People
Sotiris Georgiopoulos
Sotiris has worked in the electricity industry for the last 18 years with UK Power Networks and its predecessors in engineering, construction, and innovation roles. For the last ten years, he has championed new ways to plan and operate electricity networks with high penetration of distributed energy resources. This has included leading UK’s largest rollout of active network management digital technology and pioneering world’s firsts in establishing DSO flexibility markets.
Sotiris is currently UKPN’s Director of Distribution System Operator (DSO) where he is responsible for all aspects of the newly established DSO business.
Committed to driving industry collaboration, Sotiris is also Chair of the ENA’s Open Networks project and a member of the ESO’s Market Advisory Panel.
Sotiris studied electrical engineering at the University of Manchester and has an MBA from the University of Cambridge.
Andy Cobb
Andy joined ElectraLink in September 2020 with responsibility for the vision and leadership for all ElectraLink’s business systems and IT Infrastructure. Working in partnership with the planning and development team, Andy and the team ensure all the external facing systems and services, which critically underpin the UK energy market, are built to be operationally robust and that the live services meet or exceed customer and stakeholder expectations.
Prior to joining ElectraLink, Andy has worked across a number of industries in senior IT roles, including most recently at Opus Energy and Haven Power – the energy supply businesses for Drax. Andy has also led IT teams in telecoms, publishing and IT outsourcing, ensuring that technology delivers every day to enable and improve the performance of the businesses in which it is deployed.
Amelia Heatley
Having worked in a number of varied roles in the energy industry since 2014 and with a background in communications, engagement and marketing, Amelia joined ElectraLink in 2018 and is now Diversity and Engagement Director. Her current remit includes responsibility for the strategic direction of the marketing and engagement function as well as their people strategy, including HR.
Amelia’s understanding of the link between an organisation’s external reputation, its internal ethos, and its people led to the development of this new role within ElectraLink. It reflects Amelia’s personal passion for improving organisational culture and ensuring companies recognise and celebrate the value of diversity alongside meaningful engagement to create an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.
Amelia is passionate about exploring ways in which organisations such as ElectraLink can open up to a broader spectrum of stakeholders, such as new ecosystem entries like disrupters, and can play its part in the democratisation of energy data whilst supporting the evolution of energy market regulation.
Prior to ElectraLink, Amelia held various roles within Ofgem and within one of GB’s Distribution Network Operators, UK Power Networks. Before working in energy, Amelia held various communication and engagement roles within the healthcare and charity sectors.
Dan Hopkinson
Dan joined ElectraLink in March 2016 to focus on the development of the Data Transfer Service (DTS). Since then, Dan has re-procured and delivered the new cloud based DTS and taken Energy Market Insights from a loss-making project to a highly profitable business unit delivering sustainable growth. In addition, he has created a new design and development function which has delivered new products and services including the EMPRIS data analytics platform and the Flexr Minimum Viable Product.
These developments give ElectraLink the next generation data visualisation, sharing and integration capabilities it needs to support the rapid transformation of the energy market as we drive towards net zero.
Dan has been a major part of the direction setting of the ElectraLink strategy including the change of emphasis from ElectraLink largely supporting the retail energy market to playing a role in the increasingly complex space of networks transformation.
Prior to joining ElectraLink, Dan held senior management roles at both Siemens and G4S managing significant change programmes, improving customer outcomes whilst significantly reducing cost to serve. Dan has a deep understanding of industry processes and how the increased use of data can dramatically improve them.
Stefan Leedham
Stefan joined ElectraLink in 2016, leading the Governance Services team. In his role, Stefan focused on delivering effective change on behalf of the industry and digitising industry codes to make them more accessible and understandable; as well as improving customer service and satisfaction.
As Director of Future Markets, Stefan focuses on developing ElectraLink’s long-term strategy in support of a zero carbon and flexible energy system, exploring how ElectraLink can use its data and digital skills to support this significant transition and its challenges. With an extensive background in energy policy and regulation across wholesale and retail markets, Stefan’s expertise enables him to identify the interactions between systems and help solving of difficult industry challenges using data and technology.
Prior to joining ElectraLink Stefan worked at EDF Energy
Paul Linnane
Paul joined ElectraLink as Head of Energy Market Insights (EMI) in June 2018. His key duties focused on nurturing ElectraLink’s commercial data offerings into a sustainable revenue stream while rolling out unique solutions for the energy market.
Since then, the EMI division has achieved highly through building new use cases to make energy data more accessible to traditional and non-traditional/innovative energy market participants.
Paul led on the development of an API platform which serves millions of API calls per month in support of improved customer switching and energy usage awareness. He also headed the creation of EMPRIS – the cutting-edge platform which democratises energy data access and provides advanced machine learning and visualisation capabilities.
In July 2021, Paul progressed to the Executive Team as Director of Data and Development where his remit now covers achievement of the revenues and capabilities of ElectraLink’s data businesses, as well as development and delivery of new products and solutions.
Prior to joining ElectraLink, Paul worked in various energy data consultancy roles in the UK and US, delivering benefit to energy retail companies through enhanced use of data and analytics.
Rachel Ollis
Rachel joined ElectraLink in March 2018 and has developed the Commercial and Legal function whilst overseeing the reprocurement of the DTS. Rachel is a practicing solicitor who has worked in the city, training in private practice and eventually moving in-house. As a corporate and commercial lawyer, she has extensive experience of major corporate and commercial transactions.
