Adrian was born in Melbourne and grew up in Adelaide before his parents moved to the UK when he was nearly 14. Since leaving home at 16 to join the Air Force, Adrian has quite literally dug holes to bury other people’s crap, served on a mountain rescue team, lived and worked in India, been part of a dot-com startup at the turn of the Millennium, started a teddy bear business (but don’t tell anyone about that), turned around a $700 million energy business, got an MBA, and spent 4 years running one of Australia’s largest energy retailers.

After 15 years in the energy sector, Adrian wanted to put his experience to good use to create something that genuinely helps customers and great organisations. And here it is: Energy Locals, which aims to kill off the traditional retail model by dismantling the things that customers find oh so frustrating about today’s energy.

Adrian is a self-confessed workaholic who finds work more of a hobby than a job. This can displease the team at times, who often wake up to a little collection of new messages. He relaxes – well, never really – and loves his hobby of DJing, even though he’s really quite bad at it. Unfortunately, with lockdown it is only his family who has had the joy of his hobby

adrian@energylocals.com.au

Julian co-founded Energy Trade in 2013 and has over 10 years of energy industry experience.

He is passionate about delivering innovative and cutting edge renewable energy solutions for the community.

Julian is a Sydney local but spent his younger years in the Victorian snowy mountains and high country. It was not uncommon for he and his family to find a remote location in the bush and camp for the weekend. Julian’s hobbies involved, friends and family and lots of sport!

julian.duggan@energylocals.com.au

Darren co-founded Energy Trade and brings over 20 years experience of working with developers and builders. He leads a client-focused sales team who are passionate on tailoring the best sustainable energy solutions. He is enthusiastic about delivering the latest renewable technologies within the energy sector for all residents within our Community Energy networks to take advantage of.

darren.read@energylocals.com.au

Sally has over 18 years of HR experience in a number of different industry sectors including; energy, banking and finance, legal, insurance and government.  The energy sector by far peaks Sally’s interest level and she is particularly excited about the renewable energy space.  Sally is passionate about all things people and ensuring the team have a positive, lasting relationship with the business.

Having spent over 24 years in Australia after backpacking the world in her early 20’s, her family and roots are firmly ingrained in the Northern Beaches of Sydney.  Sally enjoys netball and tennis and still remains fiercely competitive – even though her aging body tells her otherwise!  In her spare time Sally also enjoys catching up with book club, more commonly referred to as “wine club”.

spollard@strataenergyservices.com.au

Luke brings more than 15 years’ experience to our Partnerships team – even though no-one believes he’s old enough to have been working that long! He’s worked across large customer facing businesses in the UK & Australia, making a move into the energy industry 9 years ago.  When he’s not dreaming about playing golf, or reminiscing about when he used to be a half-decent footballer (“real” football with a round ball, as he argues), he’s driven to deliver innovative, outstanding products and customer experiences.

Luke brings to Energy Locals a real desire for change, having spent most of his career identifying ways to improve business performance to benefit its customers, and he loves to share that passion with prospective partners and customers alike.

luke@energylocals.com.au

Lee is here to make sure that we’re all playing by the rules and doing the right thing! Having worked across a variety of industries, Lee recognises that there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to legal and compliance and is passionate about partnering with our team to navigate the complex legal landscape that is energy law.

Born and raised in Albury NSW, Lee now calls Melbourne home and when she’s not at work, you can usually find her taking her cavoodle Reggie for a walk, watching some live music or on the bike at spin class.

lee.kolbe@energylocals.com.au

Hello, I’m Waffle and I’m a five year old Groodle. I eat most things although ideally not fruit or vegetables. I think humans might call this a paleo diet or something like that. I call it a Dog Diet and anything that a vegetarian wouldn’t eat can be put in my bowl, thank you very much. I also eat things that seem to get people upset. I love thongs and have worked my way through quite a few pairs. Once I chewed and then hid a toilet brush under the sofa when I was on my own. That really confused them for a few hours. Personally, I thought it was a genius move.

I love going to the office. It’s full of people with interesting smells and food. They give me lots of attention which, as a dog, I very much enjoy. I’m not allowed in every day because there have been a couple of incidents. There was an awkward moment in a meeting room once (I was busting), and then there was the issue with the pot plants. I like digging and nobody told me that pot plants aren’t just tiny little gardens.

This lot work very hard. I help them relax by showing them that I care about only them, and what’s happening right now. And food of course. Anyway, gotta go – I think I smell chicken coming from the kitchen, so I’m off to put on my cute face and pretend I was last fed two weeks ago.

Sean has over 15 years of experience in the services and retail industry, excelling in various roles encompassing operations and finance. He made a seamless transition into the dynamic world of energy in 2016 and has embraced the ever changing, fast-paced challenges of energy retail.

sean.thomson@energylocals.com.au

Irwin is a dynamic technology leader with a proven track record in steering digital transformation, optimizing business outcomes, and fostering innovation. Irwin oversees key technology teams, develops strategies aligning with our business goals, and excels in cybersecurity, data governance, and vendor management. He is passionate about using technology to drive our organisation forward.

irwin.proud@energylocals.com.au

Louise is the Head of DER for Energy Locals with 20 years of experience commercialising new technology solutions in start-up and innovation environments in New Zealand, Europe, and Australian markets.  Louise has led multi-million-dollar renewable projects and has extensive experience in portfolio and business development, strategy, and business improvement.  

louise.mcsweeney@energylocals.com.au