JBP Events
Charging Ahead: The route to developing Britain’s EV charging network.
Date
20th March 2025
Event summary.
Limited model availability, affordability of electric vehicles, range anxiety and environmental worries over EV batteries is only part of the electric vehicle transition challenge. Just as crucial are the big public concerns relating to EV chargers in terms of availability, accessibility, reliability, grid capacity, public charging costs and ease of use and payment.
So, what is needed to accelerate the roll out and use of the EV charging network infrastructure throughout the UK to boost adoption of electric vehicles and meet the Government’s targets?
This webinar will look under the bonnet of the EV charging landscape and debate how building out the infrastructure required can be achieved at pace. It will cover:
- public education around EV charging and bringing about positive behavioural change amongst consumers
- the need for greater engagement and collaboration involving stakeholders in the EV marketplace together with local, regional and central government
- the critical partnership that needs to be established between local authorities and the EV charging network providers
- a supportive policy, regulatory and planning regime to boost the EV charging market
- making EV charging equitable around the country
- tackling grid capacity
View the full webinar here :
Panellists include:
Shimon Shoshani
Co-founder & Commercial Director of Plugyy Energy Solutions
Shimon is a co-founder of Plugyy, which develops, builds and operates solar energy, EV charging and electrical infrastructure for organisations from the private and public sectors. He has worked in the renewable energy and power sector since 2004.
Prior to setting up Plugyy, he was Europe’s head of Distributed Energy for Marubeni, one of Japan’s largest general trading and investment companies, where he started up and led the distributed energy business. Prior to that he was UK head of onshore wind at Statkraft, one of Europe’s largest generators of renewable energy.
Martin Hale
Managing Director, Qwello
Martin is managing director of Qwello, a pan-European developer, manufacturer and operator of charging infrastructure. He has a track record in the EV market spanning nearly two decades having had key roles with major players during that time, including at ABB, Chargepoint and RAW Charging.
Tim Johnson
Head of Sales Public Charging at Mer UK
Tim is Head of Sales Public Charging at Mer UK, which provides EV charging solutions for businesses an public spaces. He has been in the EV industry for six years and has led the roll out of EV charging infrastructure for clients including Morrisons, Royal Mail Group and Blue Diamond Garden Centres.
At Mer UK he leads the team to develop a public-facing charging network. With a key focus on reliability and a future-fit network, his team develop fully-funded EV charging solutions for commercial landowners, helping them unlock potential revenue streams, while delivering an additional service to their existing customers.
Brian Moorhead
Grid Consultancy Director, eSmart Networks
Brian is Grid Consultancy Director at eSmart Networks leading a team that provides UK-wide grid consultancy. Brian is a former Power Academy scholar and has spent his whole career in the power industry across a range of roles focussed on connecting renewables, battery storage, EV charging and industrial electrification to the grid.
Paz Sharma
Managing Director of Allego
Paz is Managing Director of Allego UK & Ireland, one of Europe’s leading EV Charge Point Operators. He leads the company’s growth strategy, focusing on rolling out ultra-fast, accessible, and interoperable charging networks across the UK and Ireland.
Paz has extensive experience in the EV sector and is passionate about using data-driven insights through Allego’s proprietary Allamo tool to ensure charging infrastructure is built where it’s needed most. He strongly advocates for public-private partnerships and believes in creating a sustainable, future-ready EV ecosystem through collaboration and innovation.
Grahame Woods
Head of Energy Communications and Stakeholder Engagement, JBP Communications
Grahame is Head of Energy Communications and Stakeholder Engagement at JBP, responsible for leading the support the company provides to those organisations driving the decarbonisation agenda through its subsidiary Climate Communications. Grahame works with a range of clients in the energy transition space, helping to communicate and engage effectively with political decision makers and other business-critical target audiences. Originally from New Zealand where he worked as a policy adviser to the Shadow Energy and Resources Minister, his career has been focused on enabling the private and public sector to work together to accelerate our path to net zero.
A regular conference speaker, webinar host, and commentator, Grahame specialises in providing organisations with the tools they need to make their voice heard throughout Westminster and Whitehall.
Jarrod Birch
Head of Policy at ChargeUK
Jarrod works with ChargeUK members and Government to shape the policies that can deliver a world-leading charging network in the UK.
Jarrod has worked with the sector since 2020, firstly as a government official in the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles and then as Policy & Advocacy Lead at Shell, where he represented the Shell Recharge and Ubitricity networks in their engagement with UK and EU policymakers. He started his career working on EU affairs in Brussels and has previously advised both Government ministers and large multinationals on engaging with the EU institutions.
Louise McBride
Head of Transport Strategy at the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA)
Louise is the Head of Transport Strategy at the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, which covers the area of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucester. Louise has responsibility for setting the transport vision for the region and defining the approach to decarbonising transport. This includes the region’s Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan and Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) project.
Prior to joining the MCA Louise was Head of Transport Strategy at the London Boroughs of Lewisham and Camden. In both roles Louise led the teams who delivered the on-street electric charging facilities.
