National Grid appoints Steve Smith as chief strategy and regulation officer

National Grid has appointed Steve Smith as chief strategy and regulation officer for the company’s operations across the UK and US.

Steve Smith will sit on the National Grid executive committee and report to John Pettigrew, Group CEO.

Smith has been leading this work on an interim basis since August 2024, following Ben Wilson’s move to lead National Grid Ventures. His appointment is effective immediately.

Commenting on the appointment in a release, Smith said: “It’s a privilege to be appointed to this role at the most exciting time for the energy sector in decades.

“The strategy and regulation teams already deliver outstanding work to ensure National Grid is set up for success and that we continue to put our customers first. I am very much looking forward to continuing to build on this, as I take up the role on a permanent basis.”

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Smith joined National Grid in October 2021 and previously held the roles of group head of strategy and president of National Grid Partners. Before joining National Grid, he spent 11 years at Lloyds Banking Group and was a member of the Retail Executive Committee.

Prior to this, he was a Board member and managing director at Ofgem. His early career included roles at American Electric Power and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

With more than 25 years of experience in the energy and finance sectors, Steve’s career spans venture capital, fintech, innovation and competition, government and policy, markets, regulatory reform and regulatory strategy.

Said John Pettigrew, National Grid CEO: “As we work to deliver on our ambitious investment plans, which will see us deploy £60 billion of capital over the next five years, the strategy and regulation teams will play a key role in making sure this investment drives economic growth, jobs and decarbonisation.

“Steve’s outstanding leadership and depth of experience will further strengthen our executive team as we lead the sector in driving the energy transition forwards. We are pleased that Steve has accepted this role and look forward to working with him”.

Since 2011, Smith has also been a council member of The Regulatory Policy Institute, an Oxford-based, independent organisation dedicated to the study of regulation and deregulation.