Meet our Senior Management Team

Robert Groves: Chief Executive Officer, SmartestEnergy Limited

Robert is responsible for the management of SmartestEnergy’s 3.2GW of aggregated generation capacity from distribution-connected generators, as well as the supply of electricity to large business consumers.

Robert began his energy career with Enron in 1997 and held senior commercial positions at EDF Trading and BHP Billiton, before joining SmartestEnergy in 2004 as Vice President Commercial. He became Chief Operating Officer in 2006 and was then appointed Chief Executive in 2011.

A former submarine engineer in the Royal Navy and Chartered Engineer, Robert has an MBA from London Business School, a BEng(Hons) in Mechanical Engineering and a Diploma in Nuclear Technology and Engineering.

Suguru Tsuzaki: Chief Operating Officer, SmartestEnergy Limited

As Chief Operating Officer of SmartestEnergy, Suguru Tsuzaki is responsible for the control functions (Risk, Finance, Compliance/Regulation). He is also serving role as Executive Director of SmartestEnergy Board.

Rob Pringle: Chief Technology Officer, SmartestEnergy Limited

Rob joined SmartestEnergy in 2019 and has global responsibilities for all aspects of technology-enabled innovation and transformation and day-to-day IT operations for the organisation. He has over 25 years of experience in the energy industry across a range of business areas, including trading, risk management, energy retail and high availability IT infrastructures and services.

Before joining Smartest, Rob was with Shell’s New Energies division working on technology solutions to optimise small-scale power assets. Rob has also held senior leadership roles at Gazprom Marketing & Trading as Director of Global IT and Centrica Energy as Head of Architecture. He has been active in several industry association initiatives and was a co-founder of the European Energy Trading CIO Forum.

A graduate from Aston University, Rob holds a BSc in Business Administration and Computer Science and joined British Gas on graduation, following a year with them on industrial placement and being awarded a bursary.

James Graham: Vice President Sales, SmartestEnergy Limited

James joined SmartestEnergy in 2012 as a Business Development Manager after more than a decade’s experience working in the energy sector. In his current role, he is responsible for all customer-facing commercial activities and sales strategy and manages commercial teams across business development, account management, commercial, and marketing.

James provides insight-backed views on market opportunities and risks, defining how these could impact future growth, and has worked as part of the team defining our future product roadmap, translating into platform change and investment, resulting in the initiation of our most ambitious transformation project, as our product concepts evolve into products and we acquire new sales pipeline opportunities and actual growth.

His career in the energy industry has seen him hold senior roles with companies, including Reactive Technologies and Bergen Energi, and he is keen to continue to play a leadership role, getting involved as Smartest strives to become the benchmark for renewable energy suppliers. He wants to continue developing outside his core commercial experience and building a more robust general management skillset.

James studied at the University of Leeds, graduating with a BA(Hons) in International History and Politics. He enjoys living by the sea and has taken up cold water swimming, enjoying the exhilarating experience of swimming during the winter.

Hayley Thompson: Vice President Global Marketing, SmartestEnergy Limited

Hayley joined SmartestEnergy in 2018 as Marketing Communications Manager before working as Head of Marketing Communications and Customer Experience and finally moving into her current role as Vice President of Global Marketing in 2022. She is responsible for the coordination and management of all marketing activity within SmartestEnergy globally, overseeing both our insights and marketing communications teams.

Hayley is experienced in leading high-achieving marketing teams, with demonstrated success working for leading companies spanning a range of industries from engineering and aviation to healthcare, education and now utilities.

She is a well-rounded marketing professional, skilled in digital strategy, branding, marketing management, corporate social responsibility, integrated marketing, public relations and crisis communications, with a bachelor's degree in Anthropology and Psychology from the University of North Carolina.

Zoe Spurgeon: Vice President Operations, SmartestEnergy Limited

Zoe joined SmartestEnergy in 2021 as Vice President of Operations and is responsible for delivering operational excellence through leading, implementing and managing significant profit and loss business areas. Her key strengths include strategy setting and leading through to delivery, operational transformation and change, and excellent interpersonal and team development skills.

