[23], In March 2021 the Financial Times listed Octopus at number 23 on their list of the fastest growing companies in Europe. Greg Jackson founded Octopus Energy in 2015 with a view to using technology to make the green energy revolution faster and cheaper for consumers. Greg: Success is different for everybody, and you need to be honest with yourself about what would make your job a success, is it happiness? Our first guest is Greg Jackson, CEO and founder of Octopus Energy who will kick the series off on Thursday 26 January. 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. A business leader is someone who doesnt look to make quick money, but really wants to change their industry for the better, do something different and lead from the front, rather than worry about what their competitors are doing. Support 100 years of independent journalism. 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. What impact has the pandemic had on Octopus Energy and how have they navigated this? 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. The boss of Octopus Energy has a small tub, which pleases him as it is efficient and fills quickly. 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. Greg: I have a strong desire for my colleagues to be successful. Greg Jackson is CEO/Founder at Octopus Energy Ltd. See Greg Jackson's compensation, career history, education, & memberships. Currently, Octopus Energy has more than 750,000 customers with 100 per cent renewable electricity, despite only setting up three years ago. There was a problem! Jackson came from a family of wrestlers (his father, brother, and uncle were all champions in the sport). Since launching in 2018, Zoisa's team has accrued 40,000 customers, from SMEs to large organisations such as Arsenal FC. 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. Our last question before ending this interview is around environmentally sustainable businesses and their impact on climate change. 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. As of September 2021 the company has over three million domestic and business customers, making it the fourth largest energy supplier 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 Extr [14] In January 2020, Octopus was ranked first in a Which? 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. We'll cover a range of topics, including asking Greg what 2023 holds for the tech and energy sector at this challenging time, and which technologies he thinks are going to make a difference to the sector in the future. 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. Greg Jackson and his gyms have won five World MMA Awards altogether. [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. 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. Mark Wahlberg's wife Rhea Durham shares sweet tribute to their daughter Grace on 13th birthday with snaps from . A serial and successful entrepreneur before Octopus Energy, Gregs experience spans mirror manufacturing, coffee shops and multiple software ventures. You need to ask yourself these questions when defining your success. Customers on the tariff get a 20% discount on the unit price when the turbines are spinning, and a 50% discount when the wind is above 8m/s (20 mph). In 2019, Octopus stated that all its electricity came from renewable sources, and began to offer a "green" gas tariff with carbon offsetting. Greg is an experienced digital entrepreneur, passionate about using technology to make positive change. [31], In November 2021, EDF Energy agreed a deal with Octopus Energy Group to move its five million customers onto its Kraken platform. This interview was originally published on our sister platform, ChangeinAfrica Magazine, the content is wholly owned by Innoglo Ltd. Mon - Fri: Respond with 24 hrs Until recently, he was also a non-executive Director for Zopa, the global pioneer of online peer to peer lending that is now Moneysupernarkets largest non-high street lender and is growing rapidly. Hello Greg, and thank you for taking the time our to participate in this interview. In 2006, he sold a customer relationship tech business for 4.5m. He began his working life as a video games programmer and always fancied a stint as a motorcycle courier (electric, of course).. You cant become a car dealer if you havent got the money to buy cars, says Jackson, exasperated. Please refresh the page and try again. 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. Last holiday Cotswold Water Park, with family and friends. Greg is also a strong advocate of maintaining a good work-life balance with his work-life blend, which to him means creating a symbiotic, rather than a compartmentalised relationship between his various work commitments and personal life, so he can remain present in all of them. 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. 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. 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. 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. This platform was created 50/50 by our tech team and our customer service team, and is worked on and tweaked constantly to create the best process for the team who are looking after customers. Our customer service metrics actually improved during the pandemic, and we were the only large domestic energy supplier in the UK still answering calls as usual. Could Octopus become another Bulb? Read more . Octopus Energy is currently value at $2 billion, how did this evaluation come about? In this episode Greg shares not only what it means to be a successful leader and team player, but how to live a more authentic life altogether. Britains failure to invest in renewables led us into the gas crisis, says Jackson, and a revolution in energy supply and policy is urgently needed. He writes on a range of topics including inflation, Brexit, the Bank of England, the world of work and the cost of living crisis. Before joining Octopus, Rachel served as the Chief Executive of Ofwat, the UK's water regulator, and as a Senior Partner and Board member of Ofgem, the UK energy regulator. [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. Octopus Energy Group is a British renewable energy group specialising in sustainable energy. Is it profit, value or something else? It was founded in 2015 with the backing of British fund management company Octopus Group, a British asset management company. Greg: I prefer the term business leader to entrepreneur, and they can come in all shapes and sizes. Greg: It might be a bit clich, but i definitely admire what Elon Musk has done. 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. 