8-9 November | etc.venues St Paul’s | London
The epicentre of energy digitalisation
For cutting-edge innovators transforming the way we distribute, manage and consume energy
ATTENDEES
SPEAKERS
%
C-LEVEL, DIRECTOR, HEAD OR ABOVE
Future of Utilities: Smart Energy is the energy conference for anyone serious about accelerating the UK’s journey towards a modern, digital energy ecosystem.
It brings together energy’s most forward-thinking innovators who are paving the way to a more efficient and effective energy sector.
“Smart Energy is the must-attend event for utilities.”
Chief Product Officer, Octopus Energy
Conference Speakers
Check out the leaders and innovators taking to the Smart Energy conference stages
To be the first to see the latest speaker announcements, follow us on LinkedIn.
Keith Anderson
Chief Executive Officer, Scottish Power
Sarah Merrick
Chief Executive Officer, Ripple Energy
Mat Moakes
Chief Commercial Officer, OVO Energy
Andrew Middleton
Managing Director - Zero, British Gas
Bwalya Kasase
Chief Opertaions Officer, Rebel Energy UK
Ben Wilson
Chief Strategy & External Affairs Officer, National Grid
Mike Hewitt
Chief Technology Officer, DCC
Chris Norbury
Chief People Officer, E.ON UK
Tackle the most critical issues facing the industry today
Embracing Energy-as-a-Service
Our speakers are rewriting the energy supply rulebook. Two birds, one stone: can Energy-as-a-Service solve wider challenges? Learn about timeframes from British Gas Zero, SSE & Good Energy.
Towards an accessible, efficient, flexible grid
Ensuring network access and expanding smart grid communication. Don’t miss the Future Networks fireside chat with National Grid‘s Head of Networks & Chief Engineer.
Unpacking the affordability toolkit
How can suppliers adjust to growing affordability issues? Hear from E.ON UK, Citizens Advice, National Energy Action & Vattenfall on taking a multi-pronged approach.
Getting smarter on smart meters
New for this year: keynotes on the next steps for the rollout – domestic & non-domestic. Learn how to overcome critical challenges & derive insights from data with SSE, Ecotricity & Octopus Energy.
Revolutionising EV charging infrastructure
National Grid, Electric Miles, Octopus Electric Vehicles & Drax are coming together on EVs this November. How can networks react to increased demand?
Deepening the customer-supplier relationship
This year we have dedicated sessions on building loyalty and trust. Don’t miss Utilita‘s keynote on what makes a great energy app.
Who attends?
All major players from across energy’s vibrant ecosystem attend our Smart Energy conference
What to expect
A taste of what to expect from 2023’s Smart Energy conference
Plenty of networking
- Every major UK energy company
- Dedicated networking breaks
- An electric after party
- AI-powered app
Expect to connect and reconnect with key business contacts.
Impactful, problem-solving sessions
With keynotes, panels, case studies and roundtables, key takeaways at Future of Utilities: Smart Energy will be frequent, engaging and digestible.
Inspirational speaker line-up
Hear first-hand from C-Suite speakers with the likes of OVO, UK Power Networks, and National Grid taking prominent keynotes throughout a packed agenda.
Board-level hot topics
- Choose from 3 stages
- Sessions designed following comprehensive research with senior energy executives
Find out what’s troubling board-level executives.
2023’s Agenda
Day 1
Day 2
Session One: A view from the top - steering energy towards a smarter future
Keynote address
Smarter, fairer, cleaner: the drive for green energy adoption
Keith Anderson
Chief Executive Officer
Scottish Power
Keynote address
The network of tomorrow: laying the foundations for a smart energy future
Ben Wilson
Chief Strategy & External Affairs Officer
National Grid
Leaders’ forum
Coming together on the smart road to net zero
- Taking stock: what are the key takeaways from the industry’s net zero journey so far?
- From energy security to cost volatility: what impact has the energy crisis had on the renewables market?
