Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | 6TH - 12TH SEPTEMBER 2019 | 11 Policy & Regulation experience. "An entrepreneur to me is someone who is willing to take a risk – which I think is the antithesis of what you need in a regulator. You need solid, evidence-based decisions – it's not about taking risks around consumers and systems. "However, if you mean an entrepreneur- ial approach to problem-solving, that's not a bad thing. Certainly, anyone coming in should understand digital technology – in terms of the world today – not the 20-year- old world of mainframes." Says another: "I don't know what they mean exactly by entrepreneur: whether that's internal regulated company innova- tion or understanding new players coming along. If the latter, that would be great; they would bring an understanding of the huge barriers to the parties coming along, want- ing to operate at the grid edge, beyond the customer." Who might be eligible? "It's quite an attractive job. The energy sector is at a critical time and the system needs to change dramatically. Someone could come in and be a bit of a hero," is how a retail figure sums up the job. But in terms of who might meet the various criteria, the winning candidate at this stage would appear to be anyone's guess. Conflict of interest may rule out some who potentially would be in the frame from the private sector, while the salary level may deter others – unless they wanted, as the phrase has it, to give something back. A previous Ofgem chief executive, Alistair Buchanan, moved from the City. Although there is certainly chatter about Mary Starks, Ofgem's director for consumers and markets, and Jonathan Brearley, Ofgem's director for systems and networks, being in the running, senior figures Utility Week spoke to felt the job criteria "more or less" rules out anyone internal getting it. There was a strong sense that it would be difficult to change an organisation of which you've been part for some time. It also rules out network businesses or heavy generation business or some of the retail sectors, according to another industry observer. "In fact, anyone who has been in a non-forward-looking sector, including heavy generation. That's seen as the past rather than the future. I'd put my money on someone from a technology or telecoms company – certainly not water." Nolan's legacy – and the challenges ahead Being chief executive of Ofgem is nothing if not a political hot potato. Ongoing con- Photo: Alamy continued overleaf UTILITY WEEK CONGRESS 2019 8-9 October 2019 | Birmingham Dermot Nolan will be interviewed about regulation live on stage at Utility Week's two-day Congress in October. For further information or to book your ticket, visit: uw-event.co.uk/congress

• Cover