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. [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. His morning routine echoes the tycoons underprivileged childhood. Do you have any influences that have inspired your entrepreneurial journey and how? There are bright pink octopus toys dotted around the half-full offices, and crisps and sweets on a communal table. [18] The same month saw the launch of London Power, a partnership with the Mayor of London. Jackson said that Octopus would be monitoring GB News content to ensure the channel would not be in breach of Octopus' advertising policy. In 2009, Jackson released an instructional book about his fighting style called Jackson's MMA - The Stand Up Game. [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". If you could do it all over again what would you do differently in your entrepreneurial journey? [4] Greg Jackson is the founder of the company and holds the position of chief executive. Greg Jackson starts each day by flicking on the radio and scrunching into his bath. Last month Octopus pledged 50m to cut customer bills until Octobers price cap rise, part of a longer-term package worth 150m. Registered office: UK House, 5th floor, 164-182 Oxford Street, London, W1D 1NN. What advice do you have for other businesses on environmental sustainability and its impact on climate change? [68][69], In November 2021 Octopus financed 'Grace of the Sun', a large-scale art piece by Robert Montgomery made using the Little Sun solar lamps designed by Olafur Eliasson and Frederik Ottesen. And I genuinely hope they all go on to great things, even if thats not necessarily at Octopus Energy. The boss of Octopus Energy has a small tub, which pleases him as it is efficient and fills quickly. 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. [1] She is Chief Marketing and Product Officer at Octopus Energy. [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. The contemporary Jackson-Wink MMA Academy won the same award in 2015.[9]. Prior to joining Octopus Energy, Lara worked at US-based Opower, a customer engagement start-up and pioneer of Behavioural Energy Efficiency. We train our managers to take on many of the functions that are normally covered by HR departments. [58], Octopus Energy licenses their proprietary customer management system called Kraken, which runs on Amazon's cloud computing service. Are people working at your company happy? 8 Dislike Share Save. Greg Jackson is CEO of Octopus Energy, which is valued at more than 1.4billion . It was the companys third major investment round since launching to the market. Besides industry-standard fixed and variable tariffs, the company is known for innovative tariffs which are made possible by the national rollout of smart meters. What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs? Im just gobsmacked anyones opposing this., Does being a flag-bearer for green energy get him in hot water at dinner parties? The campaign won the 2020 Marketing Week Masters award for utilities, and the 2020 Energy Institute award for Public Engagement. We want a similar effort to the vaccine rollout, says Jackson, sweeping bags of Frazzles aside. [27], In November 2021, Octopus announced in Manchester that it had signed a deal with the city region as part of a bid to become carbon neutral by 2038. John moved from managing Affect Energy to running Octopus' engineering fleet and developing the UK's first Heat Pump Research & Development Centre, along with the proposition to train over 1,000 heat pump engineers a year and produce 1,000 heat pumps a month through the new Octopus Energy factory in Northern Ireland. What is the secret behind the growth and success of Octopus Energy? 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. 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. Jackson reaffirmed that Octopus had not boycotted the channel. Octopus began talking to Gores team two years ago. What would you say are the most important traits business leaders should possess to be successful? Deepak Ravindran moved over to lead Kraken Utilities from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in 2022. 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. Its bollocks, Greg Jackson, the founder and CEO of Octopus Energy, replies, when I ask what he makes of this idea. We took the 15 years it usually takes to make a vaccine, and did it in less than a year. [22], In February 2021, CEO Greg Jackson said on a BBC News interview that Octopus does not operate a human resources department. I dont just want them to come in and do things for the company. 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. How would you define a successful business leader? The project, which coincided with COP26, was realised in Glasgow through collaboration with the local art community, and was designed as a call for global leaders to invest in renewable energies such as solar PV, in order to power a sustainable future. We scaled the business by repeatedly cloning micro businesses, and what works for us wont work for other businesses. Whos Here 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. Recommended Provider accolade five years in a row. KrakenFlex is currently contracted to manage over 1,600 MW of power with further 2 GWs of renewable generation to come online through 2022. He won the Coach of the Year award in 2009, 2010 and 2011. 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. 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. These days, Greg Jackson is the founder behind the only energy company recommended by Which?. 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. [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. The only energy supplier Which? As of September 2022, more than 450 charging companies were taking part, allowing customers access to over 300,000 chargers in over 50 countries through a single card and/or app. What would you say is the most important trait of a successful entrepreneurs? 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.. Jackson, 50, grew up near Middlesbrough. Hey I'm Constantine, welcome to Octopus Energy! [38], As of August 2021, the company has over 2.4 million domestic and business customers. Whats your take on this concept and how diverse is your leadership ranks in Octopus Energy? You have cofounded a number of companies over the last 20 plus years, so its fair to say you are a serial entrepreneur. Thats an amazing 658% growth in your domestic customer based alone, and within the span of 2 years. 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. The division is also behind Octopus Energys Fan Club, a local energy tariff that provides cheaper energy when the wind blows. 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. Deepak holds an MBA in Marketing, Strategy and Information Systems from the Indian Institute of Management and a B Tech in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology. John is a highly experienced energy entrepreneur. How we work [72], Responding to Octopus Energy's decision on Twitter, Andrew Neil, founder of GB News, said "Let me know if you want to advertise. [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. [citation needed]. 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. How much of your upbringing, surroundings and environment influenced your entrepreneurial journey? 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. Before Bulbs collapse, Octopus flirted with taking over its rival. 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