Discover Octopus Energy's transformational leadership style, customer-centric culture, and innovative management approach that disrupted the UK energy market.
Bottom Line Up Front: Octopus Energy employs a transformational leadership style characterised by customer obsession, technological innovation, and authentic human-centred management. Under Greg Jackson's stewardship, this approach has propelled the company from startup to Britain's largest energy supplier whilst maintaining exceptional customer satisfaction ratings.
In the annals of British business disruption, few stories rival Octopus Energy's meteoric ascent from challenger brand to market leader. Founded in 2016, the company was valued at over $9 billion by 2024 and became the largest energy supplier in the UK, the first company to supplant British Gas since market liberalisation in the 1990s.
This remarkable transformation didn't occur through conventional energy sector strategies—it emerged from a distinctive leadership philosophy that prioritises customers above all else. The question facing business leaders today isn't merely what Octopus Energy achieved, but how their leadership approach can be decoded and applied across industries. As Churchill might have observed about Britain's wartime resilience, success often stems not from following established playbooks, but from reimagining fundamental principles when circumstances demand radical change.
Jackson's vision centred around leveraging technology to facilitate a green energy transition, with Octopus's proprietary technology platform, Kraken, becoming a pivotal tool in managing energy accounts worldwide, serving over 40 million accounts. What leadership DNA enabled this transformation, and how can other organisations harness similar principles?
Greg Jackson's personal experience with energy bill volatility as an adult drove his determination that "something had to be done to change this". This personal conviction exemplifies transformational leadership's core tenet—leaders who transform industries often begin with authentic personal missions that transcend profit maximisation.
As Pete Miller, Co-founder and Head of Customer Experience, explains: "The reason we are customer-centred is that Greg is so obsessively human-centred. He's obsessed with everybody who's joined Octopus and how they feel and fit in and modelling those values for everyone in a very obvious way".
Jackson's background reveals the confluence of intellectual rigour and working-class authenticity that shapes Octopus's leadership ethos. Growing up in Halifax, West Yorkshire, Jackson experienced having his energy supply cut off during childhood, before attending Pembroke College, Cambridge to study economics. This duality—academic excellence tempered by real-world hardship—permeates the company's approach to solving complex energy challenges whilst maintaining human empathy.
Like the legendary British explorers who combined scientific methodology with intuitive navigation, Jackson's leadership style merges analytical precision with emotional intelligence, creating what industry observers describe as "outrageously good customer service."
Technology as Liberation Tool
Jackson's vision of using technology to disrupt the energy market has enabled Octopus Energy to create tariffs which unlock the power of the green grid—offering cheaper electricity when the sun is shining and wind is blowing. This isn't merely technological innovation; it's transformational leadership's capacity to envision futures that don't yet exist.
The company's Agile Octopus tariff—the world's first half-hourly pricing mechanism—exemplifies how transformational leaders create market categories rather than competing within existing ones. In June 2021, Octopus Energy's Agile customers reported average savings of £100 per year compared to standard tariffs, demonstrating how visionary leadership translates into tangible customer value.
The Kraken Platform Philosophy
Octopus's proprietary cloud-based operating system, Kraken, which the company now licenses to other energy and utilities companies, serves as more than technology—it's a cultural indicator. Every new joiner, "whether you're a financial accountant or a customer service specialist," is taught the system as part of their onboarding.
This approach reflects transformational leadership's emphasis on intellectual stimulation—challenging existing assumptions about how energy companies should operate. As Max McShane, Head of Digital, explains: "Each silo is behind a different platform, with a different log-in, with a unique team that looks after that. This is a recipe for a really poor customer experience".
Building Teams Like Ancient British Craftsmen
Pete Miller uses a compelling metaphor: "Dry stone walls are incredibly sturdy and long-lasting. They often still exist from Roman times. Many organisations try to shape people into bricks that can fit into a certain slot. With a dry stone wall approach, the role of the manager is to look at a person and work out how they fit in".
This philosophy—reminiscent of master craftsmen who work with natural materials rather than forcing standardisation—exemplifies individualised consideration. Jackson has implemented a flat organisational structure that encourages collaboration and empowers teams to think creatively.
The Green Energy Mission as Rallying Cry
Miller believes much of their success lies in everyone having a single mission—to drive cheaper, greener energy. "Feeling that their daily work is contributing to something bigger than just a paycheck is the thing that helps deliver really outstanding customer service".
