About us

Council

President

Steve Holliday FREng FEI
Former Chief Executive National Grid

Steve Holliday is the former Chief Executive of National Grid plc. He is the President of the Energy Institute, Chairman of CityFibre and Chairman of Zenobe. He volunteers his time as Vice Chairman of the Careers and Enterprise Company, Vice Chairman of Business in the Community and Chairman of the Black Stork Charity.

Steve joined National Grid Group as the Board Director responsible for the UK and Europe in March 2001, becoming Chief Executive of the company in January 2007, which he led for almost 10 years, until 2016.

Prior to joining National Grid, he was on the Board of British Borneo Oil and Gas and was responsible for the successful development of its international businesses in Brazil, Australia and West Africa. Steve spent much of his early career with Exxon, where he held senior roles in refining, shipping and international gas.

Steve is a Fellow of both the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Energy Institute. From 2012 to 2014 he was also appointed as a National Ambassador for HRH The Prince of Wales and served as lead Non-Executive director with DEFRA from 2016 until the end of 2017. Steve served on the board of Marks & Spencer as Independent Non-Executive director from 2004–2014, as Deputy Chair at Convatec from 2016-2019 and as Chair of Crisis, the homeless charity from 2011-2020.

Steve holds a BSc degree from Nottingham University and honorary doctorates from Nottingham and Strathclyde universities. His sporting interests include cycling and following the fortunes of the England Rugby team.

Vice Presidents

Juliet Davenport OBE HonFEI, Founder and Non-Executive Director, Good Energy

Juliet is founder and Non Executive Director of Good Energy – a renewable energy company with a mission to power a greener, cleaner future together with its customers. Juliet has been an innovator for over 20 years, working on ideas to fight climate change and transform the energy sector for the better. In 2013, she was awarded an OBE for services to renewables. She currently sits on the board of the Renewable Energy Association, Innovate UK, the Crown Estate and is Vice President of the Energy Institute. In addition, she sits on the advisory boards of leading UK think tanks, including Energy Systems Catapult, Aurora, Oxford Energy, and LSE’s Grantham Institute. Juliet has various scholastic credentials with academic organisations, including University of Wales, Imperial College, Bristol University, Birkbeck and LSE, where she has various roles and accolades, with the ambition of influencing the next generation to think about the energy transition and our low carbon future. Juliet is passionate about creating a business that does good; one that can deliver the needs of society in a purposeful way. As part of this vision, she is working with the British Academy’s Future of the Corporation project, thinking about a better future.

Greg Jackson FEI, Founder & Chief Executive, Octopus Energy

Greg is the founder and CEO of Octopus Energy Group, the green energy tech pioneer and certified B Corp based in the UK. Launched in 2016, the company’s mission is to bring cheaper, greener power to all. In 2021, Octopus also entered the renewable energy generation market.

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 wind is blowing. With its smart tariffs proving customer appetite for flexibility, Octopus is pioneering a global system change to enable a cheaper, faster transition to renewables.

Greg is an experienced digital entrepreneur, passionate about using technology to make positive change. He’s founded a number of successful businesses, including e-commerce company C360, and is an angel investor in a wide range of tech start-ups. He also served as Director of several innovative businesses, including Zopa, the world’s first peer-to-peer lender, which has now lent almost £2bn fairly and responsibly.

Rt Hon Prof Charles Hendry CBE HonFEI, Former Energy Minister, UK Government

Charles Hendry was Minister of State for Energy from 2010-12. He was previously the Conservative Party’s spokesman on energy issues, from 2005-2010, holding the portfolio for longer than any other spokesman.

On leaving Ministerial office, Prime Minister David Cameron appointed him as his Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, a role he continued until leaving Parliament in 2015.  He was awarded the CBE in Her Majesty The Queen’s 2019 Birthday Honours for his work in supporting British Trade in Russia and Central Asia.

On leaving Ministerial office, he was appointed as an Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh Business School and Visiting Professor at the Mining University of St Petersburg.  He is President of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce; President of the British Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan; President of the British Institute of Energy Economics; Vice-President of The Energy Institute and Patron of the Nuclear Institute.

He works extensively across the energy sector.

