WEC24: How Flux Federation's technology shook NZ's energy market, Mark Soper, to explain

Flux Federation is a New Zealand based energy software company for energy retail businesses with a view to empower energy consumers. Mark Soper, Flux Federation's Chief Customer Officer will be staffing the company's stand at WEC24 in Abu Dhabi. In the run-up to his preparations for Abu Dhabi to attend the 24th World Energy Congress 2019, Devdiscourse, the media partner with the WEC24, catches up with Mark Soper. Read the full interview.

Mark Soper, the representative of Flux Federation in WEC24 says, "We built Powershop to shake up the NZ energy market by putting power in the hands of the people,". In 2018, Flux Federation saw a 53% annual growth in energy consumers using its platform internationally, with the UK seeing a whopping 150%. An excited Soper says, "Innovation is our business, so it’s in our DNA". In the WEC24 he wishes to meet with influential energy retail professionals and to help share New Zealand's energy story with the world. In an interaction with Devdiscourse, Soper shares his views, the company's performance and expectations from the 24th World Energy Congress 2019. The Edited Excerpts:  

Q.1. How are you preparing for the 24th World Energy Congress 2019 in Abu Dhabi?

Mark Soper: As a scaling global energy software company, exhibiting at WEC24 presents us with a significant opportunity to build relationships with influential energy retail professionals from around the world.

Q.2. How do you think your company’s vision and innovation could make a change in the energy sector in line to the SDG 2030 set up by the United Nations?

Soper: The key areas of the United Nation's sustainable development goals for 2030 that Flux addresses are: fostering innovation, supporting responsible energy consumption, and providing affordable, reliable energy for all. 

Innovation is at the core of what Flux sells the world. Flux offers the world’s most flexible platform for running an energy retail business. It’s used by energy companies that want to disrupt their markets, radically reduce their cost to serve and launch new and innovative products and services. Innovation is our business, so it’s in our DNA. We begin with innovation as the premise for everything we do, from our company values to our organisational structure.

Our clients' customers understand the power that they use, and the price that they pay. We also give them the tools to make decisions about how and when to act to manage their power bills. With increased engagement, people start to become more aware of how much power they’re using and how much it costs them. What this ultimately delivers for our clients and their customers is a sense of control.

Q.3. What has been technical and practical feasibility of your company's innovation?  

Soper: Over the last two years Flux has gone from being an energy utility to becoming a global technology company. It all started 10 years ago when we built Powershop to shake up the NZ energy market by putting power in the hands of the people. Now, energy consumers across the world have more ways than ever to interact with their energy utility. 

We give utilities the foundation to successfully manage their business and deliver experiences that truly delight, with the added flexibility of a number of modules to help them boldly go and achieve their innovation goals. The retailers we serve have used the Flux platform in different ways to develop stronger customer value propositions and ways to better engage their customers. After successfully launching Powershop in NZ and AU, our technology was quickly becoming recognised throughout the globe and Powershop UK was born in 2016.  

We’ve since gone on to enter more energy markets, helping nine energy retail brands successfully service the ever-changing needs of their customers. This is a new era of energy retailing where the most fundamental attribute of success is our ability to focus on adapting and doing it fast. 

Q.4. What have been your company’s achievements, so far?

Soper: In 2018, Flux Federation saw a 53% annual growth in energy consumers using its platform internationally, with the UK seeing a whopping 150%. In addition to the growth we’ve seen over the last year, we’ve been recognised for customer-centricity and innovation through a number of awards.

Q.5. What is your business strategy for further expansion?

Soper: Our export sales strategy is to find retailers in target markets that have a desire to innovate and disrupt and set them free to go faster and better in this new era of energy retailing.

Q.6. What are your expectations from the 24th World Energy Congress 2019?

Soper: To meet with influential energy retail professionals and to help share New Zealand's energy story with the world.

 

Thank you. 

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