A Chat With Our CE

Guy Marquet has been with SmartCo for 10 years, first serving as Operations Manager and then as our Chief Executive.

While we continue to grow our team and introduce you to all our new faces, we thought it was time to get our fearless leader out there too.

We sat down for a chat with the CE and asked the big questions.

What are the biggest changes you've seen in the last few years?

There’s been a mindset shift towards utilising data and really building up trust with engineers. It wasn’t just about seeing the data, they had a need to understand what we were doing and make sure that things were done right. Usually something clicks for them, and then we’ve seen that trust in the data rather than the more traditional modelling.

It's changing quite quickly now, 3-4 years ago it was tough and there was a lot of doubt. But we've had a lot of support from the networks we work with. These early adopters helped us and then could explain it to other engineers in their business. There's been a shift as they realise they can trust and use the data.

They’ve also seen the value in being able to understand their end consumer and what's really happening on the ground.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced?

The big picture challenge is: how can we grow together as an industry, so we're not duplicating work. We want to collaborate with purpose, utilise what we know and allow others to be a part of the solution as well. That could be other EDBs, or it could be consumers — we're all part of the way these assets are utilised. How EDBs grow their network has an impact, but consumer behaviours do as well.

If we're not working together on the solutions, we'll just be creating more waste. We're all in this place together, we need to be more in tune with our resources and manage them better. If we don't, they won't be here for us in the future.

What are you the proudest of the Hiko team for?

I really think it's the growth of our people. The excitement and the passion that they have. We've grown from a small team that’s still really agile, and their willingness to take on challenges, to help and trust each other is really cool.

We're processing billions of reads every day, and transforming that into knowledge, so technically there's a lot going on there. But it's really the people behind that, the mindset that they have, the trust and open communication. 

What was your first job?

I was a sparky by trade, then moved into deploying smart meters, starting a business and running training for that deployment. I’ve done a lot since then, but it seems like a natural transition to go from being an electrician, working in metering, to now utilising the data from those meters.

What has been the biggest lesson that you've learned as CE?

It's hard to let go. I come from a really hands-on background and like getting into the details. I want to help but I know it can hinder the process, so for me it's been about empowering and trusting the team, allowing them to grow and to shine too. I’ve evolved in this role too, which is pretty cool.

There's a lot of chatter around electric vehicle (EV) uptake at the moment, what role is Hiko playing here?

We work with EDBs who are now having to think about providing electricity in remote areas where drivers will need to charge EVs at speed. We've worked on studies to understand how we can change the load in these areas, and what needs to happen with the EV chargers to enable that.

Whether it’s with EVs or other new connections, we want to make sure the EDBs we work with can make the most of their existing assets. With our data and platform, they can see exactly what is possible in each area.

What’s the vision for the future?

Hiko - really any LV analytics tool - should be a part of the overall strategy of running a network, building an understanding from the bottom up with visibility of the assets in your network.

We're really focussed on using these assets in our communities efficiently. If you can't measure it, you can't manage it, so we want to provide insights into how we're using our precious resources. It's about creating a better community for the future, using the data and insights to make that happen.

—

Join the Discussion

In a rapidly evolving energy environment, today’s electrical engineers, network managers and planners will recognise the need to ensure network maintenance and performance for the future. Let's explore new strategies and technologies together.

Reach out today to be part of the solution.