This echoes the spirit of Britain's finest moments—when individual sacrifice aligned with collective purpose to achieve seemingly impossible outcomes. The company explicitly states: "Our mission in energy and decarbonisation is real and we are all passionate about making it happen".
The Personal Touch at Scale
Members of the company's senior leadership team—including Jackson himself—still personally write price change communications for customers. When explaining one particularly complex price change, Jackson recorded a video of himself talking customers through the changes, which was embedded within the email.
This level of leadership involvement in customer communication represents what Harvard Business School might term "strategic customer intimacy"—where senior executives remain directly connected to customer experience rather than delegating such interactions.
The "No-Reply" Email Revolution
McShane explains their philosophy: "No-reply emails are popular—they help us stop bombarding the operations team. But actually, nothing says the customer is not important more than a no-reply email. Basically, you are cutting off two-way communication and when you do this you're saying that the customer is not equal".
This seemingly small policy decision reflects transformational leadership's attention to symbolic actions that reinforce cultural values. The company takes an iterative approach: "We will send out the first email to 100 customers, and we will get replies—maybe there's a question we miss—and from that feedback we make updates".
Autonomous Teams, Unified Purpose
A core part of Octopus's culture is giving employees freedom and responsibility. Miller emphasises: "Freedom and responsibility aren't just something that you delegate down. They're something you take responsibility for afterwards as well. That's really key for creating a better organisation".
The company's approach includes: "We trust our employees but also give them appropriate leadership and oversight. We point them in the right direction and then give them as high levels of autonomy. We know that small teams of extremely motivated and capable people run fast".
Mistakes as Data Points
When someone makes a mistake, instead of making the person feel bad, leadership looks at why it happened and what can be done to ensure it doesn't happen again. This approach—treating failures as learning opportunities rather than blame occasions—creates what organisational psychologists call "psychological safety."
Like the scientific method that propelled British discoveries from Darwin to Fleming, Octopus's leadership treats every customer interaction and operational challenge as experimental data for continuous improvement.
Building Ecosystems, Not Just Products
James Eddison, Chief Technology Officer and creator of Kraken, brought e-commerce expertise to energy infrastructure, having developed platforms for major clients such as Citroën and Hermes. This cross-industry pollination exemplifies how transformational leaders import successful models from adjacent sectors.
The company follows high engineering standards: "We pair program, thoroughly review and test code before it deploys, and maintain fast, high-value test suites". This technical rigour, combined with customer obsession, creates what military strategists might call "operational excellence"—the ability to execute complex operations reliably at scale.
Analytics as Leadership Tool
Octopus uses "Pandas, Numpy and Jupyter for analysis and forecasting, plus Celery, RabbitMQ, SQS and Airflow for background processing". These aren't merely technical specifications—they represent leadership philosophy that prioritises evidence-based decision making over intuition alone.
The Kraken Global Mission
Octopus has expanded beyond the UK, entering markets in Japan, Australia, and several other countries, attracting over $2.3 billion in funding from major global investors, including Generation Investment Management, chaired by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.
This international expansion tests whether Octopus's leadership model can transcend cultural boundaries—a crucial challenge for any leadership philosophy claiming universal applicability.
Collaborative Growth Models
The company announced "a joint venture with Tokyo Gas to unlock the potential of green energy in Japan, and another $250m of investment to speed up our mission to make the green revolution faster and cheaper, globally". This partnership approach reflects transformational leadership's emphasis on building ecosystems rather than conquering territories.
Authentic Communication During Uncertainty
During the COVID-19 crisis, Jackson wrote: "It's a massive economic shock to the system, and as a company at the heart of a critical industrial sector, Octopus Energy has been working unbelievably hard to handle the impact". This transparent communication style—acknowledging challenges whilst maintaining determination—exemplifies authentic leadership during crisis periods.
Self-Awareness and Mental Resilience
Jackson describes his approach: "I'm lucky, and also work hard to ensure that my energy levels and resilience mean nothing really gets me down, at least not for long. Of course things can get tough, but almost every morning I wake up raring to go".
This self-awareness about personal energy management reflects what Daniel Goleman terms "emotional intelligence"—the capacity to understand and manage one's own emotional states whilst inspiring others.
Power Sharing vs. Power Hoarding
Jackson explicitly warns against narcissistic leadership: "I think narcissism is one of the worst traits for a business leader. Some do it just to be the figurehead. They want to see their face in the media and long for personal glory".
