• Swindon & Wiltshire Appointments
• Friday February 23 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Energy provider OVO appoints Justin King CBE as chairman

Bristol-headquartered energy provider OVO has appointed retail leader Justin King CBE to the position of non executive chairman.

Justin takes up his new role in March when chairman Stephen Murphy steps down after nine years with the company.

One of the retail sector’s most respected and established customer champions, Justin brings more than three decades of expertise with time spent at M&S, Asda, Haagen-Dazs, PepsiCo and Mars.

He is credited with the delivery of record growth over the course of his ten years as CEO of Sainsbury’s PLC, and is a longstanding advocate of responsible business practice, aligned with OVO’s own mission to power the UK’s progress to net zero with clean, affordable energy for millions of households.

The appointment of a seasoned retail expert to the position of chairman follows OVO’s accelerated expansion into the UK decarbonisation market, improving its offer to consumers by reducing bills through a range of new energy saving technologies for the home.

In the past twelve months, OVO has brought a range of new consumer products to the market including flagship electric vehicle offering Charge Anytime, industry-leading heat pump offer Heat Pump Plus, personalised advice from its team of domestic Energy Experts, and the acquisition of on-street vehicle charging business, Bonnet.

Justin will further support OVO’s mission to become the UK’s preferred home decarbonisation partner, helping millions of UK households to save money and cut carbon.

Founder Stephen Fitzpatrick and Justin King have thanked outgoing chairman Stephen Murphy for his guidance and support over the past nine years, including the acquisition of SSE’s retail arm, expansion into electric vehicle charging and his counsel during the transition.

“OVO began life as a company with an obsession to make energy cheaper, greener and simpler for consumers,” said Stephen Fitzpatrick.

“More than a decade later this mission has never been more important as we rewire the energy system to support the needs of British families. We started this company as pioneers and we are proud to have disrupted the market for good.

“Throughout Justin’s impressive career he has led companies in a diverse range of industries but has always maintained his role as a business leader that fights tirelessly for his customers. I know he is the chairman to continue our mission at OVO at scale.

“I would like to extend my thanks to Stephen Murphy for his expert guidance during a rapid period of growth for OVO.”

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