Meet Ashok Willis - London-based Energy Analyst

I’m thrilled to welcome Ashok Willis to Gridcog’s growing London team.

With a background in renewable energy both academically and through his recent experiences in consulting in the UK and in South Africa, Ashok brings excellent technical energy knowledge to the team, and he’s already adding lots of value to our product and clients in the UK and Europe.

Read on to learn more about Ashok!

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What were you doing before Gridcog and what got you into the energy space?

Prior to Gridcog, I had been working in the renewable energy consulting space both in the UK and South Africa. Before that, I studied a Masters at TU Delft in the Netherlands that had a strong European energy markets focus. This is what got me really excited about the energy industry as I was able to learn about all the different dynamics of the energy transition as a global challenge. This was a great way to build on my foundation of studying a BSc Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering bachelors that taught me the fundamentals of energy conversion and power.

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What is your role at Gridcog?

I’ve joined as an Energy Analyst. Essentially, I’ll be sitting between the commercial and technical teams helping develop the product to grow in the UK and Europe, while also helping customers use the software and model projects.

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What attracted you to working with Gridcog?

The opportunity to work in a fast growing start-up in the industry I am passionate about. I listened to the Modo podcast episode with Genna and Pete, and I could tell that the team was switched on. With team members and clients across the world, I knew there would be loads for me to learn about different energy technologies and markets.

Energy markets, batteries, renewable energy generation and electric vehicles are all super dynamic and fast moving. Gridcog allows for an approach to analyse these technologies and their economics in an accessible way that allows it to be scaled.

Also to help grow a team here in London while still having some flexibility that comes from being in a hybrid working environment is a huge win.

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What interests and excites you most about the energy industry?

I see the energy industry as having different spheres. There are at least the technology, economics, and social spheres. All of which are rapidly evolving in their own way but also interacting with each other making the energy industry an exciting space to work in.

I am also drawn to the energy transition being a global challenge that requires global solutions. As a South African, I am keen to learn more about how the energy systems in different countries work, what the similarities and differences are and what lessons can be applied across markets.

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What do you like to do outside of work?

I’m an outdoorsy person so I enjoy getting into nature whenever I can - be it for a quick run, an adventure in the mountains or going birdwatching. I love staying active and have started taking running more seriously in the last few years but also very keen to hang out with friends, eat some good food and have a chat.

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What technology could you not live without?

My Garmin watch. To be honest, I’m a bit embarrassed because I never used to be into tracking runs and activities and was a big fan of going off ‘feeling’. But now I’m obsessed with all kinds of metrics I didn’t know existed like my sleep score.

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