Greg is an experienced digital entrepreneur, passionate about making the green energy revolution affordable through technology. Both investors back businesses that drive sustainability, promote green energy and tackle climate change. Our CEO Greg explains why standing charges are higher on new energy tariffs, and why electricity standing charges have gone up more than gas ones. [60], In March 2020 it was announced that E.ON and its Npower subsidiary had licensed the technology to manage their combined 10 million customers. The division is also behind Octopus Energys Fan Club, a local energy tariff that provides cheaper energy when the wind blows. Greg: The pandemic certainly hasnt slowed us down. James has been instrumental in the creation of Octopus Energys proprietary technology, digital-first offerings and its global expansion. Europe is going to go into this winter with more gas storage than last year, but if Russia stops sending gas to Europe, prices will skyrocket.. Mohamed Abubakar, his wife Rasha Al-Buriahi and their four children all sleep and eat in the same room. As the Observer arrives at the headquarters near Oxford Circus, in central London, for our interview, Jackson cheerfully leaps up from his desk among the troops. Octopus took on 600,000 customers from bust Avro Energy last year, and Jackson accuses the administrators of arguing and quibbling over completely unimportant technical points. He won the Coach of the Year award in 2009, 2010 and 2011. [74], "Octopus Energy sees 160% jump in revenue but still records loss due to 'relentless investment', "Blame game begins after the failure of Bulb Energy", "Al Gore's firm buys 483m stake in Octopus Energy Group", "Octopus Energy to take on 100,000 Iresa customers", "M&S cuts ties with Big Six as it partners with Octopus for new energy brand", "Hanwha Reveals Plans of Launching "Next Generation" 100% Renewable Energy Retailer in Australia", "Hanwha Group chooses Octopus Energy technology platform for Aussie launch", "Octopus Energy and Co-op Energy confirm major 'strategic energy partnership', "About our partnership with Co-op Energy, including Flow Energy and GB Energy", "Energy Companies: Which? Prior to joining Octopus Energy as Director of Operations, Tara spent three years at Tesla helping scale their service organisation in the UK & Benelux and as Country Manager for the UK. Alongside its tech, all Octopus marketing is developed in-house, from design and copy through to booking, sitting side by side with operations and customer support. Three Co-op brands were affected: Octopus acquired the customers of the GB Energy and Flow Energy brands, and began to operate the accounts of Co-op Energy customers on a white label basis, while Midcounties retained responsibility for acquiring new Co-op Energy customers. Fellow green energy group Bulb went bust last November and remains in special administration. Epitomising the agile leadership that is synonymous with disruptive businesses, Zoisa leads both the generation the business retail arm of Octopus Energy. Registered office: UK House, 5th floor, 164-182 Oxford Street, London, W1D 1NN. In 1992, after graduating from Rio Grande High School, Jackson founded his own martial art, Gaidojutsu, which combines rudimentary techniques from catch wrestling and Muay Thai with basic judo locks. 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? Rebecca is a highly experienced marketer and known for breathing new life into technology products. In 72 hours, the six-year-old company had swelled to accommodate more customers than Scottish Power (to 3.1 million in total) and a higher valuation (approaching $5bn) than Centrica, the owner of British Gas. He says it took years to find the 10m he needed to launch Octopus. Stuart Jackson is the Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer of Octopus Energy. [9], In 2018 Hanwha Energy Retail Australia (Nectr) chose the Kraken platform, developed by Octopus to provide billing, CRM and other technology services to support its launch into the Australian retail energy market. The UKs biggest energy companies might shrug off such strident criticism from a campaigner, but Octopus has rapidly ascended to challenge what Jackson, 50, calls the lazy oligopoly of the big six. [36], In September 2021, Generation Investment Management, co-founded and chaired by Al Gore, purchased a 13% stake in Octopus Energy Group in a deal worth $600m. Jackson said the size of the supplier with 1.5 million customers meant there was no viable route for the business to be taken on by a competitor before its collapse. Theyve been characterised as inexperienced and foolhardy for not hedging their energy far enough in advance. How we work He has never taken a bonus, and owns a 6% stake, worth about 240m. Last holiday Cotswold Water Park, with family and friends. He writes on a range of topics including inflation, Brexit, the Bank of England, the world of work and the cost of living crisis. I want them to feel happy and fulfilled by the work they do. She has done this all while maintaining some of the very best customer service ratings in the industry. [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". It takes seven years to get a windfarm through the planning process and connected to the grid. To be the first to hear about our events, get immediate access to new podcast episodes, and hear news picked just for you Join our community! 