Making tomorrow’s energy a business fit

 “We’re here to help UK businesses navigate an uncertain world with confidence – whether that’s through innovative propositions, understanding the energy market, or simply listening more intently to their needs. For example, that could be helping a manufacturer explore new ways to offset costs or take advantage of flexible markets or advising a supermarket chain how to understand and optimise their energy contracts, or acting as the voice of business to key stakeholders.”

With more than 20 years’ experience in the energy industry, Charlotte heads up strategy, marketing, customer experience and external affairs for npower Business Solutions. Her team shares a strong outward focus, always looking at what’s happening in the wider world – and how it can benefit industrial and commercial (I&C) customers, ultimately supporting ways to unleash the potential of businesses across the UK.

Whether it is new regulations, customer needs, competitors, or global trends, the approach is firmly future facing, planning for what’s coming next, both in the short and long term, setting strategic direction, while addressing challenges and seizing new opportunities to keep the business on track.

“When you’re thinking about the future, you have to be comfortable with uncertainty,” Charlotte says. “Innovation is key whether we’re evolving our core business, pursuing growth opportunities, or exploring uncharted territory. But across all of it, collaboration, problem-solving, and a deep understanding of our customers remain at the heart.”

Uncertainty may not be something people strive for in business. However when thinking about the future and looking at longer term strategy, as much as you can forecast, we can never be sure exactly how the future will play out, so having flexibility, adaptability and being willing to experiment, test and learn, and to try different things is really important.

By closely monitoring technological advancements and developments in the broader energy landscape, Charlotte ensures E.ON’s Industrial and Commercial business – with and for its customers – not only adapts to change but leads; ensuring that innovation, customer-centricity, and strategic vision remain at the core.

For instance we publish the annual nBS Business Energy Tracker to reflect the asks of businesses to the government, regulator and other key stakeholders. Alongside this we are constantly developing our digital offering to give I&C customers valuable insights on the energy market, support with their energy accounts and a deeper understanding of their energy usage. We are equally committed to delivering true social value to give something back via initiatives like the nBS Foundation and in creating a clear accessible strategy that ensures everyone working in I&C understands our direction and the part they play in getting there.

Charlotte’s career path began at E.ON on leaving university – as she calls it “a temporary stop”, but that quickly transformed into a fulfilling career with a focus on creating and implementing corporate and marketing strategy.

She says: “I came here thinking this is maybe something I’d do after university for a year or two and earn a little bit of money. I had planned to go back into studying, but I found I really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the company, really enjoyed the people I worked with. It really opened my eyes to how you can make a career here, I came in at entry level, working in a back-office team. It was a great start to my career.”

In a back-office team handling accounts for some of the UK’s largest industrial and commercial energy users, she immersed herself in the technical and operational aspects of the industry, learning the intricacies of data flows, account management, and customer engagement. This hands-on experience proved invaluable, providing a solid foundation that would lead to a career in business strategy and underpin her later leadership.

Today, as Head of I&C Strategy, Customer and External Affairs, Charlotte leads four specialist teams for the same large corporate customer base she began dealing with at the very start of her career. Her remit is broad, but the unifying theme is clear: championing the customer voice and shaping a future-ready business.

“Those early years were so important. Working behind the scenes, supporting large group accounts, and guiding customers through complex processes really helped me see the bigger picture. It also taught me that, at its core, the energy business is always about people – about understanding and supporting their needs.”

Charlotte’s leadership extends to supporting the energy transition, championing policies and practices that help UK businesses remain competitive such as lobbying for alternative ways that the costs of the energy transition can be recovered, while investing in sustainability. Her role is as much about representing customer interests to policymakers as it is about driving transformation.

“What unites all the different pieces that sit beneath me and what I'm here to do, is making our business fit for tomorrow. From my very first job to the role I do today, I’ve learned it’s vital to bring the customer perspective into the work that we do – that’s what’s really powerful.”