We are pleased to welcome Emma Thomson to our growing team who joins Aurora as Business Development Director.
From developing one of the UK’s first truck charging sites, to supporting a complex electric and gas connection project at Silverstone Race Track, Emma has acquired a wealth of experience in the utilities and connections sector.
She is now laser focused on growing Aurora’s projects as they help companies navigate regulatory red tape, decarbonisation goals, and budget restrictions.
Read her responses here:
Q: Can you tell us a little about your career history?
A: I am a business development professional with 13 years’ experience in utilities working for both Independent Distribution Network Operators (IDNOs) like Aurora and Independent Connection Providers (ICPs). This time has been focused on delivering complex infrastructure projects across the UK.
Across the last four years, I have specialised in the “electrification of UK transport”, developing projects across the sector for both public and workspace charging.
Q: Does anything stand out from that time in terms of memorable experiences or key milestones?
A: There are a couple of milestones I can think of, here are two key ones…
- Firstly, I helped to build a leading ICP in the electric vehicle (EV) space. This meant taking a collaborative approach to manage the needs of many stakeholders, this included working with all major Charge Point Operators (CPOs), forecourt operators, truck Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and bus operators. In building these relationships, we could ensure both the company itself and the public charging infrastructure was market leading.
- I also supported the development of one of the UK’s first truck charging sites, which was highly rewarding and provided a great sense of achievement as a key development within the country accelerating commercial vehicle electrification.
Q: Why did you want to work in this sector?
A: During the 11 years prior to working in utilities, I worked in the main contracting and building services sectors as a Business Developer. In both sectors, the success of these projects hinged on the availability of power to ensure project viability.
It seemed to me that becoming a specialist in this you could say “black art” was really the way to help developers reach their project aspirations.
Q: You recently joined Aurora, can you tell us about your role?
A: As Aurora’s new Business Development Director, I am leading IDNO solutions in the electrified transport sector, as well as supporting large scale industrial and commercial customers, who are committed to decarbonisation.
Many of these large power consumers need help to understand how to best to reduce capex (to ensure projects meet their cost plans).
Many clients require connections outside of the standard Distribution Use of System (DUoS) tariff. This is where Aurora IDNO can help; we take a holistic approach to each project and can support through flexible asset value investment, design approaches, metering strategies, and grid constraint support.
Q: What attracted you to a role with Aurora?
A: Simple, the team. I knew the leadership team from my past work experience, and the most important thing for me is working with likeminded people who are dedicated to delivering the best solution for our customers.
Since launching into the IDNO market in 2024, the company has built a stellar team which is very impressive. By bringing the ‘best of the best’ from other IDNOs, DNOs, and ICPs into the business, there is collectively now decades of experience within the team.
This is important because it means we truly understand the challenges our clients face; we know the regulatory landscape, and importantly we have the contacts and the ideas that can meet complex challenges.
Q: Why do you think IDNOs are important and what impact are they making?
A: We have seen the impact of IDNOs since 2006, which was the year that the first IDNO licence was granted. Competition, drives down cost, improves service and drives innovation. As the energy transition picks up pace, and the need to accelerate our efforts to meet net zero targets grows, the work of IDNOs will only become more critical.
We need to support developers and clients with the challenge ahead in a low carbon future. As a leading IDNO, we are best placed to innovate in that space, and bring forward new and exciting demonstration projects for sectors so that they can form ‘best practice’.
It’s really exciting for me to be pushing those boundaries with customers, and I can’t wait to continue the industry-leading, ground-breaking work at Aurora.
