy.

She is currently Chair of the Legal Services Consumer Panel, and of the Renewable Energy Consumer Code applications panel, and a member of the Pensions Regulator Determinations Panel, the Judicial Appointments Commission, and the board of the Electoral Commission. Until 2018 she was a non-executive director and Panel Member of the Competition & Markets Authority and the CAA consumer panel. Before that she held various posts as a senior civil servant, mainly at the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Business Innovation & Skills and as CEO of Postcomm.

Nigel is a respected independent commentator on competition in energy markets and their regulation.

He is founder and Director of Cornwall Insight and founder of New Anglia Energy, a company supporting local energy markets in Norfolk and Suffolk and developing regional leadership. Nigel has extensive experience of energy restructuring in the UK and internationally in both the public and private sectors, especially governance related aspects. As a civil servant, he was actively involved in the initial electricity vesting process in the UK and oversaw the establishment of National Grid. He spent much of the 1990s working overseas, involved in energy sector reform in a range of emerging and developed markets. Since returning to the UK, he was founder and ran until 2017 Cornwall Insight, one of the pre-eminent research companies operating in the sector.

Ashleye is an independent consumer policy consultant specialising in competition, customer satisfaction and stakeholder engagement in regulated consumer markets. She brings over 25 years of consumer behaviour, policy and research expertise.

She provides in depth insight into consumer behaviour and the factors necessary to achieve the engaged consumers essential for truly successful markets, designing the exceptionally successful collective switch consumer engagement trials for Ofgem in 2018-19. She has a record of delivering influential investigations and policy solutions in sectors from energy and financial services to telecoms, food and consumer rights.

Ashleye was previously Policy Programme Director at Which? and prior to this had an award-winning career as an advertising strategist.

Jeff is a Senior Research Fellow at the Imperial College London Grantham Institute where he researches what the future low carbon energy system might look like, how people will engage with it and what businesses will be operating in it.

He is also a Non-Exec Director at Public Power Solutions, a low-carbon power and waste company. Previously he was Head of Sustainable Energy Futures at Ofgem, and Head of Science for Work Group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He has also worked at the UK Energy Research Centre, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Green Chemistry Group at the University of York and at Sellafield as a research chemist in a nuclear laboratory.

John is Director of Indepen, a consultancy working with infrastructure businesses facing the challenges of regulation, deregulation, competition and restructuring.

An economist by background, John has been a lecturer, a civil servant and has worked in management consultancy and in corporate finance teams. He has advised regulated industries since privatisation through price reviews and industry reform, and has worked the UK, Australia, and SE Asia.

Earlier in his career John led the mergers and acquisitions team in the corporate finance division of Deloitte and worked with UK government departments and agencies on areas of public policy including education, health and social housing.

Dr Ralitsa Hiteva is a Research Fellow in infrastructure governance and business model innovations at the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex.

Ralitsa has over 15 years of experience carrying out research and writing on the topics of sustainability, fuel poverty and low carbon transitions. An energy geographer by training, Ralitsa specialises in bringing together different perspectives, policy, industry and society for meaningful engagement with complex policy objectives and topics, such as infrastructure interdependencies and industrial change.

Her most recent work investigated issues around digital inclusion and aging. Ralitsa is an active member of the Sussex Energy Group and the International Symposia for Next Generation Infrastructure.

Phil is at the heart of the Energy System Catapult’s Power Systems Practice playing a key role in the Future Power System Architecture Project.

Phil was sponsored by Norweb, now Electricity North West, studying engineering at Cambridge University. He transferred to the CEGB and, on privatisation, joined National Grid. He currently works part time for the Energy Systems Catapult.

Phil’s career has covered operations from working in the field to acting National Control Engineer on shift, to leading National Grid’s Future System Operation Project.

Away from operation he was a member of the Balancing and Settlement Code Panel and spent two years on secondment to government working on energy resilience.

Andrew is Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs for Calon Energy which has its Head Office near Newport in South Wales.

With over 30 years of working in heavily regulated and highly political sectors, Andrew joined the Macquarie backed Calon Energy in early 2015 (Calon Energy owns three gas fired power plants (CCGTs) and has a further site ready for development).

Andrew has worked in energy, mining, water and health, both in the UK and internationally, working closely with customer representatives, government departments, MPs and Ministers.

In his spare time Andrew plays golf, travels extensively and is overseeing the renovation of a 400 year old property (everyone should do it once – never twice).

Andrew has lived and worked in different parts of the UK Power Networks’ regions for over 30 years and has a strong understanding of customer and stakeholder needs

Nicholas Pollard is an experienced CEO who has led businesses across UK, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.

A purposeful leader with a flair for turnarounds, Nick currently serves as Chair (Construction & International) at Interserve Group.

Nick made a real difference as an executive at Railtrack, Network Rail, Skanska, Bovis Lend Lease, Navigant and Balfour Beatty. Most recently he led the complex restructuring and turnaround of EfW operator, Cory Riverside, which sold after 3 years for a sum in excess of £1.5bn.

These roles were characterised by tough business challenges: the need for tight governance; regulatory and funding limitations; complexities of major capital programmes; significant risks; operational issues; contractual difficulties and safety critical operation of assets and networks in the utility and transport sectors.

Nick has served as an advisor to the UK Government.

Julia is Director of Financing for Sizewell C, and is working with Government to identify an innovative way for Sizewell C to be funded at best value to electricity consumers, and with potential investors and lenders to raise the capital required.

Prior to her move to Sizewell C, Julia was Head of Power and Renewables for UK, US & Europe at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP. From HSF she led a cross-practice team advising on nuclear, wind, biomass and tidal projects.

Julia is a Fellow of the Energy Institute, member of CBI Energy & Climate Change Board and of the advisory board for Business in the Community, East of England.

Nikki is a research, content and publishing professional with over 20 years’ experience, and a background in business and public sector policy.

She specialises in delivering positive impact for businesses and consumers through applied research, engagement, education and action.

She’s held executive and non-executive positions, and has significant strategic and organisational leadership experience. For 10 years she was Group Director of Research and Publishing at Which? – UK’s largest independent consumer body.

She's an expert in using rigorous, innovative and impartial research and engagement techniques to shape decisions. She’s worked across consumer goods, retail, utilities and public service sectors.

Nikki has lived and worked in London, Kent and East Sussex.

Anne is a digital and innovation executive and former board member and Chief Digital and Innovation Officer of Visa Europe.

Anne’s expertise lies in Digital Transformation and in creating and implementing high impact strategies to enable the adoption of consumer products and solutions. Anne is the founder of Marelle Consulting working with companies seeking to transform and accelerate their Digital and Innovation agendas. Anne started her career working at Exane BNP Paribas as a Trading & Arbitrage Research Analyst before working for Deutsche Telekom, 20th Century Fox and Visa Inc in a number of senior roles where she was responsible for driving sizable P&Ls and launching new consumer propositions and solutions to market across large regional footprints.

Peter is the Director of theconsumerfirst ltd., a consultancy specialising in putting the consumer front and centre of business and public sector decision-making.

He spent the last 14 years as Chief Executive of Which?, the largest consumer organisation in Europe. In that role he specialised in advocacy work in financial services, utilities, rail and the nature of regulation. He was also the President of BEUC, the Brussels-based umbrella body of European consumer organisations. Prior to Which? Peter’s career spanned the commercial sectors with spells at Procter & Gamble, Mars Confectionery and McKinsey and the voluntary sector with periods running fundraising and commercial activities at Cancer Research UK and Oxfam.