Juliet Davenport
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Juliet Davenport OBE (born 1968) is a British businesswoman. She founded and is the former chief executive of Good Energy, a renewable energy company in the United Kingdom.
Origins and education
Juliet Sarah DavenportCabinet Office press release, [http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/NY13_Honours_Queens_List.pdf New Year Honours 2013], p.26. Accessed on 11 February 2013. was born in Haslemere, Surrey, in 1968.Tim Webb, [https://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/business/industries/naturalresources/article3625729.ece The Good Life still means Sustainability], The Times, 10 December 2012.{{Cite web |last=Sinclair |first=Emma |date=2013-01-14 |title=How Juliet Davenport went from scientist to chief executive |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-business/9799277/How-Juliet-Davenport-went-from-scientist-to-chief-executive.html |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=The Telegraph |language=en}}
She read physics as an undergraduate at Merton College, Oxford before taking a master's degree in economics and environmental economics at Birkbeck, University of London. She also worked for a year at the European Commission on European energy policy and at the European Parliament on carbon taxation.Mark Tran, [https://www.theguardian.com/business/2004/jun/25/ethicalbusiness.economicdispatch Ethical powerhouse], The Guardian, 25 June 2004.
Career
Davenport began working with Energy for Sustainable Development, an environmental consultancy. While there, she ran technology models and analysed policies on renewable energy from countries around Europe.Good Energy website, [http://www.goodenergy.co.uk/about/juliet-davenport Juliet Davenport] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119103701/http://www.goodenergy.co.uk/about/juliet-davenport |date=19 January 2013 }}, accessed on 11 February 2013.
In 1999, Davenport set up Unit[e], a subsidiary of the Monkton Group, of which she later became CEO. In 2003, Unit[e] was renamed Good Energy. The company was named a Sunday Times Best Green Company in 2008 and 2009, and received The Observer’s Ethical Award for best online retail initiative in 2009.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Awards and accolades |url=http://www.goodenergy.co.uk/about/awards-and-accolades |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110309132422/http://www.goodenergy.co.uk/about/awards-and-accolades |archive-date=9 March 2011 |website=Good Energy |via=Internet Archive}} In 2012, Davenport was named as PLUS CEO of the year.{{Cite web |last=Ruthven |first=Hunter |date=2 March 2012 |title=New energy entrepreneur Juliet Davenport walked off with the CEO of the Year gong at the PLUS Awards last night |url=https://growthbusiness.co.uk/juliet-davenport-is-plus-ceo-of-the-year-8333/ |access-date=18 June 2024 |website=Growth Business}}
In March 2021, the podcast Great Green Questions launched with Davenport as host. On the series she speaks to a variable panel of celebrities, experts and comedians about the issues of sustainable living.{{Cite web|date=2021-03-18|title=Launching my new podcast, Great Green Questions|url=https://julietdavenport.com/launching-my-new-podcast-great-green-questions/|access-date=2021-11-18|website=Juliet Davenport|language=en-GB}}
From 1 May 2021 Davenport stepped down as CEO of Good Energy,{{Cite web |date=7 April 2021 |title=Good Energy announces appointment of new CEO |url=https://group.goodenergy.co.uk/reporting-and-news-centre/press-release-news/press-release-details/2021/Good-Energy-announces-appointment-of-new-CEO/default.aspx |access-date=2021-11-18 |website=Good Energy}} and she left the company's board in 2022.{{Cite web |last=Grundy |first=Alice |date=20 May 2022 |title=Juliet Davenport steps down from Good Energy's board to pursue portfolio career |url=https://www.current-news.co.uk/news/juliet-davenport-steps-down-from-good-energys-board-to-pursue-portfolio-career |access-date=2022-06-05 |website=Current |language=en-gb}} She holds a number of non-executive directorships and is chair of Atrato Onsite Energy, a company which installs solar generation on roofs of commercial buildings.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jan/01/juliet-davenport-good-energy-founder-spreads-wings-and-expertise |title=Juliet Davenport: Good Energy founder spreads her wings and her expertise |last=Ambrose |first=Jillian |newspaper=The Guardian |date=1 January 2022 |access-date=4 January 2022}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/oct/25/green-investment-trust-atrato-onsite-energy |title=London Stock Exchange poised to list first company with all-female board |last=Makortoff |first=Kalyeena |newspaper=The Guardian |date=25 October 2021 |access-date=4 January 2022}}
Davenport has been a trustee of the Energy Institute professional membership body since 2019,{{cite web |title=Energy Institute: Trustees |url=https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/4000752/trustees |access-date=2 September 2022 |website=Charity Commission}} and in July 2022 was appointed as its president for a three-year term.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=4 July 2022 |title=Renewables pioneer Juliet Davenport appointed Energy Institute President |url=https://www.energyinst.org/exploring-energy/resources/news-centre/media-releases/renewables-pioneer-juliet-davenport-elected-energy-institute-president |access-date=2022-09-02 |website=Energy Institute |language=en-gb}}
Davenport was appointed as a Crown Estate Commissioner in 2020, renewed in 2024 for another four years.{{London Gazette |issue=64545 |date=21 October 2024 |page=20702}}
Honours and awards
Davenport was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to renewable energy supply. She holds honorary degrees from the University of Bristol (2018){{Cite web |last= |first= |date=13 July 2018 |title=Honorary degrees awarded at the University of Bristol |url=https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2018/july/honorary-degrees-2018.html |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=University of Bristol |language=en-GB}} and the University of Bath (2022).{{Cite web |date=May 2022 |title=Juliet Davenport, OBE: Oration |url=https://www.bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/juliet-davenport-obe-oration/ |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=University of Bath}}
Published works
- {{cite book |last=Davenport |first=Juliet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1pB5EAAAQBAJ |title=The Green Start-up |publisher=Blink Publishing |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-78870-751-0}}