Ovo strengthens leadership as new chapter begins
Ovo Energy has bolstered its senior leadership team as it prepares for life as one of the UK’s largest household energy suppliers.
Earlier this month Ovo completed the acquisition of SSE’s retail arm for £505m, meaning that the challenger brand now has around 5m customers in the UK.
Today the firm announced that three people would join the firm in senior positions in its retail leadership team.
Bill Castell, formerly of Virgin Media, will be joining as chief finance officer of the firm, as well as the group’s controller.
As acting finance chief at the media outfit, Castell was part of the executive team delivering innovative products to over 6m cable and 3m mobile customers.
Alongside Castell, Ovo has brought in Charlotte Eaton as its new chief people officer, following a stint as vice president of people at Arm.
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The trio is completed by Raman Bhatia, who joins as the firm’s chief operating officer, having headed up HSBC’s digital bank.
Bhatia will be responsible for integrating SSE’s business into Ovo’s day to day structures. All of SSE Energy Services 8,000 employees will transfer to Ovo.
Commenting on the appointments Adrian Letts, chief executive of Ovo, said: “The urgent need and responsibility to address the climate crisis has never been more critical. Bill, Charlotte and Raman all bring a wealth of valuable expertise at the start of a significant year for Ovo, where we will be playing a crucial role in helping customers reduce their carbon footprint.”
SSE’s customers will not feel an immediate day-to-day difference because of the switch, as Ovo will continue operating the SSE brand until a phased migration can take place.
SSE will continue to supply energy to businesses in the UK, as well as households in Ireland.
Raman Bhatia commented: “A better customer experience, digital solutions and new technology is what Ovo is famous for. This is an incredible moment for me to join. I’m really looking forward to working with the teams on a journey to zero carbon living.”