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. In 72 hours, the six-year-old company had swelled to accommodate more customers than Scottish Power (to 3.1 million in total) and a higher valuation (approaching $5bn) than Centrica, the owner of British Gas. The New Statesmans global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. With that he dashes off to do the school run, ready to pass on his opinions to the next generation. Its Kraken platform was designed to take the traditional worry about renewable energy that wind and sunlight vary in availability and turn it into a virtue, by forecasting and monitoring the output of wind turbines and solar panels, and deciding where the energy should be used or stored when it is abundant. [53], In January 2022, it was announced that Octopus Renewables had bought the Broons/Biterne-Sud wind farm in Cotes dArmor, northeast Brittany, France from Energiequelle for an undisclosed price. Octopus Energy is one of the fastest growing energy firms to ever launch in Britain and is on track to join the Big Six utility providers. 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]. Driving full energy system change, the Group consists of 10 businesses across the energy value chain, operating in 8 countries globally and supporting 3.2 million customers in the UK. Hey I'm Constantine, welcome to Octopus Energy! 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Greg Jackson founded Octopus Energy in 2015 with a view to using technology to make the green energy revolution faster and cheaper for consumers. The campaign won the 2020 Marketing Week Masters award for utilities, and the 2020 Energy Institute award for Public Engagement. Jackson and his family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico when he was three years old. The boss of Octopus Energy has a small tub, which pleases him as it is efficient and fills quickly. The green energy firm's founder on his sympathy for those struggling with bills - and his exasperation at net zero opponents Hello Greg, and thank you for taking the time our to participate in this interview. As a Senior Partner and Managing Director at BCG, Deepak gained extensive experience transforming legacy businesses through technology, working across the UK, Nordics, US, South East Asia and India. 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. Building on the award winning end-to-end entech platform, Kraken Utilities will create customer centricity and automated, scalable and efficient operations for other traditionally low-tech sectors, allowing innovation at pace. Jackson came from a family of wrestlers (his father, brother, and uncle were all champions in the sport). You can tell if someone grew up in a cold house: we often prefer baths when you get out of the shower you get a real shock, he says. You can meet Greg Jackson and hear more about where he got where he is today at My Entrepreneurial Journey with Greg Jackson on Thursday, 21 November. One business C360 that was subsequently acquired, was founded to pioneer a new way of using technology to drive marketing or as Greg puts it SaaS before it was trendy. Greg is also an investor in several tech start-ups and as an advisor, supports companies and entrepreneurs with fundraising, mergers, acquisitions and strategy. 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. About [58], Octopus Energy licenses their proprietary customer management system called Kraken, which runs on Amazon's cloud computing service. Will Dunn is business editor of the New Statesman. They will be global.. 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 . [34], In August 2021, Octopus entered the Spanish market with the acquisition of green energy start-up Umeme. 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. 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. Coaches Honored with Jackson/Winkeljohn Dat, How a powerhouse MMA gym rose out of necessity and is helping others, Ranking the 10 Best Camps in MMA Right Now, Rankings Spotlight: MMAs Top 5 Fight Gyms, "War And Peace In Jackson's Gym - SI.com - Magazine", "Fighters Only World Mixed Martial Arts Awards 2010 - 2009 Winners", "Bellator's 'Fight Master' reality series set for summer debut on Spike TV", Jacksons Wink MMA Academy - Official Website, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greg_Jackson_(MMA_trainer)&oldid=1055483227, Sportspeople from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 November 2021, at 03:38. 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. Its actually more than that: bringing down energy costs is one of the reasons I started the business, he says. The company also supplies software services to other energy suppliers. The boss has now stated that it has "never . On 26 September, it was announced that Octopus would be taking on the 580,000 former customers of Avro Energy, which had ceased trading the previous week. Greg's vision of using technology to disrupt the energy market has enabled Octopus Energy to create tariffs which unlock the power of the green grid - offering cheaper electricity when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing. consumer organisation. . In November 2021, Octopus acquired Italian energy retailer SATO Luce e Gas, rebranding the business as Octopus Energy Italy, investing an initial 51m and targeting 5% of the Italian market by 2025. A weekly round-up of some of the best articles featured in the most recent issue of the New Statesman, sent each Saturday. Jackson said that Octopus would be monitoring GB News content to ensure the channel would not be in breach of Octopus' advertising policy. We have already done this in countries like Australia, Germany, US, New Zealand and Japan, so we still have many more countries that could benefit from this technology and our business model. Elsewhere, a vast screen displays the progress of Plots for Kilowatts, a scheme that matches areas where residents have said theyll put up with an onshore windfarm in return for lower bills with areas where landowners are keen to host one. 