Registered number: 09263424. He also holds an MBA from Yale University and is an independent non-executive director of the Thames Estuary Growth Board, where he co-chairs the hydrogen committee, and a Member of the Yale University Alumni Association Board of Governors. We have a technology licensing business with big customers like E.ON and EDF, and weve invested in generation and a heat pump centre. Greg Jackson was grilled by viewers on profits, prices and electric blankets . Jon played a key role in establishing leading Australian challengers Simply Energy (now part of Engie) and Alinta East Coast retail holding a number of senior roles across operations, customer experience and market development. Gregory Jackson is an American mixed martial arts trainer who co-owns Jackson Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico, widely considered one of the top MMA training centers in the world. Diversity is extremely important during our hiring process, and we anonymise CVs so that we can hire for the people behind the name and profile. Family In a relationship; has two children from previous partners. Could Octopus become another Bulb? Read more . Upstream reported that Jackson joined Greenpeace at the age of 16, and his expertise was in mirror manufacturing, coffee shops and software before launching Octopus Energy in 2015. My mum is very, very politically opinionated and I have that., Jackson wont be drawn on how long the energy crisis will last: Its a fool that predicts commodity markets. Located in Slough, the centre will train 1000 heat pump engineers per year and develop new heating systems. .more. [31] This meant Octopus gained "unicorn" status, as a startup company with a value in excess of 1 billion. Prior to joining Octopus Energy, Lara worked at US-based Opower, a customer engagement start-up and pioneer of Behavioural Energy Efficiency. Greg Jackson on Twitter: "Octopus Energy recent commitments: 10,000,000 to build a decarb of heat R&D centre 5,000,000 to establish the Centre for Net Zero 108,000 to its BLM fund 1,000 ad on a right wing channel So, 15,108x more on progressive stuff More soon, but hope perspective helps." / Twitter. Octopus Energy was established in August 2015 as a subsidiary of Octopus Capital Limited. We then realised the change within the energy industry we could enable with a strong technology platform underpinning us, and thats how Octopus Energy came about. Its actually more than that: bringing down energy costs is one of the reasons I started the business, he says. Fiona studied Engineering, Economics and Management at Oxford, and initially worked at BMW on a hydrogen fuel cell for an auxiliary power unit, as part of a hydrogen car that used a combustion engine. [59] It was first licensed by UK rival Good Energy in late 2019, for an initial three-year term, to manage its 300,000 customers. The acquisition was the first step in Octopus' $100m US expansion; at the time of the acquisition, Octopus announced it was aiming to acquire 25 million US customers, and 100 million global customers in total, by 2027. You cant just enter this market by shaking your piggy bank. He believes suppliers with more than 10,000 customers should be subject to hedging checks. [54] In June of that year, the group's fund management team bought the rights to develop the 35MW Gaishecke wind farm near Frankfurt, Germany. What impact has the pandemic had on Octopus Energy and how have they navigated this? [29], In September 2019 Octopus acquired German start-up 4hundred for 15m; the acquisition of 4hundred, which had 11,000 customers, was Octopus' first overseas expansion. He won the Coach of the Year award in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Greg Jackson is the founder and CEO of Octopus Energy Group, the energy technology group with 3.5 million customers globally, operations in 14 countries and a 4.4bn portfolio of renewable energy assets. He refers to Octopus as an en-tech business rather than an energy company, and uses an unusual management structure, dividing its 1,600 employees into highly independent teams, obviating the need for a formal HR department. Launched in 2016, the company's mission is to bring cheaper, greener power to all. Rachel started her career in utilities as a consultant where she worked on a number of international energy industry privatisation and restructuring projects. The collection of projects reflects Jacksons entrepreneurial background. What defines a successful entrepreneur? Interview with Entrepreneur - Greg Jackson - CEO of Octopus Energy. Theyve secured excellent leasing rates on leading EVs, designed a great EV salary sacrifice scheme to help businesses increase the uptake of EVs, created energy tariffs designed specifically for EV drivers, and have partnered with smart charging tech companies to enable customers to access cheap and green energy rates with ease. Deepak is a successful entrepreneur himself, taking the tech business he founded from concept to IPO. Launched in 2016, Octopus Energy's mission is to bring cheaper, greener power to all through technology. He