Baroness McDonagh stands down as Smart Energy GB Chair

Margaret McDonagh said:

“Setting up Smart Energy GB has been an exciting and fulfilling project, and I am proud that the organisation is now firmly established and able to support millions of consumers who want to take greater control of their energy use and energy bills.

“We now have a dynamic Board in place bringing together the energy and not-for-profit sectors, and I would like to thank the Board for their support as we set the strategic direction for how this important technology is made available to consumers.

“We also have an extremely talented executive team in place - one of the best I’ve worked with. Already we have been able to simplify and bring creativity to a subject that the public finds deeply frustrating.

“I know that together the Board and executive team will continue to build on these foundations so that the public increase their understanding of how they can use smart meters to reduce their consumption of gas and electricity, and their bills. Smart Energy GB will also help us as a country understand how we can more efficiently manage the supply of gas and electricity to homes through digitalisation.”

Baroness McDonagh completed her term as inaugural chair of Smart Energy GB on June 29, and will be devoting more time to leading the women into business project The Pipeline she established in 2013, and taking on more commercially led non-executive roles.

Smart Energy GB Chief Executive Sacha Deshmukh said:

“I would like to thank Margaret McDonagh for her contribution to Smart Energy GB as non-executive Chair, and for her support in the two years that we have worked together.

“Margaret was part of the founding team of our organisation. She has played an important role in helping us to develop our consumer engagement approach and has been a powerful advocate for the transformation that smart meters will bring to the experience of consumers around the country buying the gas and electricity that powers their homes.

“Smart Energy GB’s campaigns have already been supporting the millions of smart meter installations that have taken place to date, and are set to grow as we approach the start of the mass roll-out of smart meters. I am grateful for the role that Margaret played in supporting our development as an organisation and advising me and the senior management team in our journey from start-up to readiness for full-scale delivery.”

Amber Rudd, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change said:

“Baroness McDonagh was the inaugural Chair of Smart Energy GB and has helped to establish the organisation as the lead for the smart meters consumer campaign as well as raising awareness of smart meters.

“I thank Baroness McDonagh for her service and contribution to Smart Energy GB, she’s played an important role to build the organisation from its inception.”