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. Saturday: 8am - 10pm Octopus boss Greg Jackson claims the energy giant has 'never made a profit' on Martin Lewis money show. I think Im too opinionated. His morning routine echoes the tycoons underprivileged childhood. 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. The only energy supplier Which? Were nothing like Bulb.. Before starting KrakenFlex, Devrims professional career saw him take up executive roles with blue chip management consultancies and finance companies such as Publicis Sapient, Kearney and Lansdowne. 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. 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. Zoisa also runs Octopus Energy's renewable generation arm, which recently announced the acquisition of a 3GW portfolio of renewable energy assets across seven countries. A lot of people have different views of what it means to be an entrepreneur and if this is different from being a businessman or woman. Greg Jackson isnt your average energy company CEO. The first nail in the coffin should have been climate change, then it should have been the fact that renewables are now cheaper than fossil fuels. [3] Trading began in December 2015. About   Octopus Energy Group operates a wide range of business divisions, including Octopus Energy Retail, Octopus Energy for Business, Octopus Energy Services, Octopus Electric Vehicles, Octopus Energy Generation, Octopus Hydrogen, Kraken, Kraken Flex and the not-for-profit Centre for Net Zero. [62][63] The Kraken software was also licensed to Australia's Origin Energy as part of their May 2020 agreement. 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. What impact has the pandemic had on Octopus Energy and how have they navigated this? [10][11], In August 2019, an agreement with Midcounties Co-operative saw Octopus gain more than 300,000 customers, taking its total beyond 1 million. Aside from that, every experience has helped in some way or another, and been a vital lesson to learn to get me where I am today. Octopuss other renewables ventures include a huge push to replace gas boilers with heat pumps, and investment in what will be the worlds longest subsea power cable, linking Devon to a vast solar farm in the Moroccan desert. Greg: Octopus is unusual. Rachel also works hand-in-hand with consumer bodies to ensure all customers are well served and benefit from the transition to net zero. The boss of Octopus Energy has a small tub, which pleases him as it is efficient and fills quickly. As of September 2021 the company has over three million domestic and business customers, making it the fourth largest energy supplier 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. Greg Jackson and his gyms have won five World MMA Awards altogether. [14] In January 2020, Octopus was ranked first in a Which? 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. I also have had non-executive and chairman roles at peer-to-peer lender Zopa and Consultant Connect. [25], In 2021, Octopus built the UK's first R&D and training centre for the decarbonisation of heat. [19], In 2020 Octopus completed two funding rounds totalling $577m, making the company the highest funded UK tech start-up that year. We are doing the same thing in clean, green energy. Jacksons career has been far from typical for the energy business. Greg Jackson was grilled by viewers on profits, prices and electric blankets . You have cofounded a number of companies over the last 20 plus years, so its fair to say you are a serial entrepreneur. There are bright pink octopus toys dotted around the half-full offices, and crisps and sweets on a communal table. 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. 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. [30], In May 2020, Australian electricity and gas supplier Origin Energy paid A$507 million for a 20% stake in Octopus. 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. Whos Here   One department looks after Electric Juice, a service that lets customers add car-charging payments to their electricity bill. Clem joined Octopus from a career in political consultancy for the renewable energy and clean tech sectors. It is the first time a CEO of a large energy retailer has come on The Martin Lewis Money Show to respond to questions from the British public live on air. 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. If you could do it all over again what would you do differently in your entrepreneurial journey? With operations in the US, Japan, Germany, Spain, Italy, New Zealand and Australia, Octopus Energy Group's mission to drive the affordable green revolution is going global. KrakenFlex is currently contracted to manage over 1,600 MW of power with further 2 GWs of renewable generation to come online through 2022. 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. 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. You cant centrally plan a system thats got 20 million electric cars, two million houses with solar panels, a million houses with batteries, and 5,000 large-scale wind and solar farms.. HR in all companies will be looking for how they can improve value to businesses, and there are always conversations to be had about alternative models from which we can all learn. Rebecca holds a Bachelor's degree from Nottingham University Business School. Octopus Energy has a multi faceted business model, generating value from different revenue streams. Jackson and his family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico when he was three years old. 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. 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. 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 . Headquartered in London, the company has operations in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the United States. Read more . Our first guest is Greg Jackson, CEO and founder of Octopus Energy who will kick the series off on Thursday 26 January. Jackson reaffirmed that Octopus had not boycotted the channel. There was a problem! Greg: Our proprietary technology platform, Kraken, enables our operating model and efficient customer service. A newsletter showcasing the finest writing from the ideas section and the NS archive, covering political ideas, philosophy, criticism and intellectual history - sent every Wednesday. has recommended 5 years in a row. 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. Currently, Octopus Energy has more than 750,000 customers with 100 per cent renewable electricity, despite only setting up three years ago. Rebecca came to Octopus Energy following an eight-year career at UK energy company British Gas. [49], In January 2021, Octopus acquired two 73 metre (240') wind turbines to power their 'Fan Club' tariff, which offers households living near its turbines cheaper electricity prices when the wind is blowing strongly. She has done this all while maintaining some of the very best customer service ratings in the industry. [67] As a result of the campaign, Octopus registered a 163% increase in sign-ups and gained 37,000 customers. Greg: Believe it or not, I dropped out of school at 16 to start creating video games before eventually going to Cambridge University. Deepak has been involved as a partner to Octopus Energy Group since 2018. Energy companies around the world still maintain that natural gas (perhaps cleaned up with a puff of hydrogen) is the transition fuel that will take us to net zero. Greg: I prefer the term business leader to entrepreneur, and they can come in all shapes and sizes. Jon is currently the Global Director of Operations for Octopus Energy Group and Kraken Technologies and a board member for a number of group companies in Europe and Asia Pacific regions.He has played a pivotal role in building and leading some of the most awarded and customer obsessed teams in the UK and abroad. 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