- From wind and solar to heat pumps and hydrogen: where should investment lie over the next five years?
- A net-zero power system by 2035: can it be achieved and how important a role will smart technology play?
- The cost conundrum: how can the industry make green technologies more affordable for customers?
- Building an energy-efficient consumer base: assessing approaches to smart customer engagement
- What regulatory change is needed to accelerate green energy an smart technology investment?
- Avoiding greenwashing; how can renewable traceability and sustainability governance be made more rigorous?
Ben Wilson
Chief Strategy & External Affairs Officer
National Grid
Chris Lovatt
Chief Operating Officer – Energy Infrastructure Services
E.ON UK
Nikki Flanders
Managing Director, UK&I
SSE Energy Solutions
Refreshments
Session two | Affordability | Future Networks | EVs
Meeting the affordability challenge
Chair
Kelly-Marie Lovesy
Head of SME Sales
Drax
Fireside chat
Identifying and supporting vulnerable customers
- Managing evolving needs: what support is needed and where?
- The smarter way to support: how can suppliers ensure vulnerable customers are identifies in time?
- Encouraging self-identification: what changes need to be made to make the process easier?
- Unlocking the power of data sharing: what are the barriers to building a single view of the vulnerable demographic?
- Supporting staff to support the vulnerable: facilitating a compassionate service
Matthew Copeland
Head of Policy and Public Affairs
National Energy Action
Panel discussion
Unpacking the affordability toolkit
- Taking a multi-pronged approach: how can supplier best adjust to rowing affordability issues?
- Towards smarter prepayment: how can the customer experience be improve?
- The Priority Services Register: improving support after disclosure
- Minimising self-disconnection: utilising smart meter data to detect financial vulnerability
- A more personalised and empathetic approach to debt collection is this the secret to reducing delinquency?
- Social tariffs: what does the future look like and what can be learnt from other sectors?
Ben Golding
Director of Energy Affordability
Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
Sarah Oldman
Interim Credit & Debt Operations Manager
E.ON UK
Gillian Cooper
Head of Retail Energy Markets
Citizens Advice
Future networks
Fireside chat
Accessible, efficient, flexible: reimagining the grid of the future
- Ensuring network access: how can DNOs reduce the timescales and costs for microgenerators to gain access to the grid?
- Supporting emerging energy sources: how must the grid adapt to renewables?
- Adapting to intermittent generation: embedding flexibility into the grid
- Expanding smart grid communication: creating open industry standards for better connectivity
- Towards smart energy management: how can technology support grid efficiency
Julian Leslie
Head of Network Capability Electricity
National Grid ESO
Panel discussion
Towards a smarter network: taking a whole-systems approach
- Whole system thinking: how can companies embed this mindset across the business?
- From generation to distribution: how can we implement smarter solutions across the board?
- Towards a broader system: how can microgenerators be given easier access to the grid?
- Ensuring continuity of supply: how can better data connectivity across the whole system help and how do we get there?
- Taking a coordinated approach to investment: how can the industry better collaborate?
Suleman Alli
Director of Customer Service, Strategy, Regulation and Information Systems
UK Power Networks
Scott Mathieson
Director of Network Planning
SP Energy Networks
Stewart Whyte
Head of Network Control and Transformation
National Grid
EVs
Keynote address
Preparing the grid for EVs
Arun Anand
Founder and Chief Executive
Electric Miles
Fireside chat
Revolutionising charging infrastructure
- Ensuring widespread charging point access: what steps must be taken to make this happen?
- From residential to workplace charging: what are the main hurdles slowing down charging infrastructure development?
- How can better coordination be facilitated between manufacturers, the grid and local planning authorities?
Liam O'Sullivan
Licence Director
SP Energy Networks
Panel discussion
Preparing for the future of EVs
- What further government support is needed to accelerate the EV revolution?
- How can the development of the EV charging infrastructure be accelerated?