Charles was educated at the University of Edinburgh, where he received an Honours Degree in Business Studies. He is a University Regent and also an Honorary Fellow of the Energy Institute.

Vice President & Honorary Secretary

Dame Vivienne Cox DBE FEI, Non-Executive Director and Workforce Engagement Director, GSK

Dame Vivienne Cox is Non-Executive Director and Workforce Engagement Director of the global pharmaceutical company GSK. She worked for BP plc for 28 years, in Britain and continental Europe, in posts including Executive Vice President and Chief Executive of BP’s gas, power and renewable business and its alternative energy unit. Vivienne was previously a Non-Executive Director of BG Group plc and Rio Tinto plc, the Senior Independent Director of Pearson plc, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Vallourec and the Lead Independent Director at the UK Government’s Department for International Development. She was awarded a CBE in 2016 and a damehood in 2022 for services to diversity and inclusion and sustainability in business. A graduate of Oxford and INSEAD, she is also Chair of the Rosalind Franklin Institute, Vice Chair of the SAID Business School and on the advisory board of the African Leadership Institute and of Montrose Associates.

Honorary Treasurer

Simardeep Soor FEI, Assistant Director, UK Government Investments

Simardeep Soor is a Chartered Accountant, who trained and qualified at KPMG, and holds a MEng in Engineering Science, Economics and Management from University of Oxford. She is an Assistant Director at UK Government Investments, where she has worked on a variety of corporate finance and governance projects, including asset sales in the energy sector, the shareholder role for UK Green Infrastructure Platform and the shareholder role for National Nuclear Laboratory. Prior to joining UK Government Investments, Simardeep spent over six years in corporate advisory and investment banking roles at Houlihan Lokey and KPMG. During this time, she advised on a number of UK and cross-border M&A transactions for UK, European and US clients.

Members

Prof John I. Currie CEng FEI, Director, Scottish Energy Centre Edinburgh Napier University

John is a Chartered Engineer with over 30 years’ experience in teaching, research and practice. Formerly Chief Engineer with Carlsberg-Tetley Brewing, John has represented the Industry at national level to bring about significant reductions in energy utilisation. He is Director of the Scottish Energy Centre at Edinburgh Napier University where he has secured significant levels of external funding (EPSRC, TSB, FP7) helping to support innovative products, processes and supply chain initiatives across the Scottish SME sector. The main focus of his research interests include monitoring and modelling building performance and the development of novel and innovative renewable energy systems and successfully directed over 9PhD/MPhil completions and published over 50 refereed articles. John retains strong professional links with external organisations and is a Fellow, Member of Council, and Past Chairman of the Energy Institute, Chairman of the Energy Institute Accreditation Panel, Member of the Engineering Council - Engineering Accreditation Board, Co-Chairman of Scotland’s 2020 Climate Group and recently founded Retrofit Scotland. As well as chairing numerous academic accreditation panels both in the UK and abroad, John holds current External Examination posts with Heriot Watt University, London South Bank University and University of the Highland and Islands.

Prof Robert Gross FEI, Director, UK Energy Research Centre, UCL

Robert Gross became Director of the UK Energy Research Centre at University College London in February 2020, having previously been a co-Director. He is also Professor of Energy Policy and Technology, Director of the Centre for Energy Policy and Technology (ICEPT) and former Policy Director of the Energy Futures Lab at Imperial College London. He is also a trustee of the Energy Institute. Robert has published extensively on energy policy and technology. He has extensive research management expertise and has made a substantive contribution to UK energy policy development, acting as advisor to Select Committees, preparing reports and chairing committees for Govt. departments and NDPBs, and as a consultant. He was seconded to the Cabinet Office in the early 2000s and contributed to the Blair Government’s Energy Review. He also has extensive teaching experience at masters and PhD level. He has been invited speaker at a wide range of conferences and related forums in the UK and overseas. He makes regular contributions to the popular debate surrounding energy, in the mainstream broadsheet press, online and in TV and radio appearances.