Zoe is focused on building a high-performing team, ensuring seamless service to our customers across the whole lifecycle whilst balancing financial performance and growth. She is the operational sponsor of the largest transformation programme SmartestEnergy has delivered, and places support for our customers' net zero journeys as a key priority.

She has wide-ranging experience in strategic, commercial, operational, and financial roles within the manufacturing, utility, and service sectors, having worked as Director of I&C Energy Supply at Centrica, I&C Energy Head of Operations at British Gas, and a range of leading roles at Thames Water. Outside work, Zoe enjoys baking, supporting the local rugby club where her two boys play, and is a mentor for the Women in Utilities Network, providing support and expertise to women in the utilities sector.

Claire Talbot: Vice President IT, SmartestEnergy Limited

Claire joined SmartestEnergy in 2021 as Global Vice President of IT and is responsible for the design, development and implementation of our Enterprise information systems, software applications, and IT support and infrastructure systems. She is also responsible for SEL UK IT.

Claire provides leadership for the continued development of an innovative, robust and secure IT environment Global for SmartestEnergy. A mentor with long-standing ties to STEM and Women in Technology. Claire has financial acumen coupled with extensive experience in end-to-end IT project management, data migration and upgrades, transformational change, and IT operations.

Claire has accrued over 30 years of experience in IT-based roles across a range of industries, with her most recent roles as Director of IT at Clarks and SSE, Global CIO at Nisbets and IT Leader at NSF International. Her career started at Northampton University, where she studied a HND in Computer Science.

Richard Hamilton: Vice President Finance, SmartestEnergy Limited

Richard joined SmartestEnergy in 2021 as Vice President of Finance and is responsible for overseeing all financial-related matters in the company.

Before joining SmartestEnergy, Richard spent 9 years working at Gazprom Marketing & Trading in various senior finance roles.

Before his work in the energy sector, Richard started his career in the Financial Services industry with the US investment bank Morgan Stanley. He graduated from the University of Glasgow with a bachelor’s in Accounting with Finance and later gained his certification as a Charted Accountant from The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Klaus Wiebauer: Vice President Portfolio Optimisation & Pricing, SmartestEnergy Limited

Klaus joined SmartestEnergy in 2022 as Vice President of Portfolio Optimisation and Pricing and is responsible for optimizing SmartestEnergy's current portfolio by developing ideas, partnerships, and building new business.

With over 20 years of experience in the energy industry, Klaus is a strong business professional, skilled in risk management, financial modelling and strategic leadership. His career in the energy industry has seen him hold senior roles with companies, including TotalEnergies and EnBW, after having studied Mathematics at Heidelberg University.

Geoffrey Sekyere-Afriyie: Vice President Compliance and Regulation at SmartestEnergy Limited

Geoffrey joined SmartestEnergy in 2023 as Vice President of Compliance and Regulation and is responsible for ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and laws by embedding a compliance control culture.

Geoffrey comes with over 18 years’ experience in energy markets and commodities trading, having successfully developed compliance programmes at World Kinect, Drax Power, and Petronas Energy Trading as well as overseeing UK electricity market procedures at ELEXON, Gemserv, and EDF Energy.

Geoffrey has a BA (Hons) in Economics and Politics from Exeter University and an MSc in Public Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Mike Stark: Vice President Risk, SmartestEnergy Limited

Mike Joined SmartestEnergy in 2023 as Vice President of Risk and is responsible for managing and overseeing all the financial and non-financial risks for the company.

Mike comes with over 25 years’ experience in highly regulated commodity trading and energy trading environments and has successfully led the Risk and Middle Office functions at both PetroChina and Chevron trading organisations, in addition to previous experience at Enron, Phibro and Shell, where Mike began his career in 1993.

Mike has a BA(Hons) in Business and Finance from London South Bank University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Risk Management (CFIRM).

