Ep21: Powering green careers

The energy transition needs more than technology – it needs people. In a country where more than one million young people are not in education, employment, or training (NEET), building the green workforce is as much about creating opportunity as it is about tackling climate change. In this episode of Inside Octopus, our podcast host, Russell Goldsmith is joined by Sophia Kesteven, Senior Partnerships Manager, Samsam Farah, Octopus Energy Equality Foundation Manager and Sai Cham, Talent Partner and Early Careers Lead to discuss the UK's green skills gap and early careers programmes opening the door to opportunities across the energy industry. We also hear some inspiring stories from four apprentices already building our low-carbon future, who Russell spoke to on a recent visit to our training and research centre in Slough. The energy transition requires thousands of people with different skills, backgrounds, and expertise working together towards a shared goal. And, as one apprentice puts it: "it's nice to get to the end of the week and know you've made a difference". To find out more about the Octopus Energy Equality Foundation, email [email protected]. To explore early careers opportunities, visit www.octopus.energy/early-careers or jobsthatmatter.uk.

Public charging doesn’t have to be complicated – in fact it can be a breeze. In this episode of Inside Octopus, we spotlight Octopus Electroverse - Europe’s largest consumer EV charging platform driving the switch to clean, electric transport. Founder Matt Davies and Electrifying.com’s Ginny Buckley join host Russell Goldsmith to bust myths about range anxiety, boost charging confidence and reveal how Electroverse is connecting drivers to more than one million chargers worldwide - from cars to boats to planes. Tune in and discover how we’re driving decarbonisation on the move. Find out more at https://electroverse.com/

Step inside the electrifying atmosphere of Octopus’s Energy Tech Summit, where more than 3,000 customers, innovators and industry leaders gathered in London to debate the future of energy. In this special live episode of Inside Octopus, host Russell Goldsmith is joined by headline speakers, including former F1 champion Damon Hill, motoring journalist Quentin Willson, Octopus Energy founder and CEO Greg Jackson, as well as representatives from Nvidia, Greenpeace and more. Together, they put a spotlight on how AI, EVs, heat pumps, and digital innovation are making energy greener, cheaper, and more secure, and discuss why smarter consumption is as crucial as new infrastructure in building a reliable clean energy grid. With first-hand insights from Octopus customers attending the Summit, this episode captures the energy and excitement of an event focused on driving real change – and takes you straight to the heart of the conversations shaping the future of power for people and the planet.

What if the most effective lever in the US energy transition is not more generation, but shifting when and how energy is consumed? As EVs, AI, and electrification accelerate demand, utilities are rethinking load flexibility as a core strategy for grid stability and affordability. In this episode, host Russell Goldsmith is joined by Nick Chaset, CEO of Octopus Energy US and Executive Vice President of North America for Octopus Energy Group, and Lori Mitchell, Director of San Jose Clean Energy. Together, they discuss how smart tariffs, flexible devices, and customer trust can help optimize demand across hours. From Texas to California, they explore the real-world potential of Flexibility as a Service and why load flexibility is becoming central to how the US grid evolves.

Octopus Energy is rapidly expanding its engineering services to deploy low-carbon technologies to help the UK transition to a net zero energy system. This expansion creates significant career opportunities in the green skills sector. In this episode, host Russell Goldsmith talks with John Szymik, CEO of Octopus Energy Services, and Jack Longman, an EV ChargePoint installer, about engineering careers within the company, highlighting the opportunities for both experienced professionals and those new to the field.

In this episode, Russell Goldsmith hosts Greg Jackson, founder of Octopus Energy, and Jason Mann, Senior Managing Director at FTI Consulting, to discuss the effects of a zonal pricing system in the UK energy market. They explore how the current electricity market operates, why changes are needed to address high energy bills and system inefficiencies, and how zonal pricing could offer a more effective and cheaper solution. The discussion covers the benefits and potential challenges of transitioning to a zonal pricing system and the potential impact on both businesses and consumers.

It’s hard to keep up with the pace at which AI is changing our lives – and energy is one of the many areas it is rapidly transforming. In this episode, Russell Goldsmith is joined by Steve Wattam, Head of Data Science in Kraken’s Flex business, and Ali Teeney, Kraken’s Global Head of Machine Learning and AI. They discuss how Kraken, the Octopus Energy Group’s tech arm, uses AI and machine learning to further improve customer service and create engaging roles for its team – while helping to build smarter, cleaner energy systems globally.

Since launching the Octopus Energy brand in Spain, the clean energy retailer has grown from a team of ten employees, to over 500. In addition to energy, the company now installs EV chargers, heat pumps and solar panels in customers’ homes. In this episode of Inside Octopus, host Russell Goldsmith reconnects with Roberto Giner, CEO of Octopus Energy Spain. Roberto shares the journey of Octopus Energy's remarkable expansion in Spain, the smooth integration of his former business, Umeme, and the adoption of the Octopus culture in Spain. Roberto also discusses the successful migration onto the Kraken platform and the exciting future of Spain's energy market, including the country’s leading role in solar energy generation.

Heat pumps are like magic, turning one unit of energy into three to four units of heat. In this episode, our podcast host Russell Goldsmith chats with Effie Evans, director of Octopus Energy’s heat pump business, about the important role these clean tech devices are playing in decarbonising our homes Effie and Russell discuss Octopus Energy’s efforts in rolling out heat pumps across the UK – with thousands of new installers hired this year, the opening of a heat pump factory in Portadown, Northern Ireland, and the launch of the ‘Cosy 6’ heat pump. They also address how Octopus is dispelling myths and misinformation about this crucial technology.

How Kraken – the world’s first next-gen energy operating system – is powering a transformation at Octopus and beyondAt the heart of everything the Octopus group does is Kraken – a world-leading operating system for utilities. In this episode, Octopus CEO Greg Jackson and Kraken Chairman Gavin Patterson shine a light on the unique potential that Kraken unlocks, from green tech innovation and optimization to lightning fast migrations.