Andy Hadland AMEI, Chief Development Officer, Arenko Cleantech

Andy Hadland is an energy engineer who now heads up development at Arenko, a leading battery storage owner operator in the UK. In the past he has led industrial and commercial engineering projects for blue chip clients; from deep retrofit energy efficiency rollouts, through to 85MWth/25MWe Biomass CHP installations behind the meter. He is a regular guest lecturer at Imperial College Energy Futures Lab on topics such as Thermodynamics, electric vehicles, and energy storage and is a passionate STEM Ambassador. He has keynoted National Instruments NI Week, been invited to speak at high-level roundtables with BEIS, and was part of a record-breaking team that designed and built an all-electric supercar – which then drove 26,000km from Alaska to Argentina. At the Energy Institute he was the founding Chair of the London YPN branch, and is passionate about improving the opportunities for young professionals within the sector. Now he sits on the EI Council where he is working to help develop the EI's offering and relevance to young professionals.

Sinead Obeng AMEI, Regulatory Affairs Advisor, Gazprom Marketing and Trading

Sinead is a Regulatory Affairs Advisor at Gazprom Marketing & Trading in London, overseeing gas and LNG market design topics in North West Europe. Prior to this, Sinead worked as a Commercial Analyst for South Hook Gas, the UK’s largest liquefied natural gas importer and has also held commercial roles in the North Sea oil and gas industry specialising in third party infrastructure access, commercial joint-venture management and upstream project analysis. In 2017, Sinead was elected as Chair of the London and Home Counties Young Professionals Network where she led the organisation of speaker events, professional development opportunities for YPN members and enhanced the network’s self-sufficiency. Following this, Sinead was appointed as the Young Professionals’ representative on EI Council. Sinead is an open advocate for STEM initiatives and women’s empowerment. She was also a mentor as part of The Girls’ Network, helping girls from disadvantaged backgrounds gain the confidence to pursue their goals. Sinead holds a BSc in Economics and Finance from the University of Surrey.

Aleida Rios FEI, Head of Engineering, Upstream BP

Aleida is the Head of Engineering for the Upstream and the Upstream Engineering Centre (UEC). In this role Aleida is accountable for the center of technical discipline engineering expertise in the Upstream and plays a key role in connecting Upstream Engineering as a discipline and holding a segment-wide view of discipline health and capability for over 1600 engineers. Throughout her 27-year career at BP, Aleida has held a variety of leadership posts in operations and engineering. Aleida’s most recent role was the Vice President of Operations for the Gulf of Mexico operated assets and prior to that she held the same role in BP’s onshore lower 48 business. Aleida holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University and is a member of the university’s Chemical Engineering College Advisory Board. Aleida was recently awarded the Texas A&M 2019 College of Engineering Outstanding Alumni Award in recognition of her STEM advocacy and service to the oil and gas industry. She is on the Board of BP Shipping and Fellow of the Energy Institute serving as Chair of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC). Aleida and her husband Eduardo have three sons.

Emily Spearman CEng FEI, Head of Project Management Office, Ørsted

Emily Spearman is the Head of Project Management Office at Ørsted Wind Power, the world leading green energy company.  During her time at Ørsted Emily has held the position as Asset Manager of five offshore windfarms and Commercial Manager for Hornsea Project 1, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, currently under construction. Prior to this, Emily was the youngest Associate Director in Engineering Consultancy URS Scott Wilson, where she held leading positions on a number of high profile projects in the environmental and industrial sectors around the world (including, Crossrail and Palm Island, from West Africa to Australia).  In her early career she worked onshore and offshore on Oil and Gas rigs with Schlumberger in the UK and USA.

Dr Joanne Wade OBE FEI, Chief Strategic Advisor, The Association for Decentralised Energy

Dr Joanne Wade is a sustainable energy expert with 30 years’ experience in energy efficiency and community energy. She is the Chief Strategic Advisor of the Association of Decentralised Energy (ADE), a Trustee of the Energy Institute (EI) and former Chair of the EI’s Energy Advisory Panel. Her work is currently focused on buildings energy efficiency policy and practice. Prior to her current roles, Joanne held posts including Chief Executive of the Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE), CEO of Impetus Consulting, Research Director at ACE and post-doctoral researcher at the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute. Joanne is also Vice President of the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College London; previously she chaired the EI’s HR Committee, chaired the Board of Trustees of the Eaga Charitable Trust and served as a Commissioner on the London Sustainable Development Commission.