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. Theres some blokes with phones, and what theyve always done is phoned up coal and gas power stations and told them to turn on and off. We are doing the same thing in clean, green energy. Rachel joined Octopus Energy in 2021, bringing with her a wealth of knowledge following more than two decades of experience in energy regulation. What advice do you have for other businesses on environmental sustainability and its impact on climate change? As for the future, Octopus is looking to go global, kicking off by launching in Australia this October in partnership with Hanwha Group, a leading solar panel manufacturer, expanding the move to greener energy. [26], In September 2021, Octopus was appointed as the Supplier of Last Resort (SOLR) for Avro Energy, acquiring Avro Energy's domestic customers and increasing their customer base to 3.1m customers. I also have had non-executive and chairman roles at peer-to-peer lender Zopa and Consultant Connect. A serial and successful entrepreneur before Octopus Energy, Gregs experience spans mirror manufacturing, coffee shops and multiple software ventures. People thought electric vehicles wouldnt take off but look at Tesla now. Octopus energy is the UK's fourth largest energy provider, which boss Greg Jackson says he started because people were "paying too much" on their bills. Our researched showed that Octopus Energy has grown its domestic customer based in UK, from just 198,000 customers in 2018 to over 1.5 million customers in 2020. There was a problem! Located in Slough, the centre will train 1000 heat pump engineers per year and develop new heating systems. It has enabled us to lower our costs to serve up to 75% compared to some of our competitors Thanks to Kraken, we are able to scale our customer service team quickly to take on new customers and keep them happy. It could cost taxpayers 2bn. You have cofounded a number of companies over the last 20 plus years, so its fair to say you are a serial entrepreneur. What would you say are the most important traits business leaders should possess to be successful? Greg: Octopus is unusual. Elon has the vision and reach to be able to disrupt so many industries for the better, and I believe we have similar approaches in disrupting industries to help save the planet. Interview with Entrepreneur - Greg Jackson - CEO of Octopus Energy. [23], In March 2021 the Financial Times listed Octopus at number 23 on their list of the fastest growing companies in Europe. Rachels remit is to create the regulations and markets needed to achieve net zero quickly and affordably. We want a similar effort to the vaccine rollout, says Jackson, sweeping bags of Frazzles aside. In 2019, Octopus stated that all its electricity came from renewable sources, and began to offer a "green" gas tariff with carbon offsetting. He's founded a number of successful businesses, including e-commerce company C360, built HomeServe's innovation business and is an angel investor in a wide range of tech start-ups. [19], In 2020 Octopus completed two funding rounds totalling $577m, making the company the highest funded UK tech start-up that year. Jackson explains need for market reform to move to renewable energy sooner. Octopus Energy Group is a British renewable energy group specialising in sustainable energy. By expanding to so many other countries and really capitalising on the technology we create, we are able to have an edge on the competition. Following his CTO role at Tangent plc, James & the other founders thought up Kraken, a technology platform that would rival all others in the energy market. 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. Rebecca holds a Bachelor's degree from Nottingham University Business School. Greg Jackson is CEO of Octopus Energy, which is valued at more than 1.4billion . Headquartered in London, the company has operations in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the United States. Greg: Weve been rapidly growing and in December closed our second financing round with Tokyo Gas and Origin Energy in 2020, which increased our valuation to more than $2 billion. Greg Jackson was born in Washington D.C. to Kris and Jim Jackson, who were Quakers originally from the Midwest. 464 views May 4, 2022 Greg Jackson is the founder and chief executive of Octopus Energy, one of the UK's fastest-growing energy companies. 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. Greg: Dont get me wrong, profit and value are incredibly important to a companys life-cycle, but happiness should be put above all else. She spent some time consulting for a FTSE 100 energy company, followed by a secondment to the Department for the Energy & Climate Change (DECC), and then launching market-leading connected home products - starting at British start-up Alert Me, who became part of the leading smart home provider Hive, a British Gas innovation. Nov 2, 2022. A day later, Generation Investment Management, a fund chaired by Al Gore, committed to a $600m investment in Octopus. She is Chief Marketing and Product Officer at Octopus Energy. Samuel Leroy Jackson (Washington D. C., 21 de diciembre de 1948), conocido como Samuel L. Jackson, es un actor y productor de cine, televisin y teatro estadounidense.Ha sido candidato al Premio scar, a los Globos de Oro y al Premio del Sindicato de Actores, as como ganador de un BAFTA al mejor actor de reparto y en 2022 se le entreg un scar honorfico a su trayectoria profesional. Registered number: 09263424. He believes his thrifty upbringing allows him to empathise with struggling customers. For those that don't know Octopus Energy, they are UK's fastest growing green energy retailer and are currently valued at $2 billion. Rebecca came to