Can you share a bit about your background and what led you to this role?
I’ve got a long background in utility sales, which started in business development for the IDNO arm of an incumbent. I worked on the design and build side of network adoption across water, electricity and heat. I enjoyed the challenge of solving customer needs but also building relationships at a senior level.
I moved over to Leep when it started up, as the first business development manager in the very small founding team in Reading. As the business grew, the sales team grew and I became head of sales, supporting the team on everything from residential development to large infrastructure schemes, including EHV connections and major tenders.
I now lead Leep’s data centre work, which naturally combines all the experience I have in tariffs, commercial and financial modelling, and my understanding what clients need from large infrastructure and connection projects.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
I can honestly say that it’s seeing a large, complex project – one that takes real time and expertise to scope and agree – come together and be the winning offer. It’s really validating, not only for the work we’ve put in, but for the approach we take as a company – that we’ve been able to deliver the right fit for the client and the project.
What are the challenges you’re helping your customers address this year?
A lot of our work centres on tariffs, commercial modelling, and how a data centre’s network is built up and connected. There’s a huge amount of activity in the sector right now – sites being bought and sold, capacity being reserved, held or traded – which makes it an interesting, if sometimes chaotic, place to be.
An important part of my role is helping customers understand which networks and projects are genuinely realistic: how they’re connected, where they’re metered, and how Leep can support that. It includes demonstrating our flexibility around design and adoption – for example, where certain kit has long lead times, we can look at adopting equipment that’s more readily available, working with our technical team to get that approved.
We also help clients understand the relationship between metering location and overall cost, so the total cost to them is balanced against the asset value it supports. Finding that sweet spot, and being transparent with clients about the trade-offs, is something they need – it gives them the insight they need to make informed decisions.
What trends are you seeing in the data centre sector at the moment, and how is Leep responding to them?
There’s a huge amount of activity in the data centre market at the moment, and inevitably some of it is speculative. There are a significant number of data centre sites in the pipeline, with some also being considered for battery storage and vice versa. There’s still a lot of movement between the two, and while the connections process that’s now in place is helping bring some order to this, it remains a complex picture, particularly around parties holding, reserving or looking to sell capacity.
The biggest trend we’re seeing is around capacity – where it’s available, how it can be secured and, increasingly, how power can be brought in from further afield to make projects viable.
Once a project moves from securing capacity into actually designing and building the site, the details around network design, metering and tariffs become very important. That’s where Leep is working closely with our data centre clients, looking at the overall connection strategy and finding the right balance between technical requirements, ongoing costs and long-term commercial value.
Is there a data centre project you’re particularly proud of?
Two projects stand out for me. In both cases, we built really strong relationships with the client teams across the UK and EMEA, which allowed us to have open conversations about what they needed from us and where we needed to adapt.
With one client, we actually lost the initial site because we didn’t have the build capacity they needed at the time. Rather than that being the end of the relationship, we listened to their feedback, changed our approach and went on to win their next site. I think that says a lot about the relationship we’d built and the trust the client had in us.
With another client, after successfully working together on the first project, we agreed a framework covering the commercial and legal terms for future sites. That gave us a structure we could move forward with as new opportunities came through, rather than starting from scratch each time. For me, that’s a great example of how doing a good job on one project can develop into a much broader, long-term relationship.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received from a colleague?
“People don’t like being sold to.”
It’s something I’ve always remembered throughout my career in sales. The best sales conversations aren’t really about selling, they’re about listening, understanding what someone is trying to achieve and finding a solution that genuinely works for them. If you build the relationship and create trust, the commercial side tends to follow naturally.
If you were to have dinner with a well-known industry, business or historical figure, who would it be?
Jürgen Klopp. As a Liverpool fan, he’s an obvious choice, but I’d also be really interested in his approach to leadership. He completely changed the culture of the club, built a team that genuinely seemed to want to perform for each other and created an incredible connection with the people around him. I think his views on leadership, motivation and getting the best out of people would make for a fascinating dinner conversation.
What do you do when you’re not at work?
Most of my time outside work is spent with my family, and having recently become a dad, that takes up quite a lot of my time! I enjoy travelling, watching football and getting out for food and drinks with friends. I’ve also recently taken on a self-build project, which I’m really enjoying, particularly the design, planning and commercial aspects of building a new house.
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