- From wireless boosters to swappable batteries: exploring alternative EV charging solutions
- Adapting the network: what must be done to deal with the increased demand from EVs?
- Smart, practical, cost-effective: what new EV propositions would best meet customer needs?
Dr Russell Fowler
Senior Project Manager, Decarbonisation of Transport
National Grid
Claire Miller
Director of Technology & Innovation
Octopus Electric Vehicles
Adam Hall
Director of Energy Services
Drax Group
Lunch
Session three | EaaS | A resilient network | Green heat
Embracing Energy-as-a-Service
Chair
Kelly-Marie Lovesy
Head of SME Sales
Drax
Case Study
Delivering energy efficiency as a service
Andrew Middleton
Managing Director - Zero
British Gas
Fireside chat
Partnering with domestic customers on energy efficiency
- What lessons can be learnt from the I&C market in developing Energy as a Service propositions?
- How can energy suppliers best help customers to access the benefits of smart home automation?
- Creating propositions around home generation: what are the considerations?
- Increasing domestic flexibility: to what extent is battery leasing the answer?
- From leasing to pay-as-you-go: exploring innovative finance models
- Delivering significant efficiency and sustainability gains: where are the main opportunities?
- From demand shifting, to open data, to domestic generation: defining the key pillars of the optimum supplier-customer relationship
George Walters
Chief Home Services Officer
Utilita Energy
Panel discussion
Rewriting the rulebook: towards the era of Energy-as-a-Service
- From EV chargers, to microgeneration, to carbon offsetting, to energy storage, to energy management: what are the new services that energy customers need and want?
- A profitability opportunity? What could the growth of Energy-as-a-Service mean for margins?
- Towards fdata0driven energy products and services: how do we get there?
- From more tariff innovation to subscriptions: what does Energy-as-a-Service mean for the future of pricing?
- What are the operational implications of moving to a more interactive and deeper customer relationship?
- Striking the right partnerships: what are the key criteria?
- Two birds, one stone: how can suppliers use Energy-as-a-Service to solve wider energy challenges?
- To what extent is Energy-as-a-Service the future of energy retail and what are the likely timeframes?
Tunde Olaoye
Director - Smart Energy Systems
SSE
James Rees
Director of Product and Propositions
Good Energy
Neal Coady
Director of Product
SNRG
Securing a resilient network
Keynote address
From predictive maintenance to real-time management: what does a smart, resilient network look like?
David Wright
Chief Engineer and Director, Electricity Transmission
National Grid
Fireside chat
Digital Twins: the future of smart energy management
- The Virtual Energy System and beyond: reflecting on the industry’s digital twin journey
- From reducing risk and improving resilience: where are digital twins making a real difference?
- Improving operational efficiency: how can using digital twins help?
- Generating live insights: how will real-time data transformation the way we manage the network
Shubhi Rajnish
Chief Information Officer
National Grid ESO
Panel discussion
Utilising smart tools for a resilient network: supercharging approaches to asset management
- Boosting visibility by optimising network data: what are the next steps in infrastructure digitalisation?
- Transforming data into insights: what can we expect from AI in asset management?
- Evaluating progress with predictive maintenance to date: lessons for future projects
- Utilising robotics for remote inspection: where does it work and where is human intervention required?
- Minimising downtime: how might smart tools play a part in incident response?
- Integrating smart tools into the existing workforce: what are the main challenges, and how can they be overcome?
Daniel Wilson
Asset Data Manager
Electricity North West
David Moon
Director of Asset Investment
Cadent Gas
The green heat opportunity
Keynote address
Planning for the future of heat
Dr. Angela Needle
Director of Strategy
Cadent Gas
Fireside chat
Maximising the potential of hydrogen
- Repurposing existing gas infrastructures: how can hydrogen play a part?
- Working with the Government: what kind of strategy is needed to drive national progress?
- How can business model development push progress?
- Managing available resources: where and how are companies going to access the water needed for hydrogen production?
