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People & Opinion Utility Week community UTILITY WEEK | 18TH - 24TH DECEMBER 2015 | 7 "If the meter isn't selected correctly in the first instance, then you will never be able to make informed decisions on energy usage and how you can improve it" Martin Wardell, founder of MWA Technology, has raised concerns that poorly specified electricity and gas meters are leading to poor energy-use decision-making by non- domestic customers and may be compromising safety. "As things stand at the moment, water companies perform better on customer service than energy firms, so there is a real opportunity for them to steal a march" Anthony Conway, chair, Water Industry Forum. A former executive director at United Utilities, Conway blogged exclusively for Utility Week on the implications of government's intention to open the domestic water market to competition. Read the blog in full at utilityweek.co.uk • Long-serving National Grid chief executive Steve Holiday announced he will leave the company next year. Company veteran John Pettigrew will take his place. • UK Onshore Oil and Gas (UKOOG) appointed professor Averil Macdonald at its new chair. • Will Gardiner was appointed as the new finance director at Drax, replacing Tony Quinlan, who stepped down in May. • Ovo Energy appointed its first chief operating officer to enable the supplier to "continue scaling rapidly into 2016 and beyond." Sarah Calcott joins the company from eBay and will take up the posi- tion from January 2016 • Maria McCaffery announced that she will step down from her role as chief executive of Renew- able UK in spring next year. • Water UK has named its new chief executive as transport expert Michael Roberts. • Npower's chief executive Paul Massara left the company fol- lowing a 60 per cent decline in the supplier's domestic business profits for the first half of this year. • Water UK named the former Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs permanent secretary Sir Brian Bender as its new independ- ent chairman. • The Drinking Water Inspectorate announced that Marcus Rink was appointed as chief inspec- tor of drinking water for England and Wales. • Trade body Energy UK confirmed that Law- rence Slade permanently took up the position of chief executive in the summer. • Market Operator Services Limited (MOSL) named utility veteran Ben Jeffs as its inaugural chief executive. • The new chair of the board for Scottish Water was named as Susan Rice. • The Consumer Council for Water named Alan Lovell as its replacement for long-standing chair Yve Buckland. Recent research from the Federa- tion of Small Businesses (FSB) shows that: 70% of SMEs find it difficult to compare energy tariffs 43% of SMEs have never switched energy supplier SMEs currently pay up to £500m more than they would "if competition were working ef- fectively". On the back of these findings, FSB has launched FSB Energy to help members switch and assist with negotiating new contracts. The group estimates the service could save the average business £1,000 a year on energy. A star is born The Utility Week Stars Awards are back and for 2016 they will be bigger and brighter than ever before. The awards, which recognise the talent and dedication of frontline workers in utility companies, made a stellar impres- sion in their first two years and are quickly becoming a much loved event in the indus- try's calendar. The 2016 iteration has been revamped and re-energised to build on the early success of the awards. There are new categories, a new venue and some new faces on the judging panel. The awards ceremony itself will involve a range of new entertainments and insight into the stories behind the shortlisted nominations. The Stars Awards 2016 will take place on 17 June at the Hilton Manchester Deansgate. To find out more about this exciting opportunity to celebrate the achievements of individuals and teams who deserve their moment in the spotlight go to: www.utilityweekstars.co.uk BIG APPOINTMENTS OF 2015: