1) What is your current position?
As Chief Executive of Smart Energy GB I am part of the team delivering the national public engagement campaign for smart meters. We have a particular duty to ensure that low-income, prepayment and potentially vulnerable consumers benefit from the smart meter roll-out.
2) What are your proudest achievements?
We spent a large part of last year talking to consumers about their experiences of buying gas and electricity, and how they thought that smart meters could transform those for the better. It was one of the largest listening exercises that I have ever been involved in. I am not sure I deserve to feel proud, but I can certainly say that I was truly humbled by the time that people across Great Britain were willing to give up to talk to us, and also by the extent to which they wanted to work closely with us to design our approach to engaging England, Scotland and Wales with this vital technological change.
3) What inspires you?
My inspiration has come from local campaigners who are making real change happen on the ground, in local communities, and often against the toughest odds. I am very much inspired by local campaigners across the country – those who work hard, often in the evening and at weekends.
4) What has been the biggest obstacle in your career?
I am very lucky to have always had the unwavering support of family and friends throughout my career. The biggest obstacles have only ever arisen when I have been too silly or stubborn to turn to them for advice or help. So, the biggest career lesson I take from this is that everyone should remember that they are not alone and shouldn’t try to achieve all their career goals on their own
5) Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?
My great grandfather, who arrived in Karachi at the start of the 20th Century with hardly a penny to his name and built up a successful business. It reminds me to keep all my career-related worries very firmly in perspective!
6) What is the best aspect about your current role?
I am part of a team made up of some of the most dedicated and skilled individuals working in public engagement and communications today. Every day in the office feels exciting because I know that we are making a genuine difference to people’s lives as well as helping to reduce the amount of energy we use as a nation.
7) And the worst?
The real heroes of the smart meter roll-out programme are the installers: many thousands of people, a great number of whom are being given new skills and qualifications. The worst aspect is that I can only squeeze so much into each day; I wish I could spend more time with installers, visit homes, and directly help householders myself.
8) What are your long-term goals?
I want to see smart meters play a part in a long-term transformation of the whole energy industry, to one that truly puts the consumer first and helps to deliver a more sustainable future for our planet.
9) If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?
I don’t believe that we ever listen to children enough, so I would give children a much greater say in the policies that govern their lives and determine their future.
10) If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?
Thomas Jefferson. I would want to hear every story he had about what it was actually like to try and create the first country built around the idea that all people are created equal and where, at least in theory, for the first time it would not matter if you were born prince or pauper.
