Former Cabinet Office Climate Director appointed as CEO for Electrify Britain

Camilla Born MBE has been appointed to lead Electrify Britain, the new campaigning organisation founded by EDF and Octopus Energy earlier this year. 

Electrify Britain is dedicated to driving down bills and eliminating emissions from home heating, transport and local communities through widespread electrification.

Last year, electricity only accounted for around 19% of final energy consumption in the UK, despite the UK generating around 60% of electricity from low-carbon sources. End-use of electricity also tends to be more efficient, for example an Electric Vehicle is around 85% more efficient than its petrol or diesel equivalents, whilst a heat pump is around three times more efficient than a gas boiler.

Camilla has more than 15 years’ experience in climate action and decarbonisation, working with governments, investors, business, international institutions, and civil society to turn their ambitions into action. She served as the Deputy Director of Strategy for COP26 at the UK Cabinet Office and advisor to the COP26 President, as well as playing a pivotal role in developing the UK's approach to adaptation and resilience for the UN Climate Action Summit. Her expertise centres on identifying and brokering the actions and partnerships which deliver decarbonisation and climate action at scale.

Camilla contributed significantly to the creation of the Paris Agreement and its net zero goal, as well as the UN's climate security efforts. She was also a Director of the UK Youth Climate Coalition and Chair of Climate Outreach, focused on public engagement with climate change.

Camilla Born MBE said: “The opportunities from electrification are huge - cheaper bills, cleaner air and an economy that can thrive in a tough global context. I am thrilled to take on the role of CEO at Electrify Britain and am committed to making electrification work for families, our economy and communities. Much is being done to electrify the UK's energy mix but more is needed to switch old technologies onto a cleaner path, from heating to transport, underpinned by secure, clean and smart power.”

Simone Rossi, CEO of EDF in the UK, said: “When the energy crisis hit, Britain’s dependence on fossil fuels forced up the cost of powering a typical home from £1,000 to more than £4,000 and petrol prices climbed to their highest level ever. Yet, there remains a huge inertia we need to win over when it comes to electrification. Camilla’s commitment to climate action and wealth of domestic and international experience will help drive Electrify Britain’s fight for a cheaper, greener and more stable energy market.”

Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy, said: “Electrification cuts bills and turns on more jobs than oil and gas, it’s as simple as that. An EV is six times cheaper to run than a petrol car, heat pumps on a smart tariff are cheaper to run than gas boilers and we’re employing thousands of people to install and service all this new technology. But there are many crazy outdated rules that get in the way, favouring fossil fuels and holding back progress. We’re highlighting the changes needed to enable electrification to cut the cost of living and drive economic growth - I’m excited that Camilla will bring huge energy to this work (pardon the pun).”

The Government has set a mission to decarbonise the UK’s power supply by 2030 but to unlock the net zero dividend for households and businesses, equal ambition will be needed to address the consumption of energy.

Last month, Electrify Britain called on the Treasury to address the quick and inexpensive ways to speed up electrification, including:

1. Make electricity pricing fair by removing policy costs from domestic electricity bills. We cannot reasonably ask people to electrify while electricity use is taxed eight times more than gas. The Government must move quickly to reform energy bill levies, at least for households.
2. Electrify home heating by ensuring all new homes are built with electrified heating systems. The Future Homes Standard has suffered from years of delay, but it is crucial for boosting cleaner, cheaper heat and improving living standards. The Treasury should work with the MHCLG to quickly implement the Standard.
3. Electrifying transport by expanding EV infrastructure to more communities. It is unfair that people who rely on public EV chargers must pay £555 more in tax per year compared to those with private charging. Equalising VAT to 5% on both would be a marginal cost to the Treasury for a strong signal in favour of EVs.
4. Electrifying communities through new community energy projects, such as rooftop solar. We will work with GB Energy on community energy when it is operational, but would welcome the Treasury convening ministers, officials, the Green Finance Institute, civil society, and energy companies to discuss how to boost electrification through community energy in the near term.

Camilla will formally become Chief Executive Officer of Electrify Britain on 2^nd December.