Team size: 6 direct UK reports, plus a global legal team of 6 with dotted-line reporting

What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past twelve months?

The last twelve months have been pivotal for Octopus Energy’s continued growth and transformation. One of the major transactions led by the legal team was the acquisition of Shell Energy’s UK and Germany retail energy businesses. This included the transfer of approximately 1.3m customers. Our team also advised on the carve-out and onward sale of Shell’s broadband business, involving nearly 480 000 customers.

This transaction marked the culmination of a period of sustained expansion, positioning Octopus Energy as the largest energy supplier in the UK with a total customer base now exceeding 7.7m. Following the deal, we have been closely involved in supporting the migration of customer accounts and aligning Shell’s commercial contracts and obligations with Octopus’s existing operating and legal framework, ensuring continuity and compliance at scale.

Another core focus has been supporting the company’s international expansion through a new global wholesale energy supply agreement for our European subsidiaries. This agreement underpins the energy supply for our operations in Germany, Italy, and Spain, enabling long-term strategic growth across these territories. This project, while commercially confidential and not for publication, involved extensive cross-border coordination, regulatory analysis, and bespoke structuring to meet local compliance requirements while leveraging Octopus’s broader trading and risk capabilities.

In parallel, the legal team also continued its work on the Bulb Energy transaction, completed in the prior year. Following the deal, competitors brought a judicial review seeking to challenge the Government’s decision and unwind the transaction. With over 1.5m customer accounts at stake, the legal team played a central role in coordinating the legal response, working closely with external counsel and government stakeholders. Confident in the legality and robustness of the transaction, we ensured the business could stay focused on what mattered most: the successful migration of Bulb customers and delivery of a seamless, customer-first experience.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

In-house lawyers today must be embedded business partners who enable growth, not just protect against risk. Strategic thinking, deep commercial awareness, and a proactive mindset are essential. At Octopus, agility and pragmatism are key, understanding when to step in, when to streamline, and when to escalate, and most importantly, having lawyers who are willing to make a decision.

Empathy and leadership are equally important. Building a legal team that is collaborative, empowered, and engaged delivers far better outcomes. I foster a non-hierarchical team culture that promotes ownership, resilience, and learning. I have a great, highly motivated team who have high levels of authority and independence to lead large scale transactions, but with all the support and guidance available when needed. The ability to guide a business through ambiguity, challenge constructively, and influence with clarity and care is what sets modern counsel apart.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

Legal must be at the heart of crisis response — calm, agile, and solutions-oriented. During the energy crisis and Bulb’s administration, we led from the front: building novel legal structures, securing regulatory alignment, and communicating with clarity and consistency.

We prioritised customer continuity, reputational protection, and long-term resilience. Our legal strategy aligns closely with Octopus’s mission of customer-centric, tech-enabled decarbonisation. By deeply understanding the business, we ensure legal is not just reactive, but also actively shaping paths forward. Whether navigating volatile markets or complex M&A, the team are all aligned to a model of rapid decision-making while building a relationship of trust, both with the internal client but also in externally facing scenarios including in our interactions with the regulator or counterparties to transactions.