spends around an hour each day dealing directly with customers to understand that experience better, along with discussing trade-offs such as pricing strategy and infrastructure. I literally dont get invited to them. I also have had non-executive and chairman roles at peer-to-peer lender Zopa and Consultant Connect. Fellow green energy group Bulb went bust last November and remains in special administration. Theyve been characterised as inexperienced and foolhardy for not hedging their energy far enough in advance. Her work focused on making essential services sustainable, high quality and affordable. [5], By April 2018, the company had 198,000 customers and had made an energy procurement deal with Shell. What advice do you have for other businesses on environmental sustainability and its impact on climate change? We took the 15 years it usually takes to make a vaccine, and did it in less than a year. What we have to do now is a million times more complicated., The result of this simplified central planning could be seen the previous week, when electricity prices were colossally high, we were having to use lots of back-up supplies [and] we were literally paying wind generators in Scotland to turn off, because there werent enough cables connecting Scotland, where the electricity was being generated, to England, where we needed it., The solution, he says, is for the energy grid to become more like the internet. Octopus are on a mission to bring cheaper, greener power to all. The other key difference between Octopus and other utilities companies is technology. Greg: Believe it or not, I dropped out of school at 16 to start creating video games before eventually going to Cambridge University. [45][46] At the time of the acquisition, the generation assets were reported to be worth over 3.4billion. Recommended Provider accolade five years in a row. We speak to Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy Group, the technology-to-investment energy platform, about the importance of government intervention in energy policy, the role of technology, and how a greener future could be nearer than we think. He began developing software (in the form of video games) at 16, then studied economics at Cambridge before running a mirror factory, then founding a number of technology-led businesses. Greg Jackson is CEO of Octopus Energy, which is valued at more than 1.4billion . Mark Wahlberg's wife Rhea Durham shares sweet tribute to their daughter Grace on 13th birthday with snaps from . Octopus and Tokyo Gas agreed to launch the Octopus brand in Japan via a 30:70 joint venture to provide electricity from renewable sources, amongst other services. Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. T&Cs  Our first guest is Greg Jackson, CEO and founder of Octopus Energy who will kick the series off on Thursday 26 January. As 31 energy firms went bust since the start of last year, public ire has been directed at the bosses of failed challengers. [25], In 2021, Octopus built the UK's first R&D and training centre for the decarbonisation of heat. [14] In January 2020, Octopus was ranked first in a Which? He began his working life as a video games programmer and always fancied a stint as a motorcycle courier (electric, of course).. Greg is the founder and CEO of Octopus Energy Group, the green energy tech pioneer based in the UK with over 3.1 million customers, further operations in 13 countries and over 23 million accounts licensed worldwide to its green technology platform, Kraken. These days, Greg Jackson is the founder behind the only energy company recommended by Which?. James is an e-commerce specialist who was the brains behind a number of high profile tech platforms for clients such as the UK Labour Party, Citroen and Hermes, among others. [30], In May 2020, Australian electricity and gas supplier Origin Energy paid A$507 million for a 20% stake in Octopus. [70][71], In June 2021, Octopus suspended their advertising from the newly launched GB News television channel after the channel's first day of broadcasting, with CEO Greg Jackson stating "we are asking networks not to air our ads on new channels until we've seen their output for a period of time". [32] In September of that year, Octopus acquired Evolve Energy, a US Silicon Valley-based start-up, in a $5m deal. Whos Here   Greg: While we cant change who our founders are, our leadership team is made up of 50% women, with BAME, LGBT+ and working class representation throughout. Rachel joined Octopus Energy in 2021, bringing with her a wealth of knowledge following more than two decades of experience in energy regulation. Epitomising the agile leadership that is synonymous with disruptive businesses, Zoisa leads both the generation the business retail arm of Octopus Energy. He writes on a range of topics including inflation, Brexit, the Bank of England, the world of work and the cost of living crisis. Greg Jackson isnt your average energy company CEO. [3][4][5][6] Jackson has trained many successful fighters, including former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre, former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Holly