Utility Week

Utility Week 9th January 2015

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utILIty WEEK | 9th - 15th January 2015 | 7 Andrew Reaney will speak at Utility Week's Telecoms and Utilities Consumer Debt Conference about the need to give sufficient resource and strategic importance to teams dealing with customers on social tariffs: "Engaging customers on affordability and social tariffs requires the same marketing focus on segmenta- tion, targeting and proposition as any other paid for or sold product or service." People & Opinion Utility Week community Speaker's corner Andrew Reaney, chief customer officer, Thames Water Personal notes: What has been you most suc- cessful or challenging experi- ence in your career? Living through the journey from monopoly gas public utility, through privatisation, through deregulation into a competitive energy market. The experience of shaping markets across North America – feeling the transfor- mation in what you do, how you do it, how you think – it was amazing. Identify five people you would invite to your dream dinner party and why? Paul Weller: A very cool guy with a brilliant taste in music. Sue Perkins: She is both witty and can ensure the baking is up to scratch! Eric Cantona: I'm not a Man U fan but I was a Cantona fan. He was a brilliant footballer and is a great personality Kenny Jones: The last surviving member of Small Faces. He was drummer in Small Faces, The Faces and The Who… enough said. I would also need to include someone who is more boring than me, to make me look more interesting! Name four items you keep on your desk/with you at work: I don't have a desk. But I have an Asprey briefcase that was given to me by my colleagues in the British Gas Services Leadership Team when I moved on – great company and great people. My one page "objectives, goals, strategies and plans" – so I know I'm focused on the right things and making progress. My Venti Starbucks – I live on coffee. And my notebook – I love my lists. The main event The Telecoms and Utilities Con- sumer Debt Conference will take place on 18 March in Birming- ham. Find out more at www.uw-debt.net. In case you missed it… Here are the highlights of Utility Week's online features and blogs over the Christmas break SSE responded to the CMA Writing exclusively for Util- ity Week Katherine Marshall, CMA project director at SSE, explained why the energy sup- plier believes the market works for customers. The blog followed a CMA visit to SSE's headquar- ters in Perth, Scotland, and addressed each of the author- ity's theories of harm in turn. Marshall countered accusa- tions that the market is illiquid and on vertical integration said: "Some companies manage their risk through long-term con- tracts, others by going upstream – vertical integration is just one business model and in our view, a rational one." In addition to addressing the CMA's theories of harm, how- ever, Marshall said that SSE had advised CMA officials to revisit the impact of government policy and regulation on affordability and simplicity, as well as advo- cating an end to regional pricing differentials. Katherine Marshall's blog is available at: www.utiltiyweek.co.uk/blog Finding those most in need is hard Malcolm Ramsay, a trustee for the Foundations of Independ- ent Living Trust, wrote for Utility Week about challenges in assist- ing the fuel poor against the backdrop of the Care Act 2014. The Act will soon impose more responsibilities on local councils to ensure homes in their juris- diction are "healthy" (dry, warm and insulated). Ramsay said this would lead to better collabora- tion between councils and utili- ties in social care but warned that "Oen the most vulner- able are the hardest to reach". He also explored the increased pressure that the Care Act may place on achieving Eco targets. Malcom Ramsay's blog is avail- able at: www.utilityweek.co.uk/blog The unseen enemy Andy Settle, chief cyber security consultant and head of practice, Thales UK, explored the threat posed by cyber crime to utility infrastructure. "The enormity of the challenge of securing utili- ties against cyber attacks could not have been foreseen when much of our current infrastruc- ture was built," he said, before suggesting some key strategies to reduce vulnerability. Andy Settle's article is available to read at: www.utilityweek.co.uk/Channel/ operations-assets bLoGS In December BT Global services published Art of Connecting: Creativity and the Modern CIO. The study showed that, across sectors, there is a growing trend for "shadow IT" – where departmental IT spending is decentralised. Consequently, chief information officers are seeing a decline in demand for traditional support services and a rising need for strategic advice, governance and security. According to the report, 81 per cent of CIOs in energy and resource companies say shadow IT exists within their companies. "CIOs are perfectly placed to nurture creative uses of technology while keeping a strategic view" Luis Alvarez, chief executive, BT Global Services Shadow IT

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