Energising the market

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Paul de Laat joined Centrica, the international energy and services company, in 2016, as head of data, insight and customer value management. Competition was fierce: a rush of new entrants into the market wanted to break the dominance of the ‘big six’ energy suppliers, including Centrica’s main brand, British Gas.

Roll forward a few years and there are now 65 energy companies in the UK. While British Gas is still the biggest, growing competition – combined with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation and a price cap on standard variable tariffs – mean the company has had to change strategic direction to differentiate itself in the market. As a result, its focus has switched from customer acquisition to customer retention, and gaining greater value from more loyal customers.

De Laat and his team are playing a pivotal role in this strategic shift. “I joined Centrica at a time ...