BES Utilities, an energy supplier to some 40,000 small firms, has promoted Nick Dilworth to managing director. Company owner and previous MD Andy Pilley has become chairman.
Dilworth joined the firm in April as finance director. He has a background in financial services with Grant Thornton and as an auditor with BDO. He also spent three years as a dental magazine editor-in-chief.
Prior to that, Dilworth ran an underwriting business for monthly dental plans and appears to have plenty to get his teeth into at BES, which has been subject to negative press in recent months after falling foul of regulator Ofgem and Trading Standards.
The business energy supplier was found to have breached licence conditions by Ofgem in November 2015 and paid £980,000 to settle the case.
In August this year, the firm, along with sister brokerage company Commercial Power, was raided by Trading Standards and Lancashire Police in relation to allegations of mis-selling energy contracts to business customers.
However, chairman Pilley said the company’s focus is “controlled and compliant” growth in the coming years. Dilworth, he said, was “absolutely the right person” to oversee that growth.
Dilworth, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist whose dental underwriting firm made it into the Sunday Times Best 100 Companies to Work For on four occasions, said BES had carved out a niche within the SME change of tenancy sector. He suggested that planned investment in the business would enable the firm to “offer a wider range of tariffs along with an enhanced customer experience”.
Related articles:
Trading Standards and police raid BES Utilities
Business energy firm BES hit with million pound penalty for bad practices
Watchdog: Small firms being ripped off and TPIs must disclose kickbacks
Competition watchdog puts small firms and TPIs under microscope
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