William Mezzullo
Head of Hydrogen
Centrica
Panel discussion
Next steps in green heat: unlocking a low-carbon future for all
- Balancing short and long-term solutions: understanding the roadmap for the future of heat
- From heat pumps to home energy storage: unpacking the solutions for a low-carbon future
- Engaging the domestic market: how do we make heat pumps attractive to consumers?
- Aligning the heat roadmap with other decarbonisation priorities: how can technology help?
- The future of gas: how is the role of gas networks set to evolve?
- How can the the field force be skilled-up and encouraged to offer low-carbon solutions?
Rob McGaughey
Head of Smart Heat
Scottish Power
Jan Rosenow
Principal and European Programmes Director
Regulatory Assistance Project
Alex Hobley
Head Pump Innovation Lead
Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
Chioma Ukah
Asset Manager - District Heating
SSE
Refreshments
Session four | Smart meters | Unlocking flexibility
Getting smarter on smart meters
Keynote address
Domestic smart meters: next steps for the rollout
- Tackling domestic targets: what extra help is needed to hit these goals?
- Reflecting on customer incentivisation: what isn’t working, and why?
- New messaging to better engage customers: is cost control smart meter data enables the answer?
- Ensuring accessibility: how do suppliers better support the digitally excluded?
Olga Goc
Head of Smart Metering
Ecotricity
Panel discussion
Building loyalty and long-term value with smart meter data
- Communicating the benefits of smart meters: what really resonates and to what extent is personalisation the key?
- How can smart meter data be leveraged for actionable, personalised insights that engage customers?
- Courting the conscientious consumer: how can smart meter data help customer reach their sustainability objectives?
- From to automated devices: how can technology best be leveraged to give customers control their useage?
- Gamification: is this the key to winning engagement, and what kinds of games are likely to be most effective?
- How can the smart meter rollout be used as an opportunity to deepen customer relationships?
Olga Goc
Head of Smart Metering
Ecotricity
Kerry Maisey
Head of Smart Integration
Drax Group
David Sykes
Head of Data Science
Octopus Energy Group
Unlocking flexibility
Case study
Demand management – lessons from the Saving Sessions: Octopus Energy
- Achieving scalability: what are the challenges?
- Towards peak-shaving automation: how do we ensure the avoidance of peak-shifting?
- Embracing new technologies: what can be used to enrich this service?
- To what extent is improving access to batteries key and how can this be achieved?
Alex Schoch
Head of Flexibility
Octopus Energy Group
Case study
Energy Network Association: Open Network Initiative
Lawrence Slade
Chief Executive Officer
Energy Networks Association
The After Party
Session five: Building the future energy ecosystem
Fireside chat
Connected, decentralised, prosumer-centric: building a smart energy future
Mike Hewitt
Chief Technology Officer
DCC
Keynote address
The changing role of an energy supplier
Mat Moakes
Chief Commercial Officer
OVO Energy
Keynote address
Ripple Energy
Sarah Merrick
Chief Executive Officer
Ripple Energy
Panel discussion
Defining energy’s digital transformation roadmap
- Understanding the technological pillars of the future energy ecosystem and how to prepare
- Leveraging the power of data and AI: key applications and lessons learnt to date
- Moving to the cloud: why is it important and what are the considerations?
- Enabling real-time data: the challenges and the solutions
- Ensuring agility and flexibility: what are the key technologies and structures required?
- The cybersecurity challenge: how can resilient security be ensured across the value chain?
Rob Labinski
Head of Electrification
Octopus Energy Group
Marzia Zafar
Deputy Director, Strategy & Innovation
Ofgem
Anthony Devlin, WNS
,
Refreshments
Session six | Optimising customer operations | Workforce
Optimising customer operations
Chair
Kelly-Marie Lovesy
Head of SME Sales
Drax
Fireside chat
Transforming billing for households and suppliers
- Streamlining billing operations: how can companies unlock efficiencies?
