European Smart Metering Forum and Smart Metering Update

Steve James

Commercial & Regulation Manager, E.ON

Biography

Steve has over 35 years experience in the energy industry. He has held a range of senior management positions in Retail, Distribution and Energy Services. These included taking East Midlands Electricity into domestic gas supply, acting as business lead for the introduction of retail competition for electricity (1998 Programme) also acting for East Midlands Electricity and as the commercial lead in the integration of TXU into E.ON. Steve has been involved in metering for a number of years both as a buyer and provider of services and more recently developed a gas metering capability for E.ON's metering business. He has been heavily focused on smart metering development for the past 5 years and represents E.ON on ERA Smart Metering Steering Group and sits on Ofgem's Technical and Data Communications expert panels. Steve is married with 2 children.

Philip Lowe

Director General, DG ENER, European Commission

Biography

Philip Lowe was born in Leeds in 1947. He read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at St John's College, Oxford and has an M. Sc. from London Business School. Following a period in the manufacturing industry, he joined the European Commission in 1973, and held a range of senior posts as Chef de Cabinet and Director in the fields of regional development, agriculture, transport and administration, before becoming Director-General of the Development DG in 1997. From September 2002 he was Director-General of the Competition DG until he took up his current appointment as Director-General of the Energy DG in February 2010.

Neil Pennington

Head of Smart Implementation, RWE npower

Biography

Neil has a career spanning 20 years in the Energy and Utility Sector, 12 of which have been in senior leadership roles. He has worked in engineering, operations, business development, marketing and strategy, as well as delivering significant business change projects.

Neil joined British Gas in 1990 and worked within Distribution Engineering. In 1996, working for Transco (now National Grid) Neil delivered "Section M" (Daily and Non-Daily Metering) of the Network Code and followed this with delivery of the introduction of Meter Reading Competition within the UK Gas Market. His association with metering continued as he ran the commercialisation of Transco's meter reading service to Accuread. In 1998, as Head of Marketing he was responsible for launching Affordable Warmth (through the pilot in Leeds), microgeneration (DCHP) and was Deputy Chairman of the CHPA.

In 2000 he joined PwC Consulting, working on Energy projects and business development in the UK, Ireland and the Czech Republic. In 2002 he led the project to help United Utilities win the bid for the c £200m British Gas Commercial Multi-Utility Meter Operation Contract; he also advised investors during their due diligence and creation of "Meterfit".

In 2003 he joined United Utilities as Business Development Director for "Networks" Ltd, the Connections, Metering and Energy Services Business. As well as Business Development he had P&L responsibility for Energy Services, which included remote metering and energy profiling for Industrial and Commercial Customers.

Following a period as Head of Energy and Utilities for Whitehead Mann, he joined npower in June of this year as Head of Smart Implementation.

A Chartered Mechanical Engineer, Neil has a PhD in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from the London Business School.

Chris Harris

Head of Retail Regulation, RWE npower

Biography

Chris Harris is the head of retail regulation at rwe npower, following a period as head of industry, networks and agreements. His background is in trading, consulting and asset management. He is a visiting professor in the Centre for Sustainable Power Distribution at the University of Bath.