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Episode 29

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Published on:

17th Jun 2025

S5 | Ep 29 | Green Intelligence: The Role of AI and Data in Sustainable Energy with Sam Hancock, Global Head of Data Science at Octopus Energy

In Episode 29, of Season 5 of Driven by Data: The Podcast, Kyle Winterbottom was joined by Sam Hancock, Global Head of Data Science at Octopus Energy. Sam shares his unconventional career journey from Capital One to Google and Waymo and ultimately to Octopus Energy, where he focuses on leveraging data to drive the company's mission of accelerating the energy transition.

The conversation explores the balance between data-driven decision-making and instinct, the unique culture at Octopus Energy, and the company's innovative approach to sustainability and customer service.

Sam and Kyle explore the critical role of data and AI in driving sustainability within the energy sector and they discuss the challenges of integrating data into business practices, the importance of fostering relationships across teams, and the innovations in energy management that can help achieve sustainability targets.

The conversation also delves into the complexities of carbon emissions, the electrification of industries, and the potential of smart tariffs to optimize energy usage.

Overall, the discussion highlights the need for collaboration and innovative solutions to address the pressing challenges of climate change.

Takeaways:

  • Sam Hancock's journey includes roles at Capital One, Waymo, and Octopus Energy.
  • He emphasizes the importance of diverse experiences in shaping his current role.
  • Octopus Energy is focused on accelerating the energy transition.
  • The company is customer-obsessed and aims to disrupt the energy sector.
  • Sam's role allows for entrepreneurial freedom in data strategy.
  • Balancing data-driven decisions with instinct is crucial for innovation.
  • Octopus Energy's culture encourages entrepreneurship and high standards.
  • The company has ambitious targets for customer growth and sustainability.
  • Data is a strategic asset at Octopus, with significant data ingestion capabilities.
  • The tech platform developed by Octopus is designed for the energy sector. Understanding the data challenge is crucial for effective pricing.
  • Data integration should start at the beginning of business processes.
  • Building relationships within teams enhances data-driven decision-making.
  • Electrification is key to achieving net-zero emissions.
  • Smart tariffs can optimize energy usage based on grid demands.
  • AI systems are essential for managing the energy transition.
  • Data centres can be a force for good in sustainability efforts.
  • Zonal pricing could incentivize greener energy usage.
  • Companies need to be transparent about their carbon emissions.
  • Nature-based solutions and carbon capture are vital for sustainability.

Chapters:

  • 00:00 Introduction to Sam Hancock and His Journey
  • 01:00 Career Path: From Capital One to Waymo
  • 04:30 Transition to Climate Tech and Octopus Energy
  • 07:20 Overview of Octopus Energy's Mission and Operations
  • 09:48 Sam's Role and Data Strategy at Octopus Energy
  • 13:16 Balancing Data and Instinct in Decision Making
  • 18:28 The Unique Culture and Vision of Octopus Energy
  • 22:12 Leveraging Data as a Strategic Asset
  • 25:17 Understanding the Data Challenge
  • 28:10 The Role of Data in Sustainability
  • 31:31 Innovations in Energy Management
  • 37:39 Navigating Carbon Emissions and Sustainability Targets
  • 42:15 The Intersection of Data and Energy Solutions

Thanks to our sponsor, Data Literacy Academy.

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If you want successful data product adoption, and to keep driving innovation within your business, you need to start with data literacy first.

At Data Literacy Academy, we don't just teach data skills. We empower individuals and teams to think critically, analyse effectively, and make decisions confidently based on data. We're bridging the gap between business and data teams, so they can all work towards aligned outcomes.

From those taking their first steps in data literacy to seasoned experts looking to fine-tune their skills, our data experts provide tailored classes for every stage. But it's not just learning tracks that we offer. We embed a deep data culture shift through a transformative change management programme.

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About the Podcast

Driven by Data: The Podcast
Designed for Data Enthusiasts to hear from the Data & Analytics industry's thought leaders
Orbition Group is delighted to bring you this podcast series, which is designed for Data Enthusiasts, to hear from some of the most high-profile Data, Analytics and AI thought leaders from around the globe.

Each episode will detail the guests journey to the top while bringing unique insights, drawn from first-hand experience on the industry’s most trending topics.

This podcast was created as a way for our industry's most respected leadership figures from across the world to give back to the Data & Analytics community, by sharing; knowledge, experiences and ideas, to inspire, innovate and provide real-life use cases on the industries most pressing topics/challenges.

About your host

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Kyle Winterbottom

Founder of Orbition Group, a Search and Talent Solutions business that operates exclusively within the world of Data, Analytics & AI.

I am hugely passionate about enabling organisations to drive decisions and obtain value from the use of Data, Analytics & Artificial Intelligence.

As such, I believe it is imperative that as a community, we share; knowledge, ideas, real-life use cases and inspiration to collectively give back to our industry.

Given my fortunate position of speaking with hundreds, if not thousands of leadership figures within the global Data & Analytics community each year , I feel it is my duty to share the successes, failures, challenges and opportunities.

Therefore, I have positioned Orbition Group to be a facilitator of that knowledge sharing, through these podcasts, events we host and public speaking.