We have some important updates to share with our members. At the end of March, Helen Seagrave stepped down as Chair of CEE to take on an exciting new role at GB Energy, where she will continue to work with the sector. Reflecting on her time with CEE, Helen shared:
"Being part of CEE for nearly six years, and serving as Chair for the past two, has been a privilege. I am sorry to be leaving at such an exciting time for the CEE and the sector, and I wish the whole CEE team and all the members every success for the future.
I am moving to a new role as GB Energy Local director, so I will continue to work with the sector and I look forward to continuing our relationship and working together for the success of community energy."
Our Deputy Chair, Pete Capener, MD of Bath & West Community Energy and Co-Chair of the Community Energy Contact Group, will take on the role of CEE’s Interim Chair until a new appointment is made. We will be hearing from Pete in an upcoming newsletter.
As mentioned in our newsletter on 22 January, Kate Gilmartin, a founding member and current director of CEE, was appointed at the beginning of this year as a non-executive director on the start-up board of GB Energy. This was one of CEE’s key recommendations to ensure that the community energy sector is represented in the governance structure of GB Energy and will be a core part of helping to shape the Local Power Power Plan.
Additionally, we will soon be saying a sad farewell to Phil Coventry, our Head of Operations, who will be leaving at the end of next month to travel. He will share his reflections from his time at CEE in a future newsletter.
Our sector has a huge opportunity for transformational growth, thanks in a large part to new support being developed by the UK government through GB Energy and the Local Power Plan. If delivered properly, it should also open up community energy right across the country to new groups, organisations and communities. This is resulting in increased interest in community energy from the public and private sector. In addition, the sector and our membership continues to grow, and along with it the breadth of experience, areas of interest, and needs.
In light of these changes and in response to feedback from members and other stakeholders, we have updated our strategy to ensure that we remain focused where we will have the most impact for the sector. We will share more detailed updates on this over future newsletters.
Over the next few months you will see a number of changes, including a new website, increased communications activity, and us working in collaboration with a wide range of organisations to ensure that community energy organisations across the sector have access to the resources, support, and skills that they need to grow.
With Phil’s upcoming departure, we have reviewed the role to ensure it best meets the organisation’s future needs. As a result, we are now in the process of interviewing for a new Chief Operating Officer, who will play a key role in driving CEE’s impact and supporting our members moving forward.
We will also be shortly advertising for a new role to support our capacity and network building activities. We look forward to sharing more news on our new COO and the capacity and network building job advert soon.
These transitions mark an exciting period for CEE, and we appreciate your patience and support during this time of change. As ever, please do reach out to me or any of the team or board if you have suggestions or questions.
Emma Bridge, Chief Executive