Rachel oversees the management of ElectraLink’s commercial risk and compliance whilst also supporting several energy industry codes including the Supply Point Administration Agreement (SPAA), Distribution Connection Use of System Agreement (DCUSA) and the Smart Metering Installation Code of Practice (SMICoP) as their Company Secretary.
Before joining ElectraLink, Rachel headed the UK&I legal department of one of the world’s largest technology distribution companies, Tech Data Corporation.
Jan Volschenk
Jan joined ElectraLink as Finance Director in April 2020 from McLaren Automotive where he was Director of Financial Control, Planning and Reporting.
Jan qualified as a Chartered Accountant at Arthur Andersen, and thereafter held senior finance roles in various multinational companies and SMEs. He was responsible for finance functions in fast growing technology and media start-ups, and in large groups in the FMCG and automotive industries. Jan also worked at SABMiller in several global leadership roles when SAB was the second largest global brewing group.
He led the investigation and development of the business case for setting up a global ERP back office solution, and the implementation of the business information operating model providing consistent information and data management across all operations.
Jan holds an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania with a focus on Strategic Management and Finance.
Stephanie Anderson
Stephanie has worked in the electricity industry for the last decade across both transmission and distribution in SP Energy Networks, with a focus on regulatory policy and economics. SP Energy Networks is the distribution and transmission network operator for 3.5 million customers across Central and Southern Scotland, North Wales, Merseyside, Cheshire and North Shropshire.
She is currently leading policy development of SP Energy Networks’ Transmission Network’s £1.38bn Investment Plan (RIIO-T2), whilst continuing responsibility for general regulatory policy across distribution.
Stephanie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, a Bachelor of Laws and is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. She is currently completing Iberdrola’s MBA in the Global Energy Industry at the University of Strathclyde.
Stephanie became a Non-Executive Director of Electralink in 2020 where she is able to bring her specialist regulatory experience to support the development of Electralink’s regulatory and commercial services.
Nigel Bessant
Nigel is a Chartered Engineer with over 17 years’ experience in electricity distribution and the wider energy industry and has held senior roles in engineering, operational management and commercial functions. He is currently Head of Network Trading for Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, responsible for energy data, forecasting and commercial interactions across the sector.
Previously, Nigel worked in innovation and future networks where he was responsible for a programme of large-scale innovation trials including New Thames Valley Vision, My Electric Avenue and SAVE (Solent Achieving Value from Efficiency), as well as working in business change, audit, capital delivery and system planning.
Paul Bircham
Paul has over 25 years of experience at a senior level in energy, utilities and infrastructure environments, and has significant experience across a broad portfolio of strategic executive responsibilities including customer service, IT and OT, telecommunications infrastructure, procurement, contract management and other commercial functions.
He has been an executive director of TXU Europe Distribution and United Utilities Electricity and most recently Electricity North West (ENW), where Paul is currently the Director responsible for Regulation and Communications. His current portfolio of responsibilities includes Regulatory Liaison and Government Affairs, Communications and Stakeholder Management, Investment Planning and Commercial Innovation.
As a non-executive director, Paul has also served on the boards of the Energy Networks Association, Electricity Association Services and Northmere Limited, where he is currently Board Chair.
Paul is currently pioneering the next wave of customer and commercial innovations that will enable ENW to transform their activities, provide new services to their customers and fulfil their full potential in facilitating the decarbonisation of our energy systems.
Paul Denniff
Since August 2017, Paul Denniff has been responsible for safety within SGN, as Network and Safety Director. He was appointed to the role of Director of Customer Service and Engineering Support when SGN was formed in 2005 and he became Network Director in late 2008.
Paul is a council and trustee member of IGEM and is also board member of the Gas Industry Safety Group. A chartered mechanical and gas engineer and fellow of both the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and IGEM, Paul holds a B.Eng (Hons) in mechanical engineering and an MBA.
He joined British Gas in 1990 having worked for the Central Electricity Generating Board and AMEC prior to that. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in running a gas network covering transmission and distribution operations, including strategic network planning, operations planning, asset management, network codes, contract management and price control reviews.
Tracey Pitcher
Tracey has worked in the electricity industry for 40 years, starting her career with the South West Electricity Board which then transitioned into Western Power Distribution (WPD).
She is currently National Systems Manager at WPD with responsibility for DUoS Billing and Recoveries, Meter Point Registration System (including the customer and supplier enquiry service), WPD Change Control overseeing all industry changes to electricity codes, the SMART Metering Administration, and Meter Asset Provision.
Tracey and her team provide these services to customers for four DNO areas covering the South West, South Wales, East Midlands and West Midlands.
In addition, Tracey is a director of RECCo Ltd and MRASCo Ltd and is currently a DNO representative on the ElectraLink DTS user group. She is also an DNO representative on the Delivery Group for the Faster Switching Project.
Jonathan Purdy
Jonathan has nearly three decades of experience in the electricity industry across both Supply and Distribution in a range of commercial, regulatory and leadership roles. These include retail and distribution tariffs, delivering Ofgem and industry change programmes and representing the DNOs in Governance Forums, together with project and programme leadership.
Jonathan Purdy is presently with UK Power Networks one of ElectraLink’s electricity Distribution Network Owner shareholders that serves 8.2 million customers in London, the South East and the East of England. His role encompasses working on their RIIO-ED2 plan (his fifth Price Control) and channelling their dealings with National Grid and Elexon.
Jonathan became a Non-Executive Director of ElectraLink in 2014 where his considerable experience across the industry governance has enabled him to support the development of both ElectraLink’s regulated and commercial services.