Caroline Pear: Senior Vice President Global Human Resources, SmartestEnergy Limited

Caroline joined SmartestEnergy in 2023 as Senior Vice President of Global HR and is responsible for overseeing all people-related matters in the company.

Caroline comes with over 20 years’ experience in energy / financial services environments. Before joining SmartestEnergy Caroline spent half her career working in senior roles within the Energy industry (EDF) and the other half of her career working as a management consultant including Deloitte and most recently EY.

Caroline has a BSc.(Hons) in Psychology from Birmingham University and an MSc. in Business Psychology from Nottingham University Business School.

Fanos Shiamishis: Vice President Trading, Smartest Energy Limited

Fanos Shiamishis has been a key player in SmartestEnergy's growth since joining the company in 2018 as Head of Sales Trading. Leveraging his over two decades of experience in the energy sector, Fanos ascended to the role of Acting VP Trading in August 2023, before officially assuming the full responsibilities of VP Trading in April 2024.

Fanos leads SmartestEnergy's trading function across power, gas, and renewables, overseeing the portfolio and driving European and global growth in renewables. His impressive 24-year career spans diverse areas within the industry, including journalism, risk management (both operational and market-focused), portfolio management, trading, and sales.

Prior to SmartestEnergy, Fanos honed his skills at Dow Jones, Duke Energy, and EDF. In these roles, he compiled energy indices, managed cross-commodity and foreign exchange risk, and actively traded within the UK Power and Gas markets.

At SmartestEnergy, Fanos's team focuses on UK Power and Gas trading with external partners. They also play a crucial role in providing market access for both generators and supply customers. Fanos fosters a collaborative team environment, actively supporting colleagues with deal structuring, tenders, opportunities, and contract renewals.

Liz Adams: Interim Vice President Marketing, Smartest Energy Limited

As the Interim VP of Global Marketing at SmartestEnergy, Liz is a dynamic leader with a proven track record in the B2B software (SaaS) industry. With over 15 years of experience, she brings a blend of strategic vision and hands-on expertise to her role.

Liz has a knack for driving excellent results, having successfully managed and led global marketing teams to fuel pipeline and revenue growth across diverse markets. Her strategic prowess extends to orchestrating impactful go-to-market campaigns, spearheading enterprise-scale product launches, and pioneering thought leadership initiatives that shape industry discourse.

A true advocate for 'Tech for Good,' Liz is not just motivated by business success but by the transformative potential of technology to drive positive change on a global scale. She excels in fostering rich internal and external partner relationships, further cementing her reputation as an inspiring and effective marketing leader.

Mahul Raval: Senior Vice President Trading

Mahul Raval recently joined SmartestEnergy in June 2024 as the newly appointed Senior Vice President of Trading. An experienced trading and risk management professional, Mahul has performed a variety of senior roles within the European energy sector over his extensive 30-year career, including trader, trading manager, originator, strategy consultant, and ETRM systems specialist. He has been actively involved in the European energy markets since late 1993.

Prior to SmartestEnergy, Mahul co-managed AAA Commodity Consulting, an independent commodity trading consulting firm, for over a decade. Before that, he worked as a Director at PwC, leading their energy trading and risk management practice. Mahul has also held senior positions at Triple Point Technology, where he led their EMEA sales consulting team, and at Booz & Company, a leading strategy consulting house. Earlier in his career, Mahul garnered over 12 years of energy trading experience at various European energy companies, solidifying his expertise in commodity trading, marketing, and risk management.

In his new role at SmartestEnergy, Mahul oversees the company's gas and power strategy, global renewable trading strategy, and risk management, optimization, and transfer pricing strategy. He spearheads the UK Trading group's European gas and power expansion and the global renewables expansion initiatives. Mahul's team executes trading strategies across power, gas, and renewables while facilitating market access for generators and supply customers. Mahul cultivates a collaborative environment, actively supporting his colleagues with deal structuring, tenders, opportunities, and contract renewals. His wealth of knowledge and proven leadership in energy trading and risk management position him to drive SmartestEnergy's trading operations to new heights.