Octopus Energy following an eight-year career at UK energy company British Gas. Our Founder, Hubert Nomamiukor organised a Q&A session with Greg Jackson, the CEO of Octopus Energy, to capture his entrepreneurial journey, influences and perspectives. You need to ask yourself these questions when defining your success. After his parents split, his mother worked as a barmaid and later studied while on benefits. [16][17], In January 2020, ENGIE UK announced that it was selling its residential energy supply business (comprising around 70,000 UK residential customers) to Octopus. Octopus Energy is also a leading investor in solar and wind energy, managing a 3.4bn portfolio of renewable energy assets across Europe. He's founded a number of successful businesses, including e-commerce company C360, built HomeServe's innovation business and is an angel investor in a wide range of tech start-ups. Its bollocks, Greg Jackson, the founder and CEO of Octopus Energy, replies, when I ask what he makes of this idea. 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. A weekly newsletter helping you fit together the pieces of the global economic slowdown. What would you say is the most important trait of a successful entrepreneurs? .more. I lived through rip-roaring inflation in the 1980s and double-digit interest rates. 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. [5], In December 2021, Octopus Energy announced a long-term partnership with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, raising US$300m and taking the valuation of Octopus Energy Group to approximately $5bn. In May 2020, her team launched the Electric Juice Charging Network, the UK's first consolidated network of charge point providers that allows users to charge their EVs across the UK with all costs appearing on a single bill. 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. Greg is an experienced digital entrepreneur, passionate about making the green energy revolution affordable through technology. Our first guest is Greg Jackson, CEO and founder of Octopus Energy who will kick the series off on Thursday 26 January. Plm was subsequently rebranded as Octopus Energy France. Greg: When I meet all of our new starters - which I always make sure to do during introductory training - the ones that stand out to me are the ones that ask themselves what they can do for the company, rather than what the company can do for them, they look at their own skills and wants, see what they can bring to the table and do their best. 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. 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. Rachel also works hand-in-hand with consumer bodies to ensure all customers are well served and benefit from the transition to net zero. [52], Also in November 2021, Octopus Energy Group signed a deal with Elia Group at COP26 to build a "smart" green grid across Belgium and Germany. Prior to that Stuart spent 6 years with Barclays Bank, including a stint running a 5bn credit card business and 10 years as a strategy consultant. Youll be able to fuel your car for free, make steel for free, do indoor farming with virtually zero energy costs. But the current reality is that in government, too, the pace of change is frustratingly slow: a wind farm can be built in 12 months, and an undersea cable between the UK and France can be laid in ten days, but approval and grid connections can take years. With the crisis that toppled so many suppliers continuing to rage, Jackson thinks the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, is right to plough 15bn into addressing the cost of living: It makes economic sense for the government to find ways to bring bills and inflation down. [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. Pay Minimum wage; Jackson gave up his 150,000 salary when the energy crisis began last autumn, donating the rest of his original salary to Octopuss staff welfare and its financial hardship fund, Octo Assist. Clem joined Octopus from a career in political consultancy for the renewable energy and clean tech sectors. You also cannot deny the sheer will and determination of Jeff Bezos, and how he has managed to create not only the worlds largest online shopping and delivery site, but also revolutionise cloud computing via AWS, something we have made huge use of with our business. Theyre not doing it because they care about the planet, and theyre not doing it because they care about bills.. Despite the current crisis of price and supply in the gas market, its described by BP as resilient and by Centrica as more affordable than other energy sources. Greg is an experienced digital entrepreneur, passionate about using technology to make positive change. Currently, Octopus Energy has more than 750,000 customers with 100 per cent renewable electricity, despite only setting up three years ago. He also has a wealth of experience in energy efficiency and looks after Octopus energy efficiency schemes alongside metering, solar, heat pumps and EV chargers. Family In a relationship; has two children from previous partners. Octopus Energy Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales. .more. Day-to-day, she works closely with regulators, industry bodies and policy makers to shape the energy system of the future. Our Founder, Hubert Nomamiukor organised a Q&A session with Greg Jackson, the CEO of Octopus Energy, to capture his entrepreneurial journey, influences and perspectives. Having been in the industry for over 20 years, he has founded a number of businesses that he took to sale, including Affect Energy, which became part of the Octopus Energy Group in 2018. [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.
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