In the latest appointments round-up from across the utilities sector, the head of BP UK is to step down at the end of this year; the Energy Networks Association has named the chair for its smart grid project; MOSL has appointed a non-executive director, and Energy UK’s switching consumer group has a new chair.
Louise Kingham, currently chief executive of the Energy Institute, will join BP in May as head of UK and senior vice president for Europe.
Kingham will succeed Peter Mather who will step down and leave the company at the end of the year after being head of BP UK since 2004, in which time he established the company’s new entity in the UK: regions, cities & solutions.
William Lin, executive vice president region, cities and solution, said: “We are very fortunate to have such a qualified successor to Peter in this key role. Louise’s experience in public policy, issues management and stakeholder engagement, not to mention her extraordinary network, position her ideally to help advance BP’s transformation agenda.’’
Mather will continue in his non-executive role as chair of the BP Europe supervisory board.
Energy Network Association has announced Sotiris Georgiopoulos, head of smart grid development at UKPN, as chair of ENA’s Open Networks project. Georgiopoulos, who has been involved with the project since its inception, takes over from Nigel Turvey of Western Power Distribution, who stepped down ahead of retirement.
Georgiopoulos said: “2021 will be a year of action and delivery, and I am looking forward to collaborating with the whole industry, from BEIS and Ofgem to flexibility providers and community groups all over the country, to deliver the vital changes to deliver net zero emissions.”
Philip Marsden, deputy chair of the Bank of England’s enforcement committee, has been appointed as non-executive director at the non-household water sector’s market operation MOSL. Marsden, who joins the board in April, has been involved in a number of Ofwat panels and committees.
He also sits on the enforcement decision panel at Ofgem, is a member of the Case Decisions Committee at the Financial Conduct Authority and the Payment Systems Regulator.
MOSL chair Anne Heal said: “His wide-ranging portfolio of board, advisory and enforcement roles mean he is well placed to support the organisation, and in turn, the wider market, as we look at lessons learnt from Covid-19, how the market is developing and functioning, and as we begin the delivery of our 2021-24 business plan.”
Matthew Cole has been named as the independent chair of the Energy Switch Guarantee (ESG), a voluntary industry initiative launched by Energy UK for switching.
Audrey Gallacher, Energy UK’s deputy chief executive and director of policy said: “Matthew offers substantial experience in being an advocate for energy consumers and improving customer outcomes. This will be instrumental in building their confidence in the Energy Switch Guarantee as a guarantee of speedy, seamless switching.”
Cole replaces Pamela Taylor in the role.
Elsewhere, Ben Godfrey, DSO manager at Western Power Distribution has taken on the newly vacant role of flexibility services chair and Andy Wainwright, business lead National Grid ESO, as whole energy systems chair.