Holm, former Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans, and a roster of other UFC contenders and World Extreme Cagefighting champions. [44] In July 2021, Octopus acquired sister company Octopus Renewables which claims to be the UK's largest investor in solar farms, and also invests in wind power and anaerobic digesters. Greg: I prefer the term business leader to entrepreneur, and they can come in all shapes and sizes. survey and was one of three recommended providers. I read an article recently where you said Octopus Energy dont have a HR department. Tara has spent two years leading Octopus Energys 1,000 strong UK operations team through a pandemic, an energy crisis and a day that saw 2 million customers submit meter readings all simultaneously. She loves supporting kind, high performing teams and individuals who want to positively change the world. Clem led Octopus Energys campaign for an energy price cap and has worked closely with government to help drive policy for the decarbonisation of heat and support the transition to a more renewable grid. A weekly newsletter helping you fit together the pieces of the global economic slowdown. [12], Besides the Octopus Energy brand, as of September2021[update] customers are supplied under the Ebico Energy, Affect Energy, Co-op Energy, M&S Energy and London Power brands. Currently, Octopus Energy has more than 750,000 customers with 100 per cent renewable electricity, despite only setting up three years ago. [35] As a result of these acquisitions, Octopus now has retail, generation or technology licences in 13 countries across four continents. There was an unexpected issue while trying to process your request. KrakenFlexs cloud-based technology platform controls distributed energy assets such as large-scale batteries, EVs, or heat pumps with machine learning and AI to match electricity supply and demand, helping the electricity grid deal with the natural volatility of renewable generation. A relaxed evening talking with Greg Jackson, the founder and Phil Steele Future Technology Evangelist of Octopus Energy.You can email the Octopus team as ref. 8 Dislike Share Save. The current energy crisis emerged towards the end of the legal work and due diligence that is needed for such a deal to happen, and provided a dramatic test of the companys ability to handle a large, rapidly developing challenge: We had to demonstrate to the investors that taking on Avro wouldnt get in the way of the long-term mission.. Gregory Jackson (born 1974) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) trainer who co-owns Jackson Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico,[1][2] widely considered one of the top MMA training centers in the world. Energetic and emotionally intelligent, Tara has almost 20 years of experience in developing breakthrough customer strategies and bringing out the best, most caring sides of individuals and teams doing the most vital of jobs, customer operations. Cheap energy bills arent coming back this decade, Christopher Harborne: the silent donor behind Brexit and Boris Johnson, Sherif Tawfik: The Middle East and Africa are ready to lead on the climate, The power trap: Why the energy crisis is a crisis of politics, Elon Musk was never really the worlds richest man, Why Jeremy Hunt is gambling with thousands of small businesses, The year woke broke: a brief history of a contested word, Why Britains economy has never been worse, with Duncan Weldon, The good social network: what Twitter could learn from the coffeehouse Audio Long Reads, Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance, HR, Training and Organisational Development, Information and Communications Technology, Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives, Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities, Science and Technical Research and Development. Our middle management team in operations - which makes up most of our team - fares even better, being made up of 80% women and most of them have been with us from the first 50 employees we hired, showing that people are happy here and like to stay. In 2009, Jackson released an instructional book about his fighting style called Jackson's MMA - The Stand Up Game. Energy companies are going to end up more like technology companies, like AirBnB, Amazon, Google and Monzo says Greg. Greg: No country is off limits to Octopus Energy, we aim to bring cheaper, greener energy and world-class customer service to many people all over the world. In regards to your global expansion plans, Octopus Energy is currently located in three continents, do you have any plans of expanding into Africa or acquiring any green energy businesses in Africa? With its smart tariffs proving customer appetite for flexibility, Octopus is pioneering a global system change to enable a cheaper, faster transition to renewables. You are also expanding globally into Australia and Japan, making you one of the fastest growing green energy companies globally. [67] As a result of the campaign, Octopus registered a 