Greg Sean Jackson
Octopus CEO Greg Jackson at the Octopus/Wired summit in September 2023
Octopus CEO Greg Jackson
BornSeptember 1971
NationalityBritish
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFounder of Octopus Energy

Greg Jackson (born September 1971) is a British entrepreneur and businessman who is the founder and CEO of Octopus Energy.

Jackson grew up in Halifax,[1] West Yorkshire, and then Saltburn-by-the-Sea in North Yorkshire.[2] He became interested in electronics and computer coding in the early 1980s, leaving school at 16 to programme computer games.[1] He told the BBC that he remembered having his energy supply cut off when he was growing up.[3] He returned to sixth form college to study economics, before attending Pembroke College, Cambridge.[4]

According to website Move Upstream, "before the age of 30, he had owned and/or managed a number of small businesses employing 4–60 people and turning over £400k to £4m."[5] Jackson founded companies including e-commerce firm C360 and Consultant Connect,[6] a telemedicine provider, and was a director of several businesses, including Zopa, a peer-to-peer lender.[7] He is also an angel investor in companies including Xlinks, which is building the world's largest subsea cable to bring renewable energy from Morocco to the UK,[6] and carbon accounting company Altruistiq.[8]

"After experiencing my bills jump frequently when I was paying them myself as an adult, I knew that something had to be done to change this", Jackson told Energy Digital.[9] He founded Octopus Energy – a subsidiary of Octopus Group – in 2016, and by 2021 the company was valued at over $5 billion.[7] The company is now the second largest energy supplier in the UK, and has expanded to other markets including Japan and Australia.[10][11][12]

The Financial Times reported in 2023 that "Octopus’s credentials as a disrupter have helped win the backing of investors including Generation Investment Management, chaired by former US vice-president Al Gore".[11]

Jackson lives in London and has two children.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Greg Jackson, entrepreneur". BBC. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  2. ↑ Lawson, Alex (11 June 2022). "Octopus Energy's Greg Jackson: 'Climate change is no longer this vague thing'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "You and Yours - Gap Finders - Greg Jackson - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  4. ↑ Quetteville, Harry de (16 December 2022). "The school dropout who founded a £5bn energy firm". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "Meet Greg Jackson, Founder and CEO of Octopus Energy". Move-Upstream.org.uk. 2020. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Greg Jackson, Founder and CEO, Octopus Energy Group". CBI. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Meet the Octopus Energy leadership team". Octopus Energy. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  8. ↑ "In the sustainability data management wars, Altruistiq raises £15 million". Tech.eu. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  9. ↑ Ahmad, Mariam (3 February 2023). "Trailblazer: Octopus Energy's Greg Jackson". energydigital.com. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  10. ↑ Mavrokefalidis, Dimitris (11 September 2023). "Octopus boss urges rapid clean energy push". Energy Live News. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  11. 1 2 Millard, Rachel (1 October 2023). "Octopus Energy: the UK start-up outgrowing its roots". Financial Times. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  12. ↑ Thurston, Alban (12 October 2023). "Konnichiwa, Kraken ! 'Ows tha doin', Coventry? | theenergyst.com Kraken, Tokyo Gas, Octopus, Severn Trent, mystical, Jackson, deep brain theenergyst.com". theenergyst.com. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
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