Leadership team

Chief Executive

Dr Nick Wayth CEng FEI FIMechE

ceo@energyinst.org
Connect on LinkedIn

Nick Wayth has held a broad career at the forefront of change in the energy industry as it adapts ever faster to tackling climate change.

Nick spent nearly 22 years at BP plc in a broad variety of executive and management roles. Most recently Nick held the post of Chief Development Officer of Alternative Energy, where he led BP’s strategy and business development in a broad range of renewable technologies, including solar, offshore wind and digital energy. Through this role Nick was also a member of the BP Ventures Investment Committee, sponsoring several of BP’s venture investments.

Prior to this Nick held senior roles as VP Competitor Intelligence and as Head of North America Investor Relations, based in Houston. Nick’s early career was spent in a variety of operational, technical, and commercial roles in the upstream business, based offshore in the North Sea, Aberdeen, Algeria and London.

Nick holds a PhD in Mechanical / Electrical Engineering and a degree in Mechanical Engineering, both from the University of Southampton.  Nick is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and a Fellow of both the Energy Institute and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Nick is passionate about creating an inclusive and supportive environment for working parents and carers and was the executive sponsor for an active resource group at BP’s St James’s Square office. Nick also advises and mentors entrepreneurs in energy start-up companies.

Outside of work, Nick enjoys running, cycling, yoga and spending time with his wife, Debbie, and their two sons.

Directors and Heads

International Managing Directors

Annual report

The latest annual reports are available to download here:

The EI annual report 2020 The EI annual report 2019

The EI and the environment

As the chartered membership body for professionals working globally across the energy sector, the EI provides the skills, knowledge and good practice needed to protect the environment during operations and to advance the global energy transition required by the climate emergency.

We are committed to providing a comfortable environment to help our staff and volunteers provide the best services possible. We recognise the nature of our work comes with an obligation to lead by example using energy and resources in an efficient and sustainable manner. Our energy and environment policy is designed to ensure this commitment is incorporated into our strategy and operations at our 61 New Cavendish Street premises, that staff are appropriately aware and trained, that we procure environment-friendly goods and services, promote energy efficient travel, and increase transparency around our energy consumption and GHG emissions. Recent improvements include the installation of solar panels on the roof of our premises, an energy efficient air handling unit with a rotary heat exchanger, LED lighting and the introduction of more environment-friendly paper, ink and wrapping for our magazines.

In May 2020, the EI pledged to end the impact of its operations on the climate, using the Society for the Environment’s Pledge to Net Zero framework. We set science-based greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for our central operations – our London head office and staff business travel - through to 2035, en route to reaching net zero well before 2050. In January 2021 we published our 2020 Progress Report and also signed up to the SME Climate Commitment, which is recognised by the United Nations Race to Zero campaign.

The EI is a not-for-profit organisation funded through a combination of fees from tens of thousands of individual members, hundreds of company members, and from sales of publications and tickets to our conferences and training courses. Our products and services meet the needs of professionals spanning the breadth of the energy sector, from oil and gas to renewable and energy efficiency technologies. They are continuously refined to keep pace with and support the changes under way in our field.

Beyond ownership of our 61 New Cavendish Street premises, the EI does not own substantial assets. A total of around £3.5 million of our reserves are held in the mixed portfolio Sarasin Endowment Fund. Sarasin’s Climate Pledge presses investee companies to align with the Paris Agreement goals. While this does not preclude investment in oil and gas, companies are tracked in relation to their statements, ambitions and progress and investment decisions based on that. The fund does not invest in producers of tobacco, weapon systems and civilian firearms, nor in companies with more than 5% of revenues related to adult entertainment and 10% of revenues related to gambling, armaments or alcohol products and services. Our investment policy is reviewed annually.

January 2020

Code of Conduct

All EI members are bound by the EI Code of Conduct. If you feel that an EI member has not met the standards described in this Code, it is open to you to make a complaint. Please contact us for a copy of the complaints procedure and a complaints form.

Download the EI Code of Conduct

There is a separate Code of Conduct for the EI’s RPEC register. For further details, visit the RPEC page.