- Robotics process automation: the business case and the time to ROI
- From making bills engaging to flexible billing frequency: exploring advanced personalisation
- Reconciling good communication with the constraints of compliance: what are the solutions?
- From QR codes to tailored messaging: how can bills be improved to facilitate and encourage payments?
Matt Pearson
Head of Operations and Subject Matter Expert
Octopus Energy Group
Panel discussion
Making the most of the automation opportunity
- Which processes are most suited to automation and where can it make the biggest difference?
- From frontend chatbots to backend RPA: where do the biggest opportunities lie?
- Augmenting rather than replacing humans: understanding the role of next best action and agent-facing chatbots
- Identifying automation’s limits: how to know when human intervention is required
- Tackling end-to-end automation between front and back office: what are the hurdles to achieving this?
Bwalya Kasase
Chief Opertaions Officer
Rebel Energy UK
Workforce
Keynote address
The energy workforce of the future
- Is attracting and retaining talent giving sufficient focus in the energy industry at the moment?
- A workforce for a digitalised energy industry: what are the practical steps to retraining and reskilling the existing workforce?
- Creating a plan to grow the workforce: identifying a fertile ground for recruitment
- Attracting young and digital talent: is sustainability messaging the key?
- Creating a more diverse and inclusive energy industry: what needs to be done?
Charlotte Eaton
Chief People Officer
OVO Energy
Fireside chat
Creating a digitally empowered and augmented workforce
- From the fieldforce to customer support agents: how can digital help boost workforce flexibility, utilisation and efficiency?
- Doing more with data: how to empower staff with insights for quick and informed decisions
- AI-based assistance: what technology is available and how is it best implemented?
- From rugged devices to augmented reality: which technologies can most help fieldforce effectiveness?
- Making the most of robotics: how can humans and robots best work together to optimise both productivity and safety?
Chris Norbury
Chief People Officer
E.ON UK
Lunch
Session seven | Customer-supplier relationships | The Innovation Lab
Deepening the customer-supplier relationship
Fireside chat
What makes a great energy app?
Louise Walsh
Chief Customer Contact Officer
Utilita Energy
Panel discussion
Building loyalty and trust: towards long-term partnerships with customer
- Building back trust: how should energy supplier approach and mend negative consumer perceptions?
- How have customer needs and expectations evolved and what does this mean for the drivers of loyalty?
- The power of a purpose-driven brand: to what extent do ESG factors drive customer loyalty?
- Avoiding CX pitfalls: what is it that really annoys customers and how can these issues be avoided?
- Building trust through transparency: what are the principal causes of customer confusion and how can they be eliminated?
- From the eco-conscious, to the cost-conscious to prosumers and EV owners: offering propositions to suit different customer segments
- From equipment supply to value-added services based on data insights: where do the main opportunities to create stickiness lie?
- Working in partnership with the customer: how can this concept be given real meaning?
Jamie Browne
Senior Business Development
Energy Saving Trust
The Innovation Lab
Keynote address
What makes successful innovation: The Strategic Innovation Fund Perspective
David Richardson
Head of Innovation for the Strategic Innovation Fund
Innovate UK
Manu Ravishankar
Innovation Lead - Strategic Innovation Fund
Innovate UK
Fireside chat
Creating the agility to innovate: culture, technology, process
- Becoming and innovative energy industry: how can companies put agility at their core?
- Encouraging risk taking, promoting experimentation, sharing ideas: how can a culture of innovation be fostered?
- Collaborating to innovate: how can innovation be made easier across departmental and organisational boundaries?
- Providing the tools to innovate: understanding the importance of low code, no code and a flexible, cloud-based systems infrastructure
- Agile vs waterfall vs kanban vs scrum: which project management techniques are suited to which types of innovation projects?
- To what extent do current regulations and funding frameworks support agility and innovation?
Ian Cameron
Director of Customer Service
UK Power Networks
Tom Williamson
Head of Innovation
Scottish Power
End of day
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