Chris O’Shea: Centrica chief executive with a decarbonising plan
Even for an executive in the eye of the gathering storm that is the energy crisis, Chris O’Shea seems remarkably busy. The chief executive of Centrica bustles on to our videocall from offices in Easington, County Durham, after battling traffic on his way from a hydrogen project in the Humber. Afterwards he’s off to the coast, to check progress on reopening the massive Rough undersea gas storage facility – a key part of ensuring the UK will be able to keep the lights on as Russia throttles gas supplies.
He has also found time to watch Liz Truss announce her energy bills bailout on the TV. Her plan involves reworking power supply contracts, a measure O’Shea, along with other industry leaders, has been pushing for. Tomorrow brings an early morning trip to Brigg power station in north Lincolnshire, where the company is building a 50-megawatt battery storage plant.
He’s not complaining, though. “Having to work two jobs to make ends meet, that’s a struggle,” says O’Shea, crunching on a bag of salt- and-vinegar crisps as he hurries his lunch. “It’s a massive privilege to be in the position I’m in.”
Age 48Family Married with three children.Education Accountancy degree, University of Glasgow; MBA, Duke University, North Carolina.Pay £850k last year (waived a £1.1m bonus).Last holiday Florida.Best advice he’s been given “You’ve two eyes, two ears and one mouth: try to use them in proportion.”Phrase he overuses “Do you have five minutes?”How he relaxes Spending time with friends and family; running.
Centrica is the largest UK company supplying power into its home market, with 8 million domestic and retail customers. It owns British Gas, the former state monopoly, and is valued at more than £5bn. Its stock has risen more than 70% over
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