The Board of Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) today announced that Guy Newey, currently Director of Strategy and Performance at ESC, will succeed Philip New when he retires as CEO of the Catapult later in 2022. The announcement follows a formal recruitment process led by the Chair of ESC, Nick Winser CBE.

Announcing Guy’s appointment, Nick said:

“I am delighted to announce Guy as the new chief executive. He has been a key member of the Catapult’s executive team and Board since he joined us in 2018, and brings a wealth of industry and policy experience and contacts. Combined with his passion for the energy transition, Guy will bolster our team’s ability to accelerate the growth of the incredible British innovators we work with every day. Guy is a worthy successor to Philip New, our founding CEO, who has firmly established the Catapult as a central player in the energy sector’s shift to a new, clean future.”

Welcoming the news, Philip New said:

“Guy’s appointment is great news not just for Energy Systems Catapult, but for the wider energy transition. His experience in senior roles in Government and his contacts across industry, means he understands the huge opportunity for investment, growth and jobs that the shift to a net zero energy system presents. He is a powerful champion for the companies we work with, and I am confident he can lead the team to even greater success.”

Guy Newey said:

“I am beyond thrilled to have been asked to lead the ESC team into its next phase, building on the incredible legacy that Philip and the team have built over the past six years. Moving to a net zero energy system requires audacious innovation and the UK is perfectly placed to capture that opportunity. I want to harness ESC’s unique set of capabilities to turbo boost those pioneering businesses – small and large – to ensure they capture the unparalleled opportunity of clean growth.”

About Guy

Guy Newey has been Director of Strategy and Performance at Energy Systems Catapult, the independent innovation centre, since 2018.

Before joining ESC, he was Energy and Climate Adviser to Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary of State, Greg Clark, and Special Adviser to Energy Secretary, Amber Rudd. In Government, he was involved in many key decisions, including the move to close the UK’s coal-fired power stations, greater independence for the electricity system operator, and as an architect of the Clean Growth Strategy.

Before joining Government, he worked at clean energy supplier, OVO Energy, during a phase of rapid growth. Previously, he was Head of Environment and Energy at the think tank, Policy Exchange. He was previously a journalist, including three years as a foreign correspondent in Hong Kong for the newswire, AFP.

Outside ESC, he is a non-executive director with UK100, a charity campaigning for greater environmental action by local authorities. He grew up in Warwickshire and now lives in North London with his wife and two children.