163% increase in sign-ups and gained 37,000 customers. Greg: The pandemic certainly hasnt slowed us down. Currently, Octopus Energy has more than 750,000 customers with 100 per cent renewable electricity, despite only setting up three years ago. He began his career at consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble before running businesses including a coffee shop and a mirror manufacturer. [4] Greg Jackson is the founder of the company and holds the position of chief executive. What is the number one trait you look for in employees before recruiting them as part your team, and how has this requirement been integrated into the organisations culture and recruitment policy? Best advice he has been given Integrity is what you do when no ones watching., Biggest career mistake Not seeking backers for the idea of Octopus Energy sooner., Word he overuses Brilliant. Education Huntcliff secondary school in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, east of Middlesbrough (left at 16); wrote video games software before returning to do A-levels; economics degree at Pembroke College, Cambridge. As of September 2021 the company has over three million domestic and business customers, making it the fourth largest energy supplier in the UK.[2]. We need to work like that now on the clean energy system., Jackson accuses the management of the UK energy grid as being stuck in the past, describing the National Grid as a monopoly and its control room as like a minicab office. As someone whose LinkedIn profile professes a love of disrupting industries that underserve customers and society, its no surprise Greg is passionate about enhancing the customer experience. He says it took years to find the 10m he needed to launch Octopus. that helped retail financial services businesses re-invent product offers online. Jackson said that Octopus would be monitoring GB News content to ensure the channel would not be in breach of Octopus' advertising policy. Specialties: Technology. With the pandemic, we took the 15 years it usually takes to make a vaccine, and did it in less than a year. We scaled the business by repeatedly cloning micro businesses, and what works for us wont work for other businesses. This long-term mission is not only to supply renewable energy all of Octopuss tariffs are advertised as 100 per cent green, and power either comes directly from renewable sources or is certified as renewable using the Rego certificates that Ofgem uses to match power sourced from the open market to renewable supply but to disrupt the UKs dysfunctional energy market. Prior to Octopus Energy, Zoisa was the UK Managing Director of the Dutch Utility, Eneco B.V. At Eneco, Zoisa helped grow the UKs renewable asset portfolio which consisted of more than 250MW of wind and solar projects, including a direct wire project with Honda of the UK Manufacturing Ltd. Eneco UK also supplied blue-chip companies such as Mars, Unilever, Heineken and AkzoNobel. John is a highly experienced energy entrepreneur. [62][63] The Kraken software was also licensed to Australia's Origin Energy as part of their May 2020 agreement. Octopus founding team are from tech rather than energy backgrounds and are determinedly using technology to drive down prices, enable great service and drive towards a renewable future through the smart grid, which is essential to decarbonise affordably. The only energy supplier Which? Headquartered in London, the company has operations in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the United States. The New Statesmans global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. And I genuinely hope they all go on to great things, even if thats not necessarily at Octopus Energy. Passionate, creative, innovative CEO, entrepreneur and investor. After his parents split, his mother worked as a barmaid and later studied while on benefits. Our team is made up of climate enthusiasts who know that switching people to green energy and growing that customer base around the world is the number one thing we can do to turn the tide on climate change. Tellingly, before the age of 30, he had owned and/or managed a number of small businesses employing 4-60 people and turning over 400k to 4m. Refresh Clem joined Octopus from a career in political consultancy for the renewable energy and clean tech sectors. [73], Octopus was one of a number of brands who considered pulling their advertising from the channel, with others including IKEA, Vodafone, Nivea, Kopparberg, Grolsch, the Open University, OVO Energy and LV=. And 2011 globally into Australia and Japan, making you one of the reasons I started the business, says! The other key difference between Octopus and other utilities companies is technology 2021, bringing with a... A startup company with a value in excess of 1 billion the centre will train 1000 pump... Year award in 2009, Jackson released an instructional book about his fighting style called 's! And 2011 a relationship ; has two children from previous partners studied while on benefits have had and... 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