This conscious rejection of ego-driven leadership aligns with Jim Collins's research on "Level 5 Leadership"—leaders who channel ambition toward organisational success rather than personal aggrandisement.
Executive Accessibility as Competitive Advantage
Customers can "speak directly to our most senior team by emailing greg@octopus.energy". This direct accessibility—unthinkable in most large organisations—demonstrates how leadership approachability can become a differentiating factor.
Ownership Psychology in Practice
"Everyone in our business has equity options—we all work towards and share in our success in the whole Octopus Energy Group". This ownership structure aligns individual success with organisational outcomes, creating what behavioural economists call "aligned incentives."
Beyond Traditional Metrics
Jackson argues that traditional industry metrics like call response time "may in fact not be an effective indicator of how well a business prioritises its customers". This willingness to question established measurement frameworks reflects transformational leadership's capacity to redefine success criteria.
Sustained Excellence Recognition
Thanks to their customer-centric approach, Octopus achieved "exceptional customer growth and the Which? Recommended Provider accolade five years in a row". This sustained external recognition suggests that their leadership approach creates durable competitive advantages rather than temporary market position.
National Honours for Industry Transformation
In recognition of his contributions to the energy industry and leadership in promoting renewable energy, Greg Jackson was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2024. This honour acknowledges not merely business success, but societal impact through leadership innovation.
Octopus Energy's leadership style represents a masterclass in transformational leadership adapted for the digital age. Their approach combines the authenticity of servant leadership with the innovation drive of technological pioneers, creating what might be termed "compassionate disruption."
The company's success suggests that modern leaders must master several concurrent challenges: maintaining human connection whilst scaling globally, embracing technological innovation whilst preserving cultural values, and delivering shareholder returns whilst advancing societal goals. Jackson's leadership philosophy—rooted in personal experience, amplified through technological capability, and sustained through authentic communication—provides a blueprint for leaders navigating similar transformation challenges.
As Britain once led industrial revolution through combining scientific methodology with entrepreneurial courage, Octopus Energy demonstrates how contemporary leaders can drive sectoral transformation through customer obsession, technological innovation, and authentic human-centred management. The implications extend far beyond energy—any industry ripe for disruption can learn from their integration of transformational leadership principles with practical operational excellence.
Key Takeaway: The most profound leadership lesson from Octopus Energy isn't their technology or strategy—it's their proof that obsessive customer focus, combined with authentic leadership and technological innovation, can transform entire industries whilst maintaining human values at scale.
What type of leadership style does Greg Jackson use at Octopus Energy?
Greg Jackson employs a transformational leadership style characterised by customer obsession, innovation focus, and authentic human-centred management. His leadership is "characterized by inclusivity and innovation, believing in empowering his team and creating an environment where creativity thrives".
How does Octopus Energy maintain customer focus while scaling globally?
Senior leadership, including Jackson himself, personally write customer communications and maintain direct involvement in customer experience. They use technology like the Kraken platform to enable personalised service at scale whilst preserving human connection.
What makes Octopus Energy's workplace culture unique?
The company follows a "dry stone wall" approach to team building, where managers "look at a person and work out how they fit in" rather than forcing standardisation. They provide "freedom and responsibility" with "high levels of autonomy" whilst maintaining shared purpose.
How does technology leadership work at Octopus Energy?
The company maintains "high engineering standards" with pair programming, thorough code reviews, and fast, high-value test suites. Technology serves customer experience rather than existing for its own sake, with every employee learning the Kraken system regardless of role.
What role does environmental mission play in their leadership approach?
The company's success stems from "everyone having a single mission—to drive cheaper, greener energy," ensuring employees feel "their daily work is contributing to something bigger than just a paycheck". This shared environmental purpose creates alignment and motivation across the organisation.
How does Octopus Energy handle mistakes and learning?
When someone makes a mistake, "instead of making the person feel bad, leadership looks at why it happened and what can be done to ensure it doesn't happen again". This approach creates psychological safety and continuous improvement culture.
What can other industries learn from Octopus Energy's leadership model?
Their success demonstrates that combining authentic leadership, customer obsession, technological innovation, and environmental purpose can transform traditional industries. The key is maintaining human values whilst scaling through technology, proving that disruption need not sacrifice empathy or authentic communication.