Ian McLeod

With a strong track record for financial and operational business performance and a reputation for thought leadership and innovation, Ian is passionate about creating value for customers, employees and shareholders. As CEO between 2007 & 2016, Ian led the vision and transformation of Queensland’s (Australia) regional electricity distributor and retailer Ergon Energy (BRW top 100 company) from its traditional utility role towards a higher purpose where an affordable, secure, sustainable and cleaner energy future is delivered through empowered customers and employees, and an effective market for energy resources and services. With one of the highest penetrations of residential rooftop solar in the world, the deployment of commercially viable battery and spatial technology, successful demand management programs and advances in tariff and market reform, Ian and his team positioned Ergon as respected leader in the electricity sector’s transformation.

Ian has provided CEO sponsorship of a number of award winning innovations including the spatial intelligence and situational awareness capability, ROAMES (2015 Edison Electric Institute International Award Winner) and Townsville Energy Sense Community Smart Grid Program (Electric Power Research Institute Smart Grid demonstration project, Queensland Premiers Award Finalist and EPRI Technology Transfer Award).

Other significant achievements have been the delivery of electrical infrastructure to support Queensland’s mining and economic boom; commercially leveraging disruptive policy and technology changes around climate change, carbon and renewable energy targets (winning Business Innovator of the Year at the 2015 Climate Alliance Business Leadership Awards); public and peer recognition of Ergon as a leader in natural disaster resilience, response and recovery; and, turning around escalating network prices to achieve forecast below inflation outcomes for the 2015-20 period.

Ian has more than 30 years’ experience in the energy industry in a broad range of roles and functions. These have included Chief Executive Ergon Energy, Chairman of Ergon Energy Queensland (Electricity Retailer), Ergon Energy Telecommunications and SPARQ Solutions Pty Ltd (ICT), Deputy Chairman of the Electricity Supply Association of Australia (ESAA), Director of the Energy Networks Association and Chair of the Energy Networks Association Regulatory Affairs Committee, founding Manager for Electrix Pty Ltd (contractor servicing the power industry), and various management roles across a number of disciplines in investor owned utility Powercor Australia